VV Brown - Shark in the Water

I came across this British artist while YouTube surfing. Wikipedia said this song charted in the U.S., but I don’t think I ever heard it before my YouTube discovery of it.
Note: HD quality!

VV Brown - Shark in the Water:

Kasper Nyemann - Hvor Blev Du Af

Boy got a voice on him. I came across this artist while looking for Danish music some matter of months ago. I’ve listened to a handful of songs by this guy, and they generally sound like they were self-recorded in someone’s basement with a basic synthesizer or something (sound mixing issue?), but the audible unpolished nature of his songs lends credibility to his vocal talent, as it seems unlikely to be digitally enhanced.

Kasper Nyemann - Hvor Blev Du Af [Where Were You]:

Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me

‘Tis another song by this renowned artist. Even though I’ve known of this artist since I was little because my mother is a fan and has an album by her, I think I heard this song through an AMV or something.
Note: HD!

Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me:

Vidoll - IIDK

Ya know I gots ta post this for the celloness. I probably found out about this artist years ago from an mp3 rotation site or something, and I acquired this song that way too.

Vidoll - IIDK:

Fit for Rivals - Crash

I found this artist and song through a music recommendation thread on a message board. Believe it or not, the lead singer is a woman. The fact that this singer at first listen sounds like a dude but is actually female is… quite appealing to me. XD
Note:  Listen in HD!

Fit for Rivals - Crash:

Enrique Iglesias feat. Juan Luis Guerra - Cuando me Enamoro

I heard this song by these popular Spanish and Dominican artists in a live performance on YouTube. The main artist is immensely famous internationally, and I realized when I looked up the featured artist that I’d heard his music before too, because a former housemate of mine had sent me a song by him.
Note: Enjoy it in HD! Bonus: The video has an English translation of the lyrics!

Enrique Iglesias feat. Juan Luis Guerra - Cuando me Enamoro [When I Fall in Love]:

The Cranberries - Zombie

I knew of this artist’s existence since I was pretty young, but I heard this song much later through an AMV. I know, sad. Anyway, this song is a condemnation of the violence resulting from the conflicts over Irish independence.

The Cranberries - Zombie:

Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Thru This

Around 10 years ago, this song used to be on the radio a lot, and although I’ve never been much into dance music, this track was positively addictive and never got old. This artist is, BTW, the brother of the singer Natasha Bedingfield.
Note: HD listening is available!

Devics - The Man I Love

I just came across this song a week or two ago on YouTube. This is jazzier than my taste usually allows, but I like the piano line in this.

Devics - The Man I Love:

Buck-Tick - Ghost

I think it’s high time for another Buck-Tick song! This one I heard after I bought their Kyokutou I Love You album. It just sounds… so cool! I especially love Atsushi Sakurai’s voice.

Buck-Tick - Ghost:

Akua Naru - The Journey...

As soon as the beat dropped I was like, "WOW." And it was all love from there on out. This is probably the most feminist hip hop song--maybe even song of any genre--I've ever heard. It discusses the ongoing oppression of black women in American society and is remarkably insightful. This seems especially apt with all the rhetoric surrounding women’s rights in U.S. politics lately. There is some profanity.
Note: The video includes another track at the end, Nag Champa. It’s also in HD!

Akua Naru - The Journey...:

Era feat. Rasha Rizk - Reborn

I like the combination of styles in this song. It’s got it all! Arabic vocalizing! Latin incantations! Electric guitar! Violins! Bass! This artist’s music essentially sounds like a film soundtrack, but there’s no film. I think this is the first song I heard by this artist, and even after listening to the whole album it’s on, it’s still my favorite.

Era feat. Rasha Rizk A.K.A. رشا رزق - Reborn:

Brandi Carlile - The Story

Whoa. The song starts off so softly & prettily... and then it gets really intense! I haven't heard much music by this singer/songwriter, though I've heard her name many times, but she has a really good voice. I never bothered to look up her music until I heard this song used on that German soap I followed, which motivated me to acquire this song.

Brandi Carlile - The Story:

Brian Crain - Dream of Flying

I just came across this song a few days ago while YouTube surfing for music and thought it was really nice. Enjoy!
Note: Better yet, enjoy it in HD!

Brian Crain - Dream of Flying:

Christina Milian - AM to PM

OMG, remember this song?!?! I totally do.

Christina Milian - AM to PM:

Matthew Good Band - Running for Home

I’ve already posted a song that’s the solo work of the lead singer of this band. After hearing his solo work, I picked up the album by this Canadian band, and thought this song was especially pretty.

Matthew Good Band - Running for Home:

Mai Fukui - Can Can

This artist has been referred to as the "female Miyavi," which, after seeing the MV for this song, I totally get. Which might be why the video made me feel about as immediately smitten with her as I was with Miyavi. Eeeeeeeee!

Mai Fukui A.K.A. ふくい 舞 - Can Can:


You can watch the music video that hooked me here:
http://tu.tv/videos/mai-fukui-can-can

P.O.D. - Youth of the Nation

This is about a school shooting, suicide, and other depressing teen-related issues, so… don’t listen if that bothers you. It’s sad, but not graphic. I think this song was on some compilation album I had when I was young. Either that or someone sent me this song, I’m not sure.
Note: HD available!

P.O.D. - Youth of the Nation:

Lena Park - Plastic Flower

I probably came across this artist years ago through an mp3 rotation site, but I don’t distinctly remember. I have heard her music over the years, but I came across this song only the other day.
Note: The video has the lyrics transliterated AND translated into English, plus it’s in HD. I think it’s kinda funny how epic-sounding the song is, but how trivial the subject matter of the lyrics is.

Lena Park A.K.A. 박정현 - Plastic Flower:

We Are Smug - Sh** on the Radio

Obviously, this track has a bit o' swearing. This is probably my favorite track from Darren Hayes’s experimental side project with Robert Conley known as We Are Smug. The collaboration project wasn’t very popular among Darren Hayes/Savage Garden fans because it doesn’t sound like their other music, but it’s not supposed to, and I quite liked a lot of it. This song is best listened to closely with headphones, because it allows to you to hear all the different voices layered on top of one another in different registers. It makes me chuckle. Although the project has shared vocals, in this track all vocals are by the amazingly talented singer (and songwriter) Darren Hayes. I love how he has command of all those different registers. Obviously, this song is complaining about the quality of popular music. (Hear, hear!)

We Are Smug - Sh** on the Radio:

Mammút - Dýradóttir

I found this Icelandic artist through a music recommendation post on a language blog. I listened to a number of their tracks, and most of them sounded somewhat rockish, but this piano-based one struck me as particularly nice.

Mammút - Dýradóttir [Animal Daughter]:

Thriving Ivory - Flowers for a Ghost

I found this song through a fanvideo. I think it’s pwetttttty. I like how the singer uses his voice.
Note: Listen in HD!

Thriving Ivory - Flowers for a Ghost:

Ah Sang - 葉子

This pretty little song is the theme of the Taiwanese drama The Rose. In high school my friend showed me its music video because it featured the unintentionally funny “dramatic” sequence of a guy getting hit by a car. That of course was humorous, but I really did like the song and it wouldn’t get out of my head, so I memorized it.
HOLY SHIZNIT, I just found out this singer passed away a few years ago due to breast cancer! R.I.P. Ah Sang.

Ah Sang A.K.A. 阿桑 - 葉子 [Ye Zi – Leaves]:

Pendulum - Witchcraft

I heard this song through a Canaan AMV last year. It sounds cool! That’s it.

Pendulum - Witchcraft:

Sarah Jaffe - Better Than Nothing

The cellos in this artist’s music drive me mad (in a good way). I also like the vocal range she demonstrates in this song. I honestly don't remember how I found her, but I suspect it was through random YouTube surfing.
Note: Hi-def time!

Sarah Jaffe - Better Than Nothing:

The Perceptionists feat. Shock G - Career Finders

This is a clever hip hop song that mocks conventions of hip hop and rap genres (the gangster rap track, the hustler track, the braggadocio track) that these artists clearly find worth mocking, suggesting that such themes have no place in rap, at least not to the extent to which they are addressed. I liked this song so much that, years ago, when no trace of the lyrics transcription could be found on the world wide web, I transcribed them myself. This required me to listen to the song a copious amount of times, but I still didn’t get sick of it.  There is some profanity.

The Perceptionists feat. Shock G - Career Finders:

Ofra Haza - אם ננעלו

After hearing this artist’s beautiful vocals on the soundtrack of the animated film The Prince of Egypt, I looked into her other music and found this single of hers as an Israeli pop star. There are quite a few different versions of this song, and this is my favorite.

Ofra Haza A.K.A. אם ננעלו - עפרה חזה [Im Nin’ Alu - If the Doors are Locked]:

Exo-K - What is Love

I admit when I first saw this artist’s MV on YouTube, I laughed at the cheesiness, but their seriously awesome singing made me stand at attention. Their singing is no joke! Props, Korea, for producing a new pop music act that doesn't sound like a group of robots.

Exo-K - What is Love:

Gaelle - Give It Back

Here’s a second track by this artist I discovered only within the past year. The first I posted sounded more new agey, but this one leans toward R&B style.

Gaelle - Give It Back:

Strings - او جانے والے

I can’t believe I didn’t post this Pakistani artist already! I like their soothing music. I think this is my favorite song from their album Duur.
Note: I'm having trouble locating the song title in its original Urdu text, and its translation. I did my best with both given the circumstances, but I apologize if I got either wrong.

Strings - او جانے والے [O Jaane Wale - The Chosen]:

La Oreja de Van Gogh - Muñeca de Trapo

I think I may have learned about this Spanish artist from someone in my high school Spanish class, possibly even the teacher. I’m not crazy about this band, but I like their sound.

La Oreja de Van Gogh - Muñeca de Trapo [Rag Doll]: