Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Yoko Kanno feat. Scott Matthew - Beauty is Within Us

So, since last time I posted a song with a male composer featuring a female vocalist, this time I wanted to post a song by a female composer featuring a male singer. By coincidence, the singer’s last name is similar to the previous singer’s last name. This is from one of the excellent soundtracks of the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This Japanese composer frequently features this Australian vocalist in her work, but this is probably my favorite of all the tracks I’ve heard this singer in.
Note: Listen in HD!

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Scott Matthew - Beauty is Within Us:

Monday, July 30, 2012

Saltillo feat. Sarah Matthews - Giving In

I found this artist through a music recommendation blog, and I’m glad I did. Confusingly, this artist has gone by different names, including this one, Avis, Menton3, and his real one, Menton J. Matthews. His wife is the featured vocalist on this track. I guess the guy is super talented because he’s a comic book artist and painter as well as an electronic musician, and he can play a crapload of instruments, including my favorites, violin, viola, cello, and piano. The end result is some pretty cool-sounding music.
Note: Listen in HD!

Saltillo feat. Sarah Matthews - Giving In:

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Lady Gaga - Poker Face (Acoustic Version)

Know what's funny? I actually saw this artist in her first televised performance, before she REALLY blew up, when she was on the 2008 NewNowNext Awards, a tiiiiiiny little awards show targeting the LGBT community wherein they try to predict what the "next big thing" will be. She performed "Just Dance," and to be honest I wasn't that impressed (I still don't care for that song). Well, clearly they knew what they were talking about because next thing I know the song is friggin' ALL OVER THE PLACE and she's suddenly the world's biggest current pop star. Weird. Anyway, here's the acoustic version of the first song by her that I liked, which proved to me that she really CAN sing (as well as play piano, compose, and a whole host of other things).

Lady Gaga - Poker Face (Acoustic Version):

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Moddi - Smoke

Sounds like Celtic music! It even sounds like the artist has an Irish dialect, but he’s actually Norwegian. There’s a wee bit o’ profanity. I’m not even sure why, but I REALLY like this song, especially the instrumentation.
Note: HD para ti!

Moddi - Smoke:

Friday, July 27, 2012

Angela Chang - 口袋的天空

Last time I posted a song by this artist, it was a relatively little-known song by her that I happened to like. This time, though, I’m going with something much more mainstream. In fact, if you’ve ever heard her music at all you’ve probably heard this song, since it was the theme to the Taiwanese drama series Bump Off Lover (which I started to watch and never finished).

Angela Chang A.K.A. 張韶涵 - 口袋的天空 [Kou Dai De Tian Kong - Pocket Sky]:

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Da Backwudz - I Don’t Like the Look of It

I don’t have an intellectual justification for this. I just like that they used the Oompa Loompa song from the classic movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Note: HD!

Da Backwudz - I Don’t Like the Look of It:

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Hajime Chitose - 春のかたみ

I can’t remember what the first song was that I heard by this Japanese artist, but I think I picked it up from an mp3 rotation site. I like her island-style singing, similar to a few other Japanese artists I’ve posted.
Note: HD, AND English subtitles!

Hajime Chitose A.K.A. 元ちとせ - 春のかたみ [Haru no Katami - Spring’s Shoulders]:

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Van Canto - Battery

A CAPELLA METAL!!!! YESSSSSSSS. (This is a cover of Metallica’s song by the same name.)
Note: Watch/listen in HD.

Van Canto - Battery:

Monday, July 23, 2012

Stefanie Heinzmann - My Man is a Mean Man

Girl got a soul on her! This Swiss artist seems like an upbeat Adele. There’s a bit of profanity. Also, this song is kinda messed up, but her voice sounds good.

Stefanie Heinzmann - My Man is a Mean Man:

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Dustin O'Halloran - A Great Divide

I think I came across this artist by YouTube surfing. Honestly, a lot of what I’ve heard of his work sounds like the stuff I came up with while fooling around on the piano—that is to say, pretty, but not particularly complex or difficult. Still, it sounds nice, and this track has the added beauty of strings.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Dustin O'Halloran - A Great Divide:

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ellie Goulding - Home

It’s the return of this pretty-voiced artist! There are quite a few songs by her I wanted to post, even though I’ve already posted 2 by her. First I went with a pop song, then with a ballad, so now I’m going with something in between.
Note: This has HD!

Ellie Goulding - Home:

Friday, July 20, 2012

Young the Giant - Cough Syrup

I was gonna make a joke about how the TV show Glee takes tips for what songs to cover from my music blog, because songs I post, even old songs and non-single releases, often end up on the show after I post them, but this time Glee bit off from my queue by covering this song before I posted it (but was planning to). So let the record show that I did NOT come across this song because of Glee!
Note: I found a video in HD!

Young the Giant - Cough Syrup:

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Shy'm - Je Suis Moi

I discovered this artist when I was looking for French music last year. I just like her voice. This isn’t the song I initially came across by her, but I found it just now and liked the song’s meaning. And therefore included a video with an English translation of the lyrics for your viewing pleasure!

Shy'm - Je Suis Moi [I am Me]:

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

MUCC - Black Smoke

This Japanese artist is making a reappearance here! This is the first song I acquired by this band, which sold me on them. I got it through an mp3 rotation site many years ago. I remember playing this around my dad’s then-GF and her staring at me incredulously going, “You like THIS?” It’s not for everyone, clearly, but yes, I like it.

MUCC - Black Smoke:

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Lim Jeong Hee - Music is My Life

Word. For some reason, I have long thought of this artist as something like the Korean Alicia Keys. I’ve seen others make this comparison as well.

Lim Jeong Hee A.K.A. 임정희 - Music is My Life:

Monday, July 16, 2012

Adam Lambert - Runnin’

GOD, this track sounds awesome. I’ve had the album this is from, Trespassing, on repeat for weeks now, and this is definitely one of my favorite tracks from it. I am lovin’ the sound of this fantastic singer’s lower register. I could have done without the autotune though.
Note: Listen in SUPER HD!

Adam Lambert - Runnin’:

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Nelly Ciobanu - Hora Din Moldova

I don’t remember how I found this, but this was Moldova’s 2009 entry in the Eurovision contest. Sounds pretty awesome! Also makes me feel all patriotic about a country I’ve never been to. :-P

Nelly Ciobanu - Hora Din Moldova [Dance from Moldova]:

Saturday, July 14, 2012

AWOLNATION - Sail

I heard this song because of this video, which makes me laugh really hard even though I’m not sure if it should: http://videohall.tumblr.com/post/22947862416/anybody-know-what-happened-to-the-cat
Note: HD again!

AWOLNATION - Sail:

Friday, July 13, 2012

Iyoeka - Simply Falling

My friend just sent this to me. One comment I saw described her as a cross between Amy Winehouse and Sade, which I think is a pretty apt comparison.
Note:  Suuuuuupah HD available!

Iyoeka - Simply Falling:

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Jónsi - Kolniður

This artist is the lead singer of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, whom I’ve posted music by twice already. This is music from his solo project, which doesn’t sound all that different from his work with the band. Sidenote: My friend saw him perform live and said the performance moved her to tears, which is not an easy feat to accomplish with her.
Note: HD!

Jónsi - Kolniður [Pitch Blackness]:

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tori Amos - Winter

This glorrrrrrrious artist returns to this blog once again. This is one of my all-time favorite songs by this artist, along with the other songs I’ve posted by her. This is also one of the very few Tori songs I feel I understand. To the best of my interpretation abilities, it’s about how things change as you grow up, but how she always valued her relationship with her father. I used to play this song on the piano all the time.

Tori Amos - Winter:



And a live version in HD:

Monday, July 9, 2012

Xia feat. Flowsik - Tarantallegra

Someone sent me this song in a gigantic playlist of K-pop. I was blasé about most of it, but this song really stood out. In particular, the “Americanness” of the rapper struck me and led me to look up the song info, at which point I confirmed my suspicion: the artist is indeed American, and from the hip hop group Aziatix. I’m not sure exactly what it is that tipped me off, but his swagger is distinctively American, even though his role in the song is minimal. BTW, the main artist is evidently the new incarnation of Xiah, from the original version of the K-pop group DBSK, whom I’ve posted music by before. I guess he’s doing stuff as a solo artist now.
Note:  It's also in HD!

Xia A.K.A. 준수 feat. Flowsik - Tarantallegra:

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Eve feat. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind

Another song by this famous hip hop artist! In collaboration with this famous singer! I must have heard this song a LOT back in the day when I regularly watched hip hop and R&B MVs on TV after school, because I never had an mp3 of this track or her CD, yet I remember a good portion of the lyrics. Which have some profanity, BTW.

Eve feat. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind:

Saturday, July 7, 2012

K’naan feat. Chubb Rock - ABCs

‘Tis another song by this hip hop artist. When I first started listening to him, I don’t think he was that well-known, but now it seems he’s doin’ big thangs. I honestly had a hard time picking which song to post by him because he has so many good ones.

K’naan feat. Chubb Rock - ABCs:

Friday, July 6, 2012

Emeli Sandé - Heaven

My friend sent me this song a few months ago, and reminded me of it again recently. I like her voice and style!
Note: HD, FUUUUUU~!

Emeli Sandé - Heaven:

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Gotye - Smoke and Mirrors

Everyone heard of this artist over the past few months through another song, but I heard this song in an episode of the British soap Hollyoaks.
Note: HD yet again.

Gotye - Smoke and Mirrors:

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

ChocQuibTown - Hasta el Techo

I found this Colombian artist on YouTube. I’m kinda annoyed at the moment ‘cause one of my posts got taken down for no good reason.
Note: HD, biznitches!

ChocQuibTown - Hasta el Techo [To the Ceiling]:

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Phil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart

This song is from the Disney film Tarzan. I always thought it was a nice song. Today I was watching videos of gorillas (‘cause that’s apparently how I spend my free time) so this seemed apropos. Also, I’ve known who this British artist was since I was very little, and I have no idea why.
Note: And there’s HD!

Phil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart:

Monday, July 2, 2012

Kaori Hikita - みちゆき

This is the ending theme of the anime series Loveless. It’s pretty and calm. It’s one of my favorite anime theme songs. I used to play it on the piano a lot, but I fear by now I’ve forgotten how.

Kaori Hikita A.K.A. 引田 香織 - みちゆき [Michiyuki - Journey]:

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Jay Brannan - Rob Me Blind

A website I frequent posts songs by this actor/singer/songwriter once in a while, but I never found them particularly compelling until they posted this one. I blame the strings.

Jay Brannan - Rob Me Blind: