The Perceptionists - Breathe in the Sun

Here's a pretty song by this talented hip hop group. I like listening to this song when I actually am outside in the sun. Since I’ve been back in the U.S. I’ve been loving waking up every morning to the bright sunlight, so it feels like a good time to post this.

The Perceptionists - Breathe in the Sun:

Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams

Just Queen B doing what she does. This artist practically reigns over American pop/R&B music at the moment and has for quite some time, so if you don't know who she is I don't even know where to begin.  I haven’t really been feeling that much of her solo music but I heard this in a video and liked it. In fact, it’s been playing in my head the past few days.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams:

TNK - Söyle Ruhum

I came across this artist while YouTube surfing for Turkish music. Most of my discoveries that day were “meh,” but when I listened to music by this artist I was like, “Oooooh, I LIKE this!” I’ll include the official MV with English subtitles.

TNK - Söyle Ruhum [Tell My Soul]:


The subtitled MV is here:

Shiina Ringo - 茎(STEM)〜大名遊ビ編〜

I believe the English version of this song is from the soundtrack of the Japanese movie Casshern (which I’ve never seen). This Japanese artist is known for her odd style, which is why I was drawn to her. I think I became familiar with her work, including this song, through mp3 rotation sites. P.S., this track has like 50 different versions and it was surprisingly difficult to come across this, the one I wanted to post.

Shiina Ringo A.K.A. 椎名 林檎 - 茎(STEM)〜大名遊ビ編〜 [Kuki (STEM)~Daiyoubi Asobi Hen~ - Stem (STEM)~At Play With a Feudal Lord~]:

Sick Puppies - You’re Going Down

I can’t for the life of me remember how I heard this song first… but I like it. Don’t listen if you can’t tolerate profanity.
Note: HD available!

Sick Puppies - You’re Going Down:

Kin4Life - Indian in My Family

I just found my new theme song! XD  (This hip hop song has profanity.)

Kin4Life - Indian in My Family:

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky - Времена года, опус 37: Июнь (Баркарола)

My longtime piano teacher really liked this composer, so I was assigned a lot of his works, including this one. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about Tchaikovsky as my teacher, but this piece was among my favorites to play by him because it’s prettiful. (I think it was around this time that my teacher correctly observed, “You like minor keys.”)

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky A.K.A. Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский - Времена года, опус 37: Июнь (Баркарола) [Vryemyena Goda, Opus 37: Iyun’ (Barkarola) - The Seasons, Opus 37: June (Barcarolle)]:

Amel Larrieux - No One Else

This song was apparently on the soundtrack of the Chris Rock movie Why Did I Get Married Too, but I heard it on a German TV show. It didn’t stand out to me much to begin with, but I found it was stuck in my head and was driven to listen to it many more times.
Note: Woo, HD!

Amel Larrieux - No One Else:

9ice - Gongo Aso

This was this Nigerian artist’s big hit. I found his music through a compilation album of African music, and although this wasn’t the song featured by this artist, I came across it by looking into his other music.

9ice - Gongo Aso [Roll Out the Drums]:

G.E.M. -下一秒(我們就要死掉)

My friend sent me the lyrics MV for this song and I was impressed by how different it sounded from a lot of other Hong Kong pop. It’s got that singer-songwriter vibe instead of manufactured pop star vibe.
Note: I like the visuals for the official lyrics MV, so I’m posting that. And it’s in HD!

G.E.M. -下一秒(我們就要死掉) [Xia Yi Miao (Wo Men Jiu Yao Si Diao) - The Next Second (We Will Die)]:

Secret Garden - Silence Speaks

I first heard this Irish/Norwegian duo’s song in a fanvideo and thought it was very lovely. I didn’t realize that this artist is also the author of the immensely famous and oft-covered song “You Raise Me Up.” Ya learn something new every day!
Note: AND this video offers HD1

Secret Garden - Silence Speaks:

Chino XL - Wordsmith

True to its title, this is some impressive flexing of this hip hop artist’s lyrical skills. The whole song is chock full of clever wordplay—but it ain’t kid-friendly so don’t use it to teach a 6-year-old about English poetry. “I got caught killing time, but then I got a-way with words.”

Chino XL - Wordsmith:

Brandy - Right Here (Departed)

I have known of this artist forever, but I heard this song a few years ago at a party and looked it up based on the lyrics. I didn’t even know Brandy was still making music until then! Good for her.
Note: You can listen in HD again!

Brandy - Right Here (Departed):

Noah & the Whale - The First Days of Spring

I heard this song in a trailer. I love the strings part. I wish there were more of that ‘cause the vocals don’t do anything for me. There’s one instance of profanity, if you’re paying attention.
Note: And you can listen in HD!

Noah & the Whale - The First Days of Spring:

Birdy - Be Free

I came across this on YouTube. I’m pretty sure it’s a live performance, which is the only version I found. This British artist became famous at age 12, and now that she's 16 she's still makin' music.
Note: HD!

Birdy - Be Free:

Stas Shurins - Прости

I found this by YouTube surfing for Russian-language music. Check that luscious cello at the beginning.  I've been playing this song quite a bit lately.  Although the language is Russian, I discovered the artist is actually Latvian.
Note: HD HD HD!

Stas Shurins A.K.A. Стас Шуринс - Прости [Prosti - Forgive]:

Silja - Undskyld Pernille

Danish pop! I found this by YouTube surfing.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Silja - Undskyld Pernille [Sorry Pernille]:

Quietdrive - Until the End (Acoustic Version)

I like both the acoustic and regular version of this song, which I found through a fanvideo. I decided to go with the acoustic version because of the inclusion of strings. But if you want a faster, more rock-sounding version I recommend the regular one.

Quietdrive - Until the End (Acoustic Version):

Do As Infinity - 深い森

Another song by this Japanese artist, also a theme song of the popular anime series Inu Yasha. I read that this was their best-selling single, which is notable because this band has been around for a while.

Do As Infinity - 深い森 [Fukai Mori - Deep Forest]:

Breaking Benjamin - Blow Me Away

I knew of this artist for a long time, but I only heard this track a few years ago.
Note: HD available!

Breaking Benjamin - Blow Me Away:

Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart

As I said when my friend sent this music video to me: somebody put some serious effort into this video. That’s the main feature of this post for me, rather than the song. (I’d heard of this Icelandic artist before, but never really looked into their music.)
Note: You can watch in HD!

Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart:

Tank - I Can’t Make You Love Me

Here’s a cover of the famous Bonnie Raitt song of the same name. I’ve always liked the melody, but R&B vocals are more my style so I really like this.
Note: HD quality available!

Tank - I Can’t Make You Love Me:

Ofra Haza - ירושלים של זהב

This is a cover of a famous Israeli song by this late and great Israeli artist. I love the song’s melody as well as this singer’s voice, so this is one of my favorites by her.

Ofra Haza A.K.A. ירושלים של זהב - עפרה חזה [Yelushalayim Shel Zahav - Jerusalem of Gold]:

Taro Iwashiro - Her Most Beautiful Smile

This piece is one of my absolute favorites to play on the piano. I’ve played it so much I’ve inadvertently come up with my own rendition of it just by tweaking little things over time. My mom’s kinda obsessed with it too and tries to make me play it for her all the time. It’s so pretty, I can’t even tell you the number of times people have overheard me playing it and went out of their way to ask me what the piece was. Many of them were surprised to find out it’s from the soundtrack of an anime, the Rurouni Kenshin movie called Ishin Shishi e no Requiem (which I’ve never seen, despite having watched much of the anime series, read much of the manga series, and watched one of the OVAs many times).
Note: You can listen in HD!

Taro Iwashiro A.K.A. 岩代 太郎 - Her Most Beautiful Smile:

Vaile - Red Rain

This song is like the theme song for one of my favorite fictional characters EVER so I have pretty positive associations with it. For some reason I can't seem to find much information on this song's artist, but as far as I can surmise she's German. I'm pretty sure the whole song is in English but I can't understand all of it.

Vaile - Red Rain:

Mykki Blanco - Wavvy

God, I don’t know… I heard about this unique hip hop artist through an article on a website and decided to look him up. Some of his tracks are too weird for me (!!), but this song, the first I listened to by him, is oddly addictive. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I cannot. stop. coming back to it to listen “one more time.”  Something about his voice in the chorus and the instrumental are strangely mesmerizing.  There is profanity.  (I saw a YouTube comment that described him as a "hood Lady Gaga," which is a pretty accurate characterization from what I've seen so far.)
Note: I normally try to avoid posting official MVs, especially when they're this unusual, but I can’t find this song uploaded in good quality otherwise. The upside is the music video is in HD. And the intro is great. “You rob a Walgreens?!” had me laughing.

Mykki Blanco - Wavvy:

Loreena McKennitt - The Mummer’s Dance

I’m not sure, because it was so long ago, but I think this may have been the first song I made an effort to memorize all the lyrics of (aside from The Circle of Life from The Lion King). And I did! Lovely song, and probably the most popular by this artist. Listening to this song brings me back to my childhood.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Loreena McKennitt - The Mummer’s Dance:

Mustafa Ceceli - Es

I somehow ended up listening to Turkish pop music on YouTube. This caught my attention because that is quite a range the artist’s got there.
Note: Video has HD listening!

Mustafa Ceceli - Es [Blow]: