Antonio Vivaldi - L'inverno

The first movement of this piece is now inextricably linked in my mind to the famous Korean film Oldboy. Which makes it doubly apt, since not only is it currently winter, but I also rewatched Oldboy recently. I like the intensity of this piece.

Antonio Vivaldi - L'inverno [Winter]:

Amuro Namie feat. AI & Anna Tsuchiya - Wonder Woman

I’ve always had a thing for Amuro Namie. There just always was something that struck me as “cool” about her. My friend who is also a fan of Amuro Namie’s is an even bigger fan of AI, so I was curious to hear her music and was pleased to finally hear a song with her in it that was a collaboration between the two of them, and I’d heard about Anna Tsuchiya but never listened to her music. I saw the MV for this song at FanimeCon this year and quite liked it, as well as the song.

Amuro Namie A.K.A. 安室 奈美恵 feat. AI & Anna Tsuchiya - Wonder Woman:

Monty G - Bahamaland

Too much autotone for my taste, but overall I like this song.  I heard it in the ending credits of the Bahamian movie Children of God. The movie was largely about Christianity, so it makes sense, I suppose, that this artist is a gospel reggae artist.

Monty G - Bahamaland:

Wenzday Atemz - Atemz Anthem

Nice. I found this emcee through an edition of The Illest Female Rappers mixtape uploaded to YouTube. I’ve only heard a few songs by her, but I like what I’ve heard because she has a commanding voice and a great flow.
Note:  Hi def!

Wenzday Atemz - Atemz Anthem:

Apparat feat. Soap&Skin - Goodbye

I heard the instrumental version of this song in an epic moment of the amazing TV series Breaking Bad, then came across this full version later when a Breaking Bad fan posted it online somewhere when I was looking for stuff from the show.
Note: Listen in HD!

Apparat feat. Soap&Skin - Goodbye:

Hồ Ngọc Hà - Khi Ta Yêu Nhau

Vietnamese music doesn't get much love. But that’s about to change! Sorta. I came across this song/artist when I was clicking random Vietnamese music videos on YouTube. I don’t love the singer’s voice that much, but the instrumental and melody are catchy.

Hồ Ngọc Hà - Khi Ta Yêu Nhau [When We Fall in Love]:

George Winston - Night: Snow/Midnight/Minstrels

Time to finally get into the spirit of the season! The first part of this track, Snow, is the only piece by this artist I possessed, and which I found through an mp3 rotation site years ago, as best I can remember. While looking for that part to post here, I was lucky enough to come across this multi-part track that contained the piece I had heard.

George Winston - Night: Snow/Midnight/Minstrels:

Yuki Kajiura - Hear Our Prayer

Here's another piece by this artist, who is a fantastic composer for a lot of anime soundtracks. She consistently makes beautiful music, and her style is distinctive enough that I have recognized her music on various anime soundtracks without having seen the credits! This piece is from the anime Tsubasa Chronicles (which I haven’t seen).

Yuki Kajiura A.K.A. 梶浦 由記 - Hear Our Prayer:

The TRAX - Knife

Korea isn’t really known for producing rock acts, but this band was among the more high-profile Korean rock artists (probably in part because they were originally produced by Yoshiki, an extremely famous member of the Japanese classic rock band X-Japan). You can definitely see the Japanese influence, because their appearance used to resemble that of Japanese visual kei artists and they recorded a sizable portion of their music in Japanese. I really like their earlier music, which is more rock-oriented, but by the time their first full album was released their style had switched to pop ballads typical of Korean popular music.

The TRAX - Knife:

Nabiha - Deep Sleep

I can so relate to this song. There should be more songs on this topic! I found this song and artist when I was searching for Danish music artists.

Nabiha - Deep Sleep:

Stanislas - Nouveau Big Bang

It’s another song by this French artist whom I only discovered over the past year! At first I thought the title was some kind of metaphor, but I looked up the English translation of the lyrics (I don’t know French) and it appears that this song really is about a new Big Bang. Or rather, it’s literally about the annihilation of the Earth in response to human destruction so that life can start anew.

Stanislas - Nouveau Big Bang [New Big Bang]:

Faith Yang - 女爵

I think my friend recommended this Taiwanese artist to me when I was in high school. She really has that singer-songwriter feel to her musical style. She really reminds me of some other music artist, though I can’t figure out whom. I’ve only listened to one album of hers, but I think this is my favorite song that I’ve heard by her so far.

Faith Yang A.K.A. 楊乃文 - 女爵 [Nü Jue - Noble Lady]:

Three Days Grace - Pain

I dig this band’s sound. I’m not sure why, I just do. I remember hearing this song by them first, playing on a blog I came across years ago.
Note: More HD goodness.

Three Days Grace - Pain:

Enya - Adiemus

I don’t even remember how I found this song, though I’ve known about this artist for many years because my mother’s friend was a fan of her music. But I like it; it’s quite epic-sounding.
Note: HD, yeaaaaaah.

Enya - Adiemus:

Gabriel Rios - Baby Lone Star

I heard this song through a fanvideo over the past year, and I don’t think I’d heard of this artist before that. ‘Tis catchy!

Gabriel Rios - Baby Lone Star:

Chihiro Onitsuka - Infection

This song is soooo pretty. I think I found it and this artist through an mp3 rotation site years ago, and it remains one of my favorite songs. And, after searching for years, I FINALLY acquired the piano sheet music for it! I like this artist because she has a different style from a lot of other Japanese artists.

Chihiro Onitsuka A.K.A. 鬼束 ちひろ - Infection:

Jamie Woon - Night Air

I came across this artist a while ago—I think it was when the MV was first released—and for some reason at the time it seemed like everyone was hating on the song, so I thought I was the only one who liked it. But now I guess it’s somewhat popular, and I heard a remix of it in the British soap Hollyoaks recently and was driven to look it up again.

Jamie Woon - Night Air:

Etwas - Alles wird gut!

Once again I have that German soap storyline to thank for introducing me to this artist. Can I just say now Germany excels in producing female-fronted rock bands? This among them, natürlich. (U.S., get on that!!) After hearing one of their songs on the show, I decided to listen to their entire album and ended up liking pretty much every song on it. This was one of my favorites. It’s too bad they only released one album.
Note: I did NOT want to use this awkward video, but I couldn’t upload my own and I couldn’t use a link to my other regular source so this is as good as it’s gonna get.

Etwas - Alles wird gut! [Everything will be Fine!]:

Clazziquai Project - Come to Me (Mellotron Remix)

I knew of this group before I heard this song, I’m pretty sure, but when I saw the music video for this song on a show for Korean MVs years ago I was mesmerized by Alex’s incredibly smooth voice. The song doesn’t seem like my style, but somehow it became addictive. Plus Horan’s voice goes so well with Alex's! Both of them sing in such a laidback way, which usually doesn’t sound good to me, but for some reason it really works coming from them.

Clazziquai Project - Come to Me (Mellotron Remix):

Monica - Just Another Girl

Many a year ago, I heard this song on the soundtrack of the Chris Rock film Down to Earth, and could not stop playing it. I love the control in her voice so much!
Note:  HD!

Monica - Just Another Girl:

Shotei Hanevua - מי

I came across this Israeli artist and song very randomly on some website, I don't even know when. I think I just saw an mp3 file somewhere with a jumble of symbols for the file name and thought it might be interesting, then downloaded it. I didn't even listen to it until long afterward, and ended up liking it enough to figure out via strategic Googling what the actual artist name and song title were.

Shotei Hanevua A.K.A. מי - שוטי הנבואה [Mi - Who]:

Lucia Iman - Angel

I heard this song in The L Word. ‘Tis pretty! I hadn’t heard of this artist before this song.

Lucia Iman - Angel:

Burhan G - Who is He

I came across this Danish R&B artist a few months ago when I was intentionally looking for Danish artists on YouTube. He was among my favorite discoveries, because of his smoooth voice, although I’ve only heard a handful of his songs. I wanted to post a song of his whose lyrics were in Danish, but it just so happens that my favorite of his songs I've heard, this one, has English lyrics. Maybe next time!

Burhan G - Who is He:

Transistor - Living

Let’s get some Greek music up in heah! I just came across this song a day or 2 ago and thought it was enjoyable enough to share. I couldn’t find much info about this band, unfortunately—even on Greek Wikipedia.

Transistor - Living:

Nas - Sly Fox

This hip hop artist hates Fox News. Like, a lot. So much that he made a song about how much they suck. This is that song. Actually, I think it’s safe to say most hip hop artists are not too fond of Fox News, since the channel devotes part of its agenda to demonizing hip hop, and this artist in particular was not the only one it went after, though he was specifically targeted. It should at this point not come as a surprise, but I’ve seen them spit out misinformation about hip hop artists and spew misleading, out-of-context quotes from them, so they had this song coming. Nas is very well-respected and famous among hip hop fans, but I hadn’t listened to his music in a while so I heard this song when he performed it on The Colbert Report, of all places!  There is profanity.
Note:  Listen in HD.

Nas - Sly Fox:

Dido - Hunter

It’s another of my favorite tracks by this British artist, and I’ve played this album sooooo many times throughout my life. Don’t know what to say beyond “I like it.”

Dido - Hunter:

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - 赤毛のケリー

I think my friend told me she liked this band in high school... and then I heard their music, including this song, used in the Japanese movie Aoi Haru.  A few of this band's songs were used throughout the film, and I found this one especially enjoyable, despite me typically not caring for this genre or style.

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - 赤毛のケリー [Akage no Kerii – Redhead Kelly]:

Siti Nurhaliza - Lagu Rindu

I heard this artist years ago through a website I can’t remember, and this was actually the first song by her I heard too. As far as I know, this artist is the most famous Malaysian pop star. I liked this song enough to incorporate it into a class presentation about Malaysia in high school.

Siti Nurhaliza - Lagu Rindu [Love Song]:

Sami Yusuf - Salaam

I heard this artist when one of his songs was featured on the soundtrack of the film The Kite Runner (which, BTW, is a pretty good adaptation of the book). It kinda threw me off when I noticed his lyrics are mostly in English, but his voice is so heavenly. I love the style in which it’s sung. Every song I’ve heard by him so far sounds beautiful. The English lyrics sound strangely literal, but everything else about it is so lovely I can overlook that part. I’ve posted a number of Christian songs so far, as well as songs by Muslim artists, but I think this is the first explicitly Muslim song I’ve posted.
Note:  SUPER HD!

Sami Yusuf - Salaam [Peace]:

Alanis Morisette - Uninvited

This artist is famous for her “angry girl” sound, which I don’t have a problem with but other people seem to. I have long known of this song’s existence and been familiar with it, but I kinda forgot about it for a while until I heard it recently in a fanvid. I like it in all its intensity and ominousness. Evidently it was used on the soundtrack of the movie City of Angels (which I haven’t seen, as far as I recall).
Note: Listen in HD!

Alanis Morisette - Uninvited:

Conjure One feat. Poe - Center of the Sun

I found this lovely, haunting song from an AMV I saw at a convention. (This one, in case you're wondering. It's excellent, but don't watch if you don't want the anime film Metropolis spoiled for you.) For some reason I find the lyrics of this one so pretty. "They break the most beautiful things."

Conjure One feat. Poe - Center of the Sun:

Hitoto You - もらい泣き

I only came across this song within the past few years, I think, but I can’t remember how. Actually, now I’m thinking my friend recommended it to me. Yeah. Anyway, I like it, from the instrumental to the melody to the singing style.
Note: I found it in HD! With random pictures that you can just ignore!

Hitoto You A.K.A. 一青窈 - もらい泣き [Morai Naki - Sympathy Tears]:

Novastar - Making Waves

I heard this song on a German soap storyline during a rather heartbreaking scene, which I doubt would have felt as heartbreaking if it weren’t for this song. Prior to hearing this song, I don’t think I’d heard of this Belgian artist before, but I liked this enough to look up more of his music and found it more or less to my taste.  It kinda reminds me of Sting.

Novastar - Making Waves:

P!NK - Sober

This artist never fails to amaze me. I’ve flailed over her in a previous post so I’ll try to restrain myself this time, but I love her voice SO much and she imbues her lyrics with so much more meaning than the average pop star, even on her singles. This song is a good illustration of that. A lot of her songs, including the previous one I posted by her, are full of braggadocio and humor, but this time I’m going for a song that's on the more serious and vulnerable side. I’m proud to say I’ve been her fan from the beginning.
Note: Listen in HD!

P!NK - Sober:


SHE’S SO PERFECT LIVE:

Trevor Hall - The Lime Tree

I found this song through a music recommendation thread on a forum recently. I haven’t listened to other songs by this artist, but I thought this sounded nice and calming.  His enunciation is interesting...

Trevor Hall - The Lime Tree:

Zaho - Je te Promets

Ughhhh, so PRETTYYYYYY. I've posted a more upbeat dancy track by this artist before, but this one really shows off that she can indeed sing. Not only that, but I really like something about the quality of her voice. I didn't even know this was a single when I declared it as my second post of this artist's music.

Zaho - Je te Promets [I Promise You]:

Immortal Technique - Caught in a Hustle

I heard (and saw) this artist perform this song live! This is the first underground hip hop artist whose music I listened to, I think, and I know he's the first for many others as well. I guess you could say he's the most famous of the underground hip hop artists. This is one of my favorite songs by him, but it definitely has profanity so don't listen if that bothers you.
Note: I found this in HD, woo!

Immortal Technique - Caught in a Hustle:


And while you're at it, check out this awesome video of street art set to this song:

Barbra Streisand - Papa, Can You Hear Me?

I ain’t gonna lie; I found out about this song from the show Glee. It was one of the few covers Lea Michele sang that didn’t make me feel like punching something. Then I looked up the original and thought, “Whoa, this is even BETTER.” Her voice is so powerful! I also gotta be honest: I have heard this artist’s name many, many times throughout my life, but never bothered to try to listen to her music. Now I see why she’s so famous. This song is from the 1983 film Yentl, which this artist directed and wrote.
Note: Please ignore the atrociously transcribed lyrics.

Barbra Streisand - Papa, Can You Hear Me?:


And here's the clip from the film:

Merry - Japanese Modernist

This is the first song by this band that I listened to, and I probably heard it through an mp3 rotation site. I like something about the lead singer’s vocals. They’re weird and raspy and ultra-vibrato-y.

Merry A.K.A. メリー - Japanese Modernist:

Mýa - Case of the Ex

My childhoooood! This song was always on the radio when it came out, and someone got me the album as a present. This song is catchy enough that I still karaoke to it on occasion. :D There’s a little profanity.

Mýa - Case of the Ex:

Neil Patrick Harris - Tony Awards 2011 Opening Number

I just saw the new Harold & Kumar movie in theatres for the 2nd time, and one of its major selling points is the inclusion of this performer. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a live Broadway theatre show in my life, but I watched the ENTIRE Tony Awards Ceremony for 2011 simply because this hilarious actor was hosting, and it was so worth it. This opening number was genius and apparently I’m not the only one who thought so, since it kept popping up in my Facebook news feed shortly after the show. (At the time of writing this, several months after the awards show airing, when you start to type NPH’s name in the YouTube search bar this song is the first suggestion, and when you search just his name it’s the first result.) The lyrics are hilarious, and although there’s a bit of crudeness and bleeped-but-still-audible profanity, I can only imagine that you would be offended if you have absolutely no sense of humor.
Note: Watch in HD!

Neil Patrick Harris - Tony Awards 2011 Opening Number:

Evanescence - Field of Innocence

All these songs about rivers have got me posting about fields now. Haha! Back in the day I had a ridiculous amount of music by this band in my possession, including their lesser-known music from before they got famous with their album Fallen. I think I actually preferred it to their later, more mainstream, more rock-oriented music. This song was from that era, and is to this day one of my favorites from this band.

Evanescence - Field of Innocence:

Paul Robeson - Old Man River

His voice is so deep and formidable! I really can’t remember how I first heard this song, which is kinda driving me crazy; all I know is last year I was somehow already familiar with it and knew how it went when I heard it in a documentary about this artist. I saw the documentary about this classic actor, singer, and activist in class, and came to the conclusion that he was a total G. It's too bad he lived in a time of such extreme racism in America, because he seems like such a class act—the epitome of intelligence, sophistication, and social awareness. This song became his popular act, but over time he changed the lyrics when he performed it to reflect his political attitudes.  I believe this recording is from the 1936 film Showboat.

Paul Robeson - Old Man River:

Rurutia - Hallelujah

I found this Japanese artist through an mp3 rotation site years ago. Her voice doesn’t do much for me, but as I understand it she writes her own music, which is new agey and cool-sounding. I think this was the first song I heard of hers. I love the violin at the beginning.

Rurutia A.K.A. ルルティア - Hallelujah:

Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River

When I was growing up, this artist was the frontman of the immensely popular boy band N*Sync that all the girls screamed over, so I had something against him. Then he released this song as a solo artist and I saw the music video on TV and was like, “…All right, I like this one song by him.” Then years later he released “What Goes Around,” which was irresistibly catchy, and I saw him on funny things like Saturday Night Live skits and learned that he doesn’t take himself too seriously and is willing to intentionally make a fool of himself, so I gained respect for him. This song has the distinctive production of Timbaland.
Note: Everyone knows what JT looks like, so I guess there’s no point in sacrificing an HD video to find one that doesn’t show him.

Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River:

Coco Lee - 月光愛人

This singer is quite famous, and when she sang the theme song for the Ang Lee film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, her fame spread to the United States consciousness. This is the theme song in Chinese, although she performed it in English as “A Love Before Time” at the Oscars.
Note: Listen in HD!

Coco Lee A.K.A. 李玟 - 月光愛人 [Yue Guang Ai Ren - Moonlight Lovers]:

OutKast - Rosa Parks

This artist is one of the most innovative, and surprisingly successful, hip hop acts. I’ve known about them since I was young because their music videos were on TV and their singles on the radio. They have managed to become critically acclaimed, well respected among hip hop fans, AND commercially successful, the combination of which is pretty uncommon. This song has one of my favorite instrumentals in a hip hop song. There’s some profanity. Fun fact: Rosa Parks sued OutKast for using her name as the song title. They ended up settling.
Ya know what? I like the music video; it's fun. I’ma use it. Gotta love how weird Andre 3000 is. :D
Note: Watch/listen in HD!

OutKast - Rosa Parks:

Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone

I first heard of this artist through a Rufus Wainwright track on which they collaborated, then again when a song of theirs was used on the German soap storyline I followed. Antony's voice sounds like a string instrument to me in parts of this song... So pretty, and definitely melancholy. Yes, this is somber as heck and is about contemplating DEATH, but I think part of its beauty is its relatability. (It's a sentiment many humans share, yet there are few songs about it compared to a very limited range of emotions discussed in the majority of songs.)

Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone:

The Cliks - Dirty King

This song is catchyyyyy... I was addicted to it for a while. I didn’t care much for this band’s music before I heard this song, which I first found on a NewNowNext playlist. In fact, I saw/heard them perform live at SF Pride a few years ago, but only heard songs I didn’t like, so the discovery of this song was a pleasant surprise. And the MV is awesome so I’m using that.
Note: The MV has HD!

The Cliks - Dirty King:

Jenni Vartiainen - Seili

I came across this Finnish artist the other day while music surfing on YouTube. Some of her music reminds me of Dido’s music, and all of what I’ve heard by her so far is pretty. This was among the numerous songs I found that I liked.

Jenni Vartiainen - Seili [Ever After]:

Something a la Mode feat. K. Flay - 5 A.M.

Hip hop with violin is the best combination. This song is basically about my life, except replace all the parts about going out partying with sitting at the computer watching movies. Either way it wastes time until 5 A.M. XD (Please note that I am posting this entry at almost 5 A.M., after watching a movie, and this was unintentional. I wasn't kidding.)
Note: The video has HD!

Something a la Mode feat. K. Flay - 5 A.M.:

The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian

I have known of this song since I was little since my mom had the album this song is on, and this was one of my favorites from the album. I don’t get the point of it but it sounds pleasant enough.

The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian:

Daniel Licht - Blood Theme

This is the ending theme song of the American TV series Dexter, which I’ve been watching lately. Listen to them cellos hum! I think this fits the series quite well, in all its eerie glory.

Daniel Licht - Blood Theme:

Origa - We Can Hear Your Pulse

I heard of this Russian artist the same way probably pretty much everyone else does: through anime soundtracks composed by Yoko Kanno. Kanno has a knack for picking talented female vocalists with heavenly voices from around the world, and Origa is one of them. Her music tends to be pretty new agey. You can probably pick any of her songs at random and it will sound more or less like this.

Origa - We Can Hear Your Pulse:

L'Arc~en~Ciel - 星空

Everyone who listens to Japanese music, watches anime, or has pretty much anything to do with Japanese pop culture is almost guaranteed to know this band. I’ve also already posted music by the band’s frontman, Hyde. This is one of the few songs that I really "felt" because of the lyrics, where the lyrics touched me more than the sound of the music--and this is in spite them mostly being in a language I hardly know!! Even from the sparse lines in English, though, I got what the song was about. It’s basically an anti-war song.  The lyrics translation into English is here.  I love that Hyde often infuses his lyrics with a level of social consciousness AND poetry. I just wish I knew Japanese fluently so I could appreciate them more.

L'Arc~en~Ciel - 星空 [Hoshizora - Starry Sky]:


And you can find the live performance here:
http://pann.nate.com/video/174751455

Jessie J - Mamma Knows Best

I'm so envious of this artist's voice. Back when she was still relatively unknown (she didn’t even have a Wikipedia article!) and I was trying to hunt down her music, I saw a video on her personal YouTube channel of her singing this song and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY. I’ma include that video too because it was one of my first impressions of her.
Note: HD!

Jessie J - Mamma Knows Best:


And the video I saw before I heard the recorded version:

Gnarls Barkley - Who’s Gonna Save My Soul

My friend posted the MV for this song on her blog a while ago. The video is quite entertaining, though probably a bit gory for some people. It’s a mixture of funny and sad. Just the way I like it!

Gnarls Barkley - Who’s Gonna Save My Soul:


And the official music video:

Park Ki Young - Night

This underrated Korean artist is back with another song off a different album. This is another of my favorite songs by her, in large part because I LOVE the strings!! And of course her voice is lovely too.

Park Ki Young A.K.A. 박기영 - Night:

Massive Attack feat. Hope Sandoval - Paradise Circus

I heard this song as the intro credit sequence of the British TV series Luther, which I just finished watching the first season of. I don't really care for the vocals, but I really like the instrumental component of this song. Something about the intro credits it was used in strikes me as so gorgeous and stylish, so I’m including it too.

Massive Attack feat. Hope Sandoval - Paradise Circus:


Look, it's the opening sequence of Luther that uses this song!:

Dana Kerstein - (My Soul) Ghost

I’d never heard of this artist prior to hearing this song. This rather pretty song was, I believe, popularized by the Spanish TV series Los Hombres de Paco, but I heard it first in a fanvideo. Then I went and watched the show. :-P It turns out this song was also used in a British soap opera I watch sometimes, Hollyoaks, even before it was in the Spanish soap, but I guess that's not how it popped up on many people's radar.

Dana Kerstein - (My Soul) Ghost:

DevilDriver - Digging Up the Corpses

Halloween just ended so it’s time for a faux-scary song! Is it weird that I find this song funny? I like it, though maybe not for the reasons it was intended to have that effect. The screaming guy makes me laugh! I like the instrumental aspect of it though.

DevilDriver - Digging Up the Corpses:

OLIVIA - Alone in Our Castle

Wahhh, her voice is so pretty and high! I think I discovered this Japanese artist years ago through an mp3 rotation site. In fact, I think this song was among the ones by her I got from mp3 rotation sites, although I have since heard a lot more songs by her. I guess she’s considerably more famous now than when I first found her music.

OLIVIA - Alone in Our Castle:

Mehrab - Ey Baby

I don't know why I like this song. I just do. It's mesmerizingly catchy, even though there's really nothing ostensibly special about it. Amazingly, I can now understand more or less what he's saying (which means, surprise: it's not very deep). It's basically just like, "OMG YOU'RE SO HOT I LIKE YOU." This isn’t much better than most of the stuff you hear on American radio, but for some reason I just find it unusually catchy.

Mehrab - Ey Baby:

Sarah McLachlan - When She Loved Me

It's not often that a song can make me view it as heartbreaking due to the lyrics, but congratulations, Sarah McLachlan, you have done it. This is from the soundtrack of the Pixar film Toy Story 2, and is about a doll being outgrown by her friend/owner. One time I was playing this on the piano and, in a very weird moment, it suddenly hit me how incredibly sad it was. SO SAD.
Note: Video has HD.

Sarah McLachlan - When She Loved Me:


Here’s the part from the movie with the song. Prepare to be depressed:

Hajime Mizoguchi feat. Gabriela Robin - Grace~Omega

This is the theme song of the anime film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. It's so exquisite and haunting. Rumor (now practically confirmed) has it that Gabriela Robin is the vocalist/lyricist pseudonym of the famous composer Yoko Kanno, whose music I’ve posted a couple times already. This would make sense, since at the time of this track’s release Yoko Kanno was married to this song’s composer/cellist, Hajime Mizoguchi. This is one of my absolute favorite pieces of music ever.
Note: Listen in HD! You won’t regret it.

Hajime Mizoguchi A.K.A. 溝口 肇 feat. Gabriela Robin - Grace~Omega:

Lindsay Lohan - Rumors

Soooo this artist is back in the news again. Is it weird that I'm posting a song by LiLo? Yes, it is. I heard this song playing on the speakers when I was at Pizza My Heart and really liked the instrumental and melody. I had no idea it was by this rather controversial actress, but once I found out it didn’t stop me from liking the instrumental. Don't hate me! (Even if you dislike this celebrity, you may find this song interesting/entertaining.)

Lindsay Lohan - Rumors:

Park Hyo Shin - Lost

I heard about this Korean ballad singer I think through an mp3 rotation site. After I acquired the album this song is on, I found myself liking this song the most.
Note: I try to find videos without images of the artist, but it looks like this time that’s just not gonna happen. But hey! There are English subtitles!

Park Hyo Shin A.K.A. 박효신 - Lost:

Amber Riley - Hell to the No

I’ve been on a Glee binge lately, in anticipation of the new episodes of season 3 after a break. This singer/actress is, in my opinion, THE BEST singer on the series, and should have way more solos on the show than she does. Her voice is amazing and powerful; my friend even said she gets goosebumps when she hears it. This song is from the show, but is not a cover because it's from the "Original Song" episode. The lyrics are humorous, but I also think it’s one of the catchiest-sounding songs they’ve ever done on the show, and I especially love Amber’s voice in this one.
Note: Unfortunately, some of the lyrics in the video are wrong, but the song’s in HD.

Amber Riley - Hell to the No:


Here’s the part from the show in which the abridged version of the song is performed. I particularly like this clip because Amber has some major swagger goin’ on.  (You might want to click the link instead of watching the embedded video, because for me the embedded video shows up in really low quality for some reason.)
http://mundofox.com/la/videos/glee/hell-to-the-no/897594826001/

Protoje - Take Control

I found this on YouTube somehow when surfing for reggae. I just like it. It's calling for social reform, and it's catchy.  End of story.
Note:  I found it in HD.

Protoje - Take Control:

Sade - Pearls

This singer is pretty famous, but I'm not sure about the fame of the song itself. I knew about this artist since I was little, because I saw her music video on TV and my mom had one of her albums, but I wasn’t aware of this song until a few years ago. It's one of the few (non-hip hop) songs whose lyrics I listen to, and I think they're beautifully-crafted. I love this song in all its mournfulness, in meaning as well as sound; it puts things in perspective. Every time I see a spoiled American kid complaining about how his/her life is uniquely horrible, I am tempted to send him/her this song.
Note: Listen in HD!

Sade - Pearls:

Jacob Groth feat. Misen Groth - Would Anybody Die for Me

This song is the ending theme of the Swedish movie The Girl Who Played with Fire, which is how I heard it. It sounds sad and ominous, so it fits the tone of the movie pretty well. I *think* the song’s composer is the brother of the song’s vocalist. Even though the film the music was used for is Swedish, the composer (and, I assume, the vocalist) is Danish.

Jacob Groth feat. Misen Groth - Would Anybody Die for Me:

Mandy Moore - Only Hope

I heard this song in the American movie A Walk to Remember. Even though the movie was not my cup o' tea, I instantly fell in love with the song that this pop star-turned-actress sang in it--this one. So PAINFULLY pretty! I'm pretty sure this was intended to be a Christian song.  It's also one of my favorite songs to sing.

Mandy Moore - Only Hope:


If you wanna see the part of the movie with the song, it's here:

Sage Francis - The Best of Times

This song is about reflecting on one's childhood. I already listened to this hip hop artist before this song was released, but I didn't hear this song until a friend posted it on FB last year. I like the music video for this track, so I'm posting it.  The line about technology gives me goosebumps.  0_0
Note: Available in HD!

Sage Francis - The Best of Times:

Dixie Chicks - Goodbye Earl

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of country music as a genre. However, I have always liked this country artist—even before they were ostracized from the country music community for publicly dissing George Bush. This darkly comical song is a large part of why I liked them from the start. Even when I was a little kid, I knew all the words to this song and thought it was clever and funny. And now you know my violent tendencies and appreciation of dark humor started early. :-P I don’t think I even saw the great music video until a few years ago, but once I did I added it to my list of favorite music videos, so naturally I have to include it here.

Dixie Chicks - Goodbye Earl:


And the music video:

Andrea Guerra - Children Found

I heard this song first when my friend used it as the music that played when you visited her blog. She said it was from the soundtrack of the American film Hotel Rwanda, which I saw later. I think it’s my favorite piece from the soundtrack.

Andrea Guerra - Children Found:

Harrys Gym - Old Man

I found out about this Norwegian artist through a music column on a blog. I appreciate the creepiness of this song, which I feel makes it appropriate for this wonderful month of Halloween. Even the picture in the video kinda freaks me out.

Harrys Gym - Old Man:

Miyavi - 死んでもBoogie-Woogie

Ahh, it’s time for more of this artist’s very special, very awesome brand of crazy. This time it’s a single, though, so it’s a little more… palatable? Anyway, as I’ve said before, he’s first and foremost a guitarist/songwriter and his voice can take some getting used to, but I love the weird sound effects he makes, and he’s a very talented musician. I believe he played all the instruments on his first album, and this single is from that time period so I highly suspect that applies to this song as well.
Note: OK, so normally I try to avoid posting videos that show the artist if I think people’s perception of the artist’s appearance will get in the way of the listener’s perception of the music, and in the case of Miyavi this is especially true since it’s jarring that that scratchy voice comes out of his freakishly pretty face, but I really can’t resist posting the MV this time because it lets the wackiness shine through. I used to watch this to put myself in a good mood because I found it so funny.

Miyavi - 死んでもBoogie-Woogie [Despite Death Boogie Woogie]:


And the highly amusing MV:

Kelly Rowland - Stole

I knew about this artist from her days in Destiny's Child. I think this was the first song I heard by her as a solo artist (not counting her guest features in other artists’ songs), back when it was playing on the radio. This was a surprisingly conscious song to be playing on pop/hip hop/R&B radio stations.

Kelly Rowland - Stole:

Sliimy - Womanizer

This French artist covers the Britney Spears song by the same name, and it’s just about the cutest cover of this song I can imagine. I don’t remember exactly how I found this artist, but I think it was through a music column on a blog. I’m posting the official MV for two reasons. One, it’s hard to find another upload of the song on YT. Two, it’s pretty frickin’ cool.

Sliimy - Womanizer:

Han Hong - 浪拉山情

I found this artist years ago when my friend sent me this song. There was no decipherable label on the file, and all my friend could tell me was that he heard from his sister that the singer was Tibetan. Based on that, I somehow Googled my way into the information for this song and discovered who the artist was. As I understand it, she’s quite famous in China and excels in singing traditional Tibetan style. I think her voice is incredibly beautiful.
Note: I honestly am not sure how to translate the title. I did what I could; please correct if you can!

Han Hong A.K.A. 韩红 - 浪拉山情 [Lang La Shan Qing - Feeling of Waves Pulling the Mountain]:

Mumford & Sons - I Gave You All

Even though I heard this artist’s name come up a lot over the past year, and saw them get nominated for awards at the Grammys, I didn’t look this artist up because it seemed like they didn’t make my kind of music. However, when this song was used in a recent episode of the German soap opera I was following, it just about killed me (which in this case is a very good thing, because it was storytelling at its most poignant).  Then I listened to the song in its entirety and found it even more moving.

Mumford & Sons - I Gave You All:

Lucy Love - Who You Are

I found this hip hop artist through a music column on a blog. I like her very audible dialect, which sounds British to me, although she's from Denmark. I love her attitude and the themes of her music. This is the first track I heard by this artist, and it sold me. Since then I have listened to some of her other tracks, and I like that the themes seem to be about her being a good lyricist and, as is the case with this song, about the value of NOT being famous. At first I was like, “Meh, pretty good,” but this song ended up getting stuck in my head and I had to keep replaying it. Now I find it kinda addictive. This has some profanity. (Interestingly, this is the second song with this title I’ve posted on this blog, the first being by Jessie J.)

Lucy Love - Who You Are:

Jason Mraz - Plane

This is another of my favorite songs by this popular artist. GOD, I love his voice. It’s so clear and pretty. His happy songs, which I don’t care for as much, always are the ones that get popular (and that he performed when I saw him in concert), but I prefer his sad-sounding ones.

Jason Mraz - Plane:

Narsha - 삐리빠빠

This artist is a member of the group Brown Eyed Girls, whose music I planned on posting at some point in the future. I found this song (and MV) a couple months ago and I just like something about how it sounds. I heard that some people in Korea freaked out over the music video due to its religious (Christian) imagery, so of course that means I gotta post it too. I personally find its edginess pretty refreshing coming from the Korean pop music industry. Plus, I’m quite fond of the imagery because it’s prettiful and full of red & black.

Narsha - 삐리빠빠 [Bbi Ri Bba Bba]:


And the MV, which has HD:

Breaking Benjamin - So Cold

I think this was the first song by this American band I heard, and although I’ve heard other songs by them, this one regularly plays in my head.
Note: HD available, yo.

Breaking Benjamin - So Cold:

Kelly Sweet - We Are One

Quite pretty! I heard this song in a fanvideo a little while ago... I don’t even remember what for, but I made a note of the song so I could find it later. It reminds me of Sarah McLachlan’s music. Outside of this song, I haven’t heard anything by this artist, but I like the clarity of her voice based on this one song.
Note: Hi-def video!

Kelly Sweet - We Are One:

Fredy Massamba - Zonza

I found this Congolese artist and song a couple days ago through a compilation album of African music on a site for international music. This is probably my favorite song on the album. It has a nice combination of instruments, and I like the guy’s voice.
Note: This is the official music video, which I normally try to evade posting, but it’s one of the few uploads of the song I could find on YT, and it’s in SUPER hi-def.  (And besides, this music video's actually quite nice, and brimming with African pride, which is cool.)  So enjoy!

Fredy Massamba - Zonza [Words]:

Hikaru Nanase feat. Black Lily Sisters - Messiah

I read some pretty negative reviews about the anime adaptation of the Angel Sanctuary manga, so I've never watched it, but this song from the soundtrack is pretty darn cool. (I also like the manga series.) I like how dark and epic it sounds! It suits the series very well.

Hikaru Nanase A.K.A. 七瀬 光 feat. Black Lily Sisters - Messiah:

Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen - No Diggity

I heard this song on a compilation album of R&B hits--which is ironic, considering I'd never heard it on the radio--that someone burned for me. I don’t think I'd even heard of this group before, but this ended up being one of my favorite tracks on the CD because this song just sounds good!

Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen - No Diggity:

Madonna - Frozen

Everyone knows this artist, so no explanation needed there, I assume. Although I’m not a fan of all of her music, I like this song and her other songs from this album because they’re on the new agey/trip-hoppish side. I actually really like this music video; it’s preeeeeeetty.

Madonna - Frozen:


I can't embed the MV, but you can watch it here:
http://youtu.be/XS088Opj9o0

Chukiat Sakwirakul & August Band - Ticket (Day Trip)

This soothing song is from the soundtrack of the Thai movie Love of Siam. If I'm not mistaken, the singer of this song is also the director AND screenwriter of the film. Talk about ambitious (and his ambition apparently paid off, because the film was phenomenally successful in Thailand). And the band providing the instrumentation is the supposedly the band featured in the movie... which was created FOR the movie, and then ended up becoming successful in real life.

Chukiat Sakwirakul A.K.A. ชูเกียรติ ศักดิ์วีระกุล & August Band - Ticket (Day Trip):

Utada Hikaru - Colors

Again I am posting music by the first Japanese music artist whose CD I ever bought. This is one of my first Utada songs, too, and the first one that I liked enough to memorize the lyrics of back in the day. Even back then, I was impressed by her vocal range, which I think is one of her primary claims to fame. She has so many popular songs, but this remains one of my favorites by her.

Utada Hikaru A.K.A. 宇多田 ヒカル - Colors:

Megaherz - 5. März

I heard this German band first from a pretty popular AMV for Naruto (which you can watch here), for which they used this song. I wanted it so badly I bought their album with it, which was expensive because it was out-of-print AND a foreign import, without hearing any other songs by them. Fortunately, I ended up really liking the album so it wasn't a bad investment. I really like a lot of their songs, so I just went with this one since it was the first one I heard.
Note: I can’t embed the video, which has HD, but I have the link to it. Also, if you don’t understand German, but you can read Hungarian, you can read the lyrics translation provided in the video! :-D

Megaherz - 5. März [March 5]:
http://youtu.be/unF7fXUDYVY

Ana Tijoux - 1977

I heard this hip hop song in an episode of the excellent TV series Breaking Bad (which I’ve been watching obsessively). Here is the scene where it's used. I can’t understand all the lyrics because they go too fast for my subpar Spanish skills, but her flow sounds really good! Even if you can’t understand what she’s saying, just the rhythm of the words is pleasing to listen to. I found out this song was pretty successful as a single, and this artist used to be part of an extremely successful hip hop group in Chile. Nice! This song is about the emcee’s life. (She was born in 1977.)
Note: Video has HD!

Ana Tijoux - 1977:

Paul Haslinger feat. Sussan Deyhim & Nona Hendryx - Beginning to End

Usually I learn about songs from TV shows, but in this case I learned about a TV show from a song. A friend in high school burned some CDs for me with music she liked, including this track. I looked it up and found out it was from the soundtrack of the American TV series Sleeper Cell, which I finished watching a few months ago. The show has a pretty grandiose soundtrack, and this song is no exception. I initially didn’t know who either of the vocalists of this song were by name, but when I looked up their info I found that both of them are really accomplished artists and I probably should have known who they were before.

Paul Haslinger feat. Sussan Deyhim & Nona Hendryx – Beginning to End:

Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife

Her vibrato is sooooooo delicious. And of course this is live and still virtually flawless. I don't care for this music genre much, but her singing is so great it makes up for it. No wonder people still talk about her!

Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife:

Apocalyptica feat. Ville Valo & Lauri Ylönen - Bittersweet

The main artist is a Finnish rock band consisting of 3 cellists. They seriously headbang while playing the cello. Cellos are so hardcore, man!! A lot of their stuff is just instrumental, which suits me fine, but I think this song is pretty. Ville Valo is the lead singer of the Finnish band HIM, and Lauri Ylönen is the lead singer of the Finnish band The Rasmus. So it’s a big Finnish rock collaboration! I think their voices sound really good together, with Ville’s signature baritone voice and Lauri’s comparably high register.
Note: HD!

Apocalyptica feat. Ville Valo & Lauri Ylönen - Bittersweet:

Agnes Monica - Cinta Diujung Jalan

Another song by this Indonesian artist! This time a sad, pretty one. I would karaoke this song if I had the opportunity! I think the music video is exceptionally pretty, for some reason, so I’m including it.

Agnes Monica - Cinta Diujung Jalan [Love at the End of the Road]:


And here's the MV:

JJ Lin - 进化论

It’s this talented Singaporean artist again! I love his voice SO much. I like a lot of his ballads, but his more upbeat songs like this one are great too.  He seems to have a thing for the sci-fi theme, because the previous song I posted by him was about a robot, and this is supposed to sound futuristic.

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - 进化论 [Jin Hua Lun - Metamorphosis]:

Sugababes - Too Lost in You

Can't say I'm a fan of this British girl group, since I’ve only heard a handful of their songs and this is the only one that really stuck to me, but this song has a nice melody and their voices are nice. I don’t know exactly how, but I’ve heard this song numerous times before (maybe on the radio?) and I like it.  I don’t think they're as big here in the U.S., but from their discography it looks like they are pretty successful elsewhere. They have released a lot of music (and evidently are still at it), yet I almost never hear of them.
Note:  Video has hi-def!

Sugababes - Too Lost in You:

2pac - Dear Mama

Seriously, who doesn’t have love for 2pac? Behold, the hip hop legend that it seems every modern rapper aspires to be and compares himself to. Such a huge cultural icon, I suspect a lot of his popularity is owed to his appeal to a range of audiences, since he mixed social consciousness with an authentic “thug” mentality. I believe this is the song that made me pay attention to him. Even though he passed away long before I actively listened to hip hop, he was one of the first hip hop artists I listened to, because his songs played on hip hop radio stations constantly (and still do). One day I was in the car listening to the radio, and this song was on and I for once heard the lyrics. I said, “Wow, this song is actually pretty meaningful!” The family babysitter, who was driving, said, “Yeah, a LOT of 2pac’s songs have a good meaning!” So then I started listening. Last week was the 15-year anniversary of his death, but you can tell he’s left such an indelible mark on our culture by the fact that I still regularly hear people talking about him or hear his music blasting out of cars driving by. R.I.P. Tupac Shakur.

2pac - Dear Mama:

Sarah Riani - Intouchable

Wowwwwwww, what a great voice. I stand impressed. I came across this artist on YouTube within the past year when I was looking for French music. I found the video of her performing this song live first, so I’ma post that too.

Sarah Riani - Intouchable [Untouchable]:


And the live:

The Idan Raichel Project - בואי

I found this artist through a YouTube channel that uploaded random songs. I think the sung parts are in Hebrew, performed by Idan Raichel. I don’t know who the people reciting the Amharic parts are, but I’m assuming they’re Ethiopian. Just so you know, because of the reversing script, this post was a pain in the neck to format.
Note: There are Polish (I think) subtitles in the video, in case that helps at all? :-P

The Idan Raichel Project A.K.A. בואי - הפרוייקט של עידן ריי [Bo'i - Come]:

Natu - Gram Duszy

I heard about this Polish singer through a music recommendation column on a blog. She has such a nice, soulful voice! I was sifting through a few songs by her on YouTube and especially liked this one.

Natu - Gram Duszy [Grams of Soul]:

MUCC - 輝く世界

This is one of my favorite songs by this Japanese band. I don’t know why I like this particular song so much. It wasn’t a single of this artist’s or anything, but right from the beginning, the first time I listened to it, it grabbed my attention. Fun fact: two people I didn’t know friended me on Facebook solely because I went to the same school as them and listed this band among my favorite music artists.

MUCC - 輝く世界 [Kagayaku Sekai - Glittering World]:

Meredith Braun & Michael Caine - When Love is Gone

Who would suspect a song from a Muppets movie would be so pretty? This is a part of my childhood because I watched the movie this song is from, The Muppet Christmas Carol, when I was, like... 10. I don't really remember the storyline that triggered this song, but I somehow NEVER forgot the song itself.

Meredith Braun & Michael Caine - When Love is Gone:


Here’s the clip from the movie:

Wheesung - Insomnia

As much as I like Craig David's voice, I think I prefer this cover by this Korean R&B singer, whom I've posted music by before. (Apparently this song has since been covered by a few more Korean singers, for some reason.) I think the music video looks pretty cool too, so I'm using it. Black & white!
Note: The vid’s in HD. It also says it has English subs, but I can’t get the closed captions to work these days.

Wheesung A.K.A. 휘성 - Insomnia:

Katie Costello - Stranger

My friend recommended this song to me after hearing it in the show Switched at Birth a couple months ago. It reminds me of Sarah McLachlan's style, and I think it’s quite pretty. Haunting piano!  Oh, and I just found out this artist is only 20 years old.
Note: Also HD!

Katie Costello - Stranger:

Fischerspooner - Money Can't Dance

I heard this song in one of those funny Chloë Sevigny parody videos (this one, to be exact). Weird song in a weird YouTube video; good stuff. I guess quite a few people found this song through that video. I listened to a few other songs by this artist and I liked them, too, but I decided to go with the first one I listened to.

Fischerspooner - Money Can't Dance:

Do As Infinity - 真実の詩

I don't remember ever seeing the MV before, but I really like something about it so I'm including it. This was actually one of the first Japanese songs I ever acquired; I heard it because it was an ending theme song for the anime InuYasha, which I used to watch on TV years ago. That series introduced me (and a lot of other people) to a number of popular music artists in J-pop, like Ayumi Hamasaki, Amuro Namie, V6, Nanase Aikawa, Every Little Thing, BoA, Tackey & Tsubasa, and this band.

Do As Infinity - 真実の詩 [Shinjitsu no Uta - Song of Truth]:


Embedding was disabled, but here's the link to the MV:
http://youtu.be/7UvdKt3hLNM

Cocoon - Oh My God

I found this French artist when looking on YouTube for French music. I thought this was one of the prettiest discoveries produced by that search. The music video for this song is pretty interesting, too, so I've included it.

Cocoon - Oh My God:


And the MV, which has hi-def:

Ciara - Like a Boy

I really don't know why I took so long to look up this song/video, because I knew of its existence for a long time, but didn’t bother until sometime last year. This artist’s voice never stood out to me, but OMG THIS VIDEO. OMG. OMG. I love so many things about this MV...  For one, girl can seriously dance!  For another, black & white!  For another, Ciara in drag!  And the list goes on...  As for the song itself, string instruments make everything better, but I also like this song's attitude.

Ciara - Like a Boy:

Dúné - Let Go of Your Love

I found this Danish band pretty recently, when clicking around on the related videos margin of YouTube. I like their sound; what more can I say?
Note: HD!

Dúné - Let Go of Your Love:

Bat for Lashes - Glass

I heard this song when my housemate was playing it on her laptop at a party. It was so pretty (and definitely not typical party music) so I checked out the song and artist, then my housemate gave me the mp3.
Note: HD, fuuu~!

Bat for Lashes - Glass:

Mr. Lif - Because They Made It That Way

This song mourns the sad trajectory of hip hop and what it has come to represent. It attacks the materialism and hedonism that dominates mainstream hip hop today, castigating the gradual cultural commercialization of the music, and complains that modern hip hop promotes values that are toxic to society instead of uplifting people.  There's a bit o' profanity.
Note: This is the actual music video, 'cause I just like it. The synchronization on this upload is a bit off, but it's in hi-def.

Mr. Lif - Because They Made It That Way:

Shakira - Ojos Así

It would be hard to not know who this artist is, but maybe not everyone has heard this song by her. I like a lot of her songs, but this one has the advantage of the distinctive Middle Eastern sound, which is reflective of that part of her heritage. Cool!  BTW, the English version of this song is called "Eyes Like Yours."

Shakira - Ojos Así [Eyes Like Those]:

The Prodigy - Shoot Down

I heard this song because of this AMV for the awesome series Canaan. I'm not crazy about the whole song, actually, but I really like the beginning.

Prodigy - Shoot Down:

Lucia Micarelli - Lady Grinning Soul

This is a violin cover of a David Bowie song by the same name, and I listened to this cover before I listened to the original song. I came across this on an mp3 rotation site years ago. I didn't know this until I looked up her info on Wikipedia, but apparently she's done a lot of collaboration work with another artist I've posted music by, Josh Groban.
Note:  This song is blocked on YouTube AND is missing from my other source I usually use, so we're trying a new player this time.

Lucia Micarelli - Lady Grinning Soul:

Anson Hu - 願望

A couple weeks ago I found the file for this song just sitting in a folder on my desktop, unlistened to after YEARS of it being there. So I listened to it, FINALLY, and really, really liked it. Now I feel stupid for having it that whole time and never listening to it until now. And since then I haven't been able to stop listening to it. I love the combination of R&B style with traditional Chinese music! It sounds so GOOD.

Anson Hu A.K.A. 胡彦斌 - 願望 [Yuan Wang - Wishes]:

MakSim - Знаешь ли ты

Strangely, I can't remember how I came across this Russian singer, even though it wasn't that long ago.  Somewhere on the Internet is all I can recall.  Anyway, the singer has a nice voice and I like the song as well.

MakSim A.K.A. МакSим - Знаешь ли ты [Znaesh' Li Ty - Do You Know]:

System of a Down - Spiders

It’s another song by this awesome band! Years ago I played the 1st three albums by this band constantly, and they have a lot of crazy, high-energy songs, which I love, but this was one of my favorites because I found it quite beautiful. Supposedly it’s about government surveillance.
Note: HD available!

System of a Down - Spiders:

Loveholic - 신기루

This was the ending theme of the anime Black Blood Brothers, but I heard it in an AMV for Le Chevalier D'Eon first. One time I played it near a friend and she was shocked because she "[doesn't] like Korean music," but she liked this song regardless. I like it too, of course, but that's not such a shocking idea. It's interesting that this song is by a Korean band, with Korean lyrics, but its title is often presented in Japanese and it was the theme of a Japanese show.
Note: The video has English subtitles for the lyrics!

Loveholic - 신기루 [Shingiru - Mirage]:

Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla

This Icelandic band's music makes me happy/sad.  I AM CONFUSED.  (Same goes for this particular music video.)  This is the second song I'm posting by them, and it's from the same album, though I suppose next time I should try to diversify and choose something from another album.  At least they always have interesting music videos.
Note:  Video is the official music video, and is in HD!

Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla [Hopping Into Puddles]:

Sarah West - Tag Min Hånd

Hey, look!  It's a Danish song in which the singer doesn't try to sound like a robot!  Sorry, I was looking for Danish music recently and kept finding excessively autotuned club music.  Fortunately, I eventually came across this artist, and thought her voice was so pretty.  Then I looked into the background of the song and found out it was written for a project that aims to help struggling teenage girls with their problems.  Interesting!

Sarah West - Tag Min Hånd [Take My Hand]:

Tonedeff - Optimist

I heard (and saw) this artist perform this song live, too!  It was quite dramatic.  :D  I wasn't sure what song to post by this artist, since he's one of my favorite hip hop artists and has tons of great songs, but eventually decided on this one because it's a good song for when you're feeling down.  In case you're wondering, the song sampled in the chorus is "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz (which I've ALSO seen performed live!), and Tonedeff himself produced this track; dude has great taste in music!  (He's a huge fan of another favorite artist of mine, Tori Amos, and believe it or not this guy is the reason I gave music by Rufus Wainwright another chance--he so strongly encouraged his fans listen to those 2 artists, even though their music is of a very different genre from his own.)

Tonedeff - Optimist:

Adele - Rumour Has It

I had the pleasure to hear this artist perform this song live recently!  The night before her concert my friend played her newest album for me and this was the standout track for me.  Where did this girl get all her soul from?!
Note:  HD!

Adele - Rumour Has It:

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

This song is all right, but the main feature of this post is the music video.  Since I discovered it through a NewNowNext playlist last year, I have shown it to just about everybody.  It's the greatest music video in the history of the world.  Make sure you watch all the way through, because at first I thought it was the worst music video in the history of the world, but it ended up being the best.
Note:  And lucky you, you can experience its glory in HD!

Hot Chip - I Feel Better:

Christina Perri - The Lonely

I think this is the second song I heard by this artist, whom I somehow came across on the Internet, probably through a music recommendation article.  I can't really remember where I heard this particular song first either, but it was probably a fanvideo or something.  Quite nice!  I think it's cool that this song has an OFFICIAL lyrics video.
Note:  AND it's in hi-def!

Christina Perri - The Lonely:

Disturbed - Stupify

I have always liked Disturbed, and this is one of the first songs I heard by them. Their lyrics can be pretty corny, but I like the lead singer's unique voice and usage of it. I like imitating him. LOL! Don't listen if you can't handle profanity. Sidenote: this is the kind of music people evidently think is ALL I listen to, which I think is strange... And which, if you follow this blog at all, is obviously not the case.
Note: HD!

Disturbed - Stupify:

F.I.R. - 我們的愛

This is one of the first songs I heard by this Taiwanese band, as well as one of their first hits, and it's still one of my favorites by them.  It's also one of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke!  It was a long time ago when I found this artist, but I think I may have acquired this song through an mp3 rotation site.

F.I.R. - 我們的愛 [Wo Men De Ai - Our Love]:

Hans Zimmer, Lebo M., and Jay Rifkin feat. Khululiwe Sithole - Lea Halalela

I have been obsessed with the soundtracks of The Lion King since I was a little kid. I thought the movie's music was the most epic, beautiful thing ever (which hasn't exactly changed). I used to own this "inspired by" soundtrack called Rhythm of the Pride Lands on cassette tape as a kid, and a few years ago, in my adulthood, I bought it again on CD. This is one of my favorite songs from that soundtrack; the choir sounds so gorgeous! It's cool that on this version I can hear the clicks in the lyrics!
Note:  Listen in HD!

Hans Zimmer, Lebo M., and Jay Rifkin feat. Khululiwe Sithole - Lea Halalela [Holy Land]:

Janelle Monáe - Cold War

Here's another song that seems thematically related to the previous song I posted by this artist, in that it's about the pressure to conform to societal expectations. I'm proud of my lyric interpretation on this one because she actually confirmed it in a number of interviews, so yay!  It's not often I find the lyrics of a song so personally relatable.
I'm posting this video this time too, because it's also great (and remniscent of Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" video). Supposedly this was the first take of what was intended to be only part of the official music video, but they ended up using the raw footage because it was so powerful on its own. She starts out sticking to her android persona but rather conspicuously drops it when she gets to my favorite line of the song.

Janelle Monáe - Cold War:


And the music video:

Gary Cao - 笑我笨

A long time ago one of my friends showed me a music video by this Malaysian-born, Taiwan-based artist, but I didn't pay much attention.  Then, later, I heard another song by him through a Chinese-language music video playlist on YouTube, and this time I was impressed by his nice R&B voice, which I don't hear very often in Taiwanese music, so I listened to a few of his albums and especially liked this song from the collection.

Gary Cao A.K.A. 曹格 - 笑我笨 [Xiao Wo Ben - Laugh at Stupid Me]:

Natacha Atlas - Leysh Nat'arak

I found out about this artist quite recently, when my friend was playing her music from the soundtrack of the film Kingdom of Heaven. Yesterday I came across this old song by her, which is lamenting the conflicts and lack of unity in the Middle East.  The singer is from Belgium, but it seems like the bulk of her work is sung in Arabic, as in this song.  You can find a translation of the lyrics into English here.

Natacha Atlas - Leysh Nat'arak [Why Are We Fighting?]:

Erik Hassle - Hurtful

I stumbled across this Swedish artist by accident while clicking on random music artists' songs in the related videos margin on YouTube the other day. I thought his voice was nice, as is this song.  I can imagine this song doing well as a single in the U.S., because it sounds stylistically similar to a lot of other current popular songs on American radio.
Note: Video in HD!

Erik Hassle - Hurtful:

Bada - Aurora

This is a pretty little song I heard on a Korean MV program on TV years ago. It's also one of the first Korean-language songs I even tried learning the lyrics of. Ummmmm... I don't really have much more to say about it.

Bada - Aurora:

Taku Iwasaki - Say Goodbye

Holy crap, this piece... It makes me feel like my heart is being ripped in half or something! Its pain is palpable! Which is, of course, why I can't get enough of it. It's from the second soundtrack of the anime series Witch Hunter Robin.

Taku Iwasaki A.K.A. 岩崎 琢 - Say Goodbye:

Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within

This artist is not my favorite celebrity personality, but she is, IMO, one of the best mainstream singers of my generation. Her voice is so powerful I'm constantly in awe of her vocal ability, even though I'd been hearing her voice since I was a youngun'. I think this song by her is particularly beautiful and soulful.

Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within:

IAMX & Imogen Heap - My Secret Friend

The first listed artist is the alias of the lead singer of Sneaker Pimps, Chris Corner, and the second is the singer of Frou Frou and one of my all-time favorite artists.  I think both of them are really innovative and have cool voices that go really well together.  Their respective styles mesh together excellently, too.  I love this song and its creepiness, although I have very little idea as to what it's about.  I'm including the MV, which was directed by Chris Corner/IAMX, because I have a thing for its weirdness and gender-bending.

IAMX & Imogen Heap - My Secret Friend:


And the music video:

Brown Eyes - No Day But Today

I heard about this Korean duo years ago through a forum for K-pop music.  I was sampling the music of various Korean artists and came across this one, and thought their voices were great and their music was addictive.  Both their albums are still among my favorite R&B albums in my collection.  I've already posted music by one of the singers from this group's other project with a similar name, Brown Eyed Soul, but this group came first.

Brown Eyes - No Day But Today:

Bôa - Duvet

This was the opening credits song for the very trippy anime series Serial Experiments Lain.  It's not my usual style but for some reason I like it.  See, this is confusing because there's another singer (whose music I've posted before) named BoA, who ALSO has done anime theme songs.  But she's a Korean pop star and this is an British singer-songwriter.

Bôa - Duvet:


Here's a link to the intro credit sequence from the anime in HD, because I think it's kinda cool:
http://youtu.be/NDAeOatiooM

Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been

I've known of the existence of this artist for a long time, but didn't go out of my way to listen to their/his music, for some reason.  I heard this particular song in an AMV for Tokyo Babylon and X, which I realize is pretty lame, but there it is.  This is one of the few songs where the instrumental component, excluding songs with violin or cello, is what got me rather than the vocals.

Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been:

Eve - Who's That Girl

The first lady of the Ruff Ryderssssssss.  Eve is one of those rare female MCs who made it to the mainstream without resorting to full-on skankitude.  I used to see the MV for this song getting played on TV all the time back in the good ol' days.  And she's still around, making music and acting (I saw her in episodes of Glee and the movie Whip It).  Yet again there is profanity; COVER YOUR EARS, CHILDREN!

Eve - Who's That Girl:

Darren Hayes - Random Blinking Light

Even though this was a B-side (of the single for the OTHER song I posted by him, actually!), it's one of my favorite tracks by this artist.  I loooooooove when his voice goes high...  There's a tiny bit of profanity.
Note:  Arghghghg, it seems like it's impossible to find a song by this artist on YT that DOESN'T feature a slideshow of him, and his music seems to have been purged from my other source I use for this blog, so I had to settle for this... but at least it's in HD.  Whatever; I suppose everyone knows what he looks like because of his Savage Garden days.

Darren Hayes - Random Blinking Light:

Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang

I heard this song in the movie Kill Bill and liked it, though it was nearly ruined for me by a housemate who played it repeatedly for days on end and wouldn't stop singing it.  Fortunately, that stopped eventually so now I can listen to it without feeling like strangling someone.
Note:  HD!

Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang:

Staind - Waste

I've had the album this song is on and played it many, many times since I was 14 or so, but it took me a while to realize this song is chastising someone for committing suicide. Supposedly, it's based on a real encounter in which a fan of the band committed suicide and the mother blamed the band. There is some profanity.

Staind - Waste:

Natalie Merchant - My Skin

My sister is a fan of this artist, so I've been exposed to her music for quite some time, but I paid closer attention when I heard this song in a fanvideo. This song is reeeeeally pretty, IMO.
Note: The video has HD.

Natalie Merchant - My Skin:

Juanes - A Dios le Pido

I heard this song before class when my Spanish teacher was playing it for a higher-level Spanish class one day and really liked it but didn't know who the artist was.  Then, shortly afterward (cómo un milagro), I saw this artist performing this song live on TV and stuck around to watch just so I could find out his name and solve the mystery.  It worked, I found the song, and I learned the lyrics, which ended up being helpful because the following year I had the same Spanish teacher and she used the song for our class's exercise (as she had for the same level class the previous year), in which we had to try to transcribe the lyrics as they were sung.  Tricky, tricky!  And now this seems to be the one Spanish-language song everyone knows.
Note:  HD!

Juanes - A Dios le Pido [To God I Pray]:

TLC - Damaged

A couple days ago I was reliving some of my childhood by listening to an album by this artist.  This song is from a later album than the one I was listening to, but I like it all the same.  It's sad watching the music video that has only 2 of the original 3 members, since this video is from after Lisa Lopez died... but at least it features the lovely & talented actress Justina Machado (who was in Six Feet Under)!

TLC - Damaged:

Gackt - 君が待っているから

Ah, there's something really enjoyable about this artist's (melo)dramatic music.  Last time I posted a more fast-paced rock song by him, so I thought this time I should post a more downbeat one.  This is one of my favorite songs from what I believe to be his strongest album, Crescent.

Gackt - 君が待っているから [Kimi ga Matteiru Kara - Because You Are Waiting]:

Cat Power - I Found a Reason

It's not often that I like such understated, minimal pieces as this song, but for some reason this strikes a chord (HA, get it?) with me. I heard this calm, low-key cover of the Velvet Underground song in the movie Saving Face AND in the movie V for Vendetta.
Note: Watch/listen in HD!

Cat Power - I Found a Reason:

Nidji - Heaven

I found this band years ago when I was rooting around for Indonesian artists. They were one of my favorite discoveries, and this was one of my favorite songs from their album Breakthru'. I was surprised to find out, when searching for a video of this song for this post, that this song was used in the soundtrack for the American show Heroes.
Note: The lyrics transcription is really bad, but the video's in high def.

Nidji - Heaven:

Lara Fabian - Je Suis Malade

I heard about this artist years ago through an mp3 rotation site, though I can't at the moment recall which song I heard by her then. More recently, though, I came across a video of her performing this song live and was moved by how powerful her performance was.
Note: The first video has the song in HD, the second has the live performance I came across.

Lara Fabian - Je Suis Malade [I Am Sick]:


And the link to the live performance (which can't be embedded):
http://youtu.be/uGthVEza97U

Khalil Fong - Goodbye Melody Rose

This artist has one of my favorite male R&B voices. It's so smooth and controlled! And this is one of my favorite songs by him. Strangely, I can't remember how exactly I started listening to his music. I think I just saw his name floating around forums for a while and finally decided to check him out.

Khalil Fong A.K.A. 方大同 - Goodbye Melody Rose:

Christina Stürmer - Scherbenmeer

I heard this Austrian artist's music first because she provided the theme song for the German soap opera Alles was Zählt (do American soaps even have theme songs?), but when she guest starred as herself in an episode or two and sang some more songs I liked what I heard and looked more of her music up. Among the other songs by her that I listened to, I especially liked this one. Here's an English translation of the lyrics.

Christina Stürmer - Scherbenmeer [Sea of Shards]: