Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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]:

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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:

Monday, November 28, 2011

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:

Sunday, November 27, 2011

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:

Saturday, November 26, 2011

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]:

Friday, November 25, 2011

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:

Thursday, November 24, 2011

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:

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

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:

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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:

Monday, November 21, 2011

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:

Sunday, November 20, 2011

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:

Saturday, November 19, 2011

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:

Friday, November 18, 2011

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:

Thursday, November 17, 2011

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:

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

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]:

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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:

Monday, November 14, 2011

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:

Sunday, November 13, 2011

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:

Saturday, November 12, 2011

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]:

Friday, November 11, 2011

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.:

Thursday, November 10, 2011

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:

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

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:

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

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:

Monday, November 7, 2011

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

Sunday, November 6, 2011

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:

Saturday, November 5, 2011

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:

Friday, November 4, 2011

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:

Thursday, November 3, 2011

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!:

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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:

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

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: