Unheilig - Geboren um zu Leben

The lead singer’s voice is kinda scary, but I like the song anyway. I like the instrumental part. I found it by clicking around on YouTube.  Supposedly it was inspired by the early death of a friend.

Unheilig - Geboren um zu Leben [Born to Live]:

Rebekah Del Rio - Llorando

I just finished watching the perplexing David Lynch film Mulholland Drive. I didn’t know WTH was happening in it, but I did enjoy this song, which was used in the diegesis of the film, with this artist appearing in it as herself. The song is a Spanish-language cover of Roy Orbison’s song “Crying.”
Note: You can listen to this one in HD, and the video is kind enough to provide an English translation of the Spanish lyrics.

Rebekah Del Rio - Llorando [Crying]:

Flight of the Conchords - Issues (Think About It)

Somehow, I forgot until very recently that a song by this New Zealander comedy duo might be in order for this music blog. Normally I try not to use videos like this, but the dearth of availability of this song in good quality has left me little choice. Even the clips of this song being performed on this artist’s TV show of the same name were in poor quality. A lot of their songs parody entire genres of music, and this song is no exception—it’s the preachy social awareness anthem.

Flight of the Conchords - Issues (Think About It):


The main video is from their live show, but this clip is from their TV show:

Bengü - Unut Beni

I’ve come up with this Turkish artist a number of times when I’ve searched for music on YouTube. I like her voice. I’ve heard a few songs by her, but I think this is the first one I came across.
Note: Hello, HD!

Bengü - Unut Beni [Forget About Me]:

The Neighbourhood - Wires

Once again, I’m posting a song I heard first on the British soap Hollyoaks. Dang, that show uses some good music. I was completely thrown off about this band’s origin, which I assumed was British due to the spelling in their name and their inclusion in a British series… but to my surprise it turns out they’re from my very own California.
Note: You can listen in HD!

The Neighbourhood - Wires:

Alison Hinds feat. Elephant Man - Roll It Gal

My friend sent me this song years ago as her contribution to our list of songs with a positive meaning. 'Tis catchy! This artist is nicknamed the Queen of Soca, so I guess she’s pretty prominent in the Caribbean music scene.

Alison Hinds feat. Elephant Man - Roll It Gal:

Elayna Boynton & Anthony Hamilton - Freedom

I just watched Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Django Unchained, which prompted me to hunt down its soundtrack. This song was a standout for me on the soundtrack, as both of these artists' voices are so rich. I hadn’t heard of Elayna Boynton before this song, but I’m glad I did because now I’m driven to look into her other work.
Note: I recommend listening in HD!

Elayna Boynton & Anthony Hamilton - Freedom:

Maximum the Hormone - 恋のメガラバ

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted a song by this Japanese artist. Years ago, my friend gave me this song on the basis of its “bipolarness,” because she knew I’d find the wild fluctuating of moods in the song amusing.  I love this band's energy!!!

Maximum the Hormone - 恋のメガラバ [Koi no Megaraba - Megalover of Love]:

Delta Rae - Bottom of the River

To make up for the previous post that involved no singing, here’s a song that’s a cappella! I found this song through a friend who posted it on HIS music blog. I like the distinctly Southern style. I’m posting the official MV because it’s cool and spooky.
Note: And in HD!

Delta Rae - Bottom of the River:

Aamir Khan - ललकार

This song/chant is from the soundtrack of one of my favorite Indian movies, Rang de Basanti. It's about India's fraught history and revolutionary attitudes and all that fun stuff, and deals with some pretty heavy subject matter... so this song is on the dark side and is in line with these themes. But it sounds cool! The video is of the scene in the movie in which it is used, and it’s a fight scene; just a heads up.

Aamir Khan A.K.A. आमिर खान - ललकार [Lalkaar - Defiance]:

Nitty Scott - Tell Somebody

GIRRRRRL.  *faints*
Note: This official hip hop video is in HD, and has some censored out NSFW lyrics.

Nitty Scott - Tell Somebody:

Peter Gabriel - My Body is a Cage

I heard this song as background music in the British soap opera Hollyoaks. I didn’t know this at the time I heard it, but it's a cover of a song by Arcade Fire. I like how it starts out so understated and ends up quite cinematic.
Note: You can enjoy this track in HD!

Peter Gabriel - My Body is a Cage:

Loreen - Everytime

My friend recommended this Swedish artist’s album Heal to me a few days ago, and right from the beginning I was surprised by how much I liked it. I think this is my favorite track from the album, at least for the time being.
Note: I recommend listening in HD!

Loreen - Everytime:

The GazettE - 貴女ノ為ノ此ノ命

The MV for this song is what made me interested in this Japanese artist. The visual component of visual kei really DOES matter after all! This song is about the narrator being obsessed with the woman he’s spying on. SUPER CREEPER STATUS. Also, I might have messed up in my translation of the title, in which case I apologize. There seem to be some irregularities with the kanji, but my guess is that those are due to an artistic choice.
Note: The only HD version of this song I found uploaded is the official music video, but that’s okay because I wanted to post the music video anyway since that’s how I first experienced the song.

The GazettE - 貴女ノ為ノ此ノ命 [Anata no Tame no Kono Inochi - This Life for You]:

Rihanna - Russian Roulette

I’ve never been a massive fan of this popular artist, but I gave her album Rated R a chance and found myself really liking many of the songs on it, including this one. In fact, at this point, all the songs I have posted and intend to post by this artist are from that same album.
Note: Surprisingly, it seems to be in HD without being sped up too noticeably.

Rihanna - Russian Roulette:

Epigram - This Is Not Where We Are Supposed To Be

This would sound good set to some kind of cool video sequence. I don’t know what, it just seems good for that sort of thing. Like a short film soundtrack.
Note: Listening in HD is an option!

Epigram - This Is Not Where We Are Supposed To Be:

Stefanie Sun - 作戰

Time for another song by this Singaporean artist! I like the catchiness of this song. It has an element of distinctness that indicates her position as a songwriter.

Stefanie Sun A.K.A. 孫燕姿 - 作戰 [Zuo Zhan - Battle]:

Shin Hyesung - Still

I discovered this artist through his work in the Korean boy band Shinhwa, whom I’ve posted music by before. I underestimated his skill the first time I heard him, because I assumed he was the “pretty face” of the group with not much to offer vocally. I shortly afterward learned that, contrary to my expectations, his voice was the one I considered the strongest in the whole group. I haven’t done well with following his solo career, since most of the songs I’ve heard by him alone have been forgettable love ballads, but I thought I should post something by him anyway.

Shin Hyesung A.K.A. 신혜성 - Still:

Emeli Sandé - Daddy

This Scottish artist put out such a strong album I had a hard time choosing which song to post from it next. And I went with this one! Supposedly it’s about addiction, so that’s interesting.
Note: Enjoy it in HD!

Emeli Sandé - Daddy:

Irakli - Ты одна

I saw a comparison of recent Russian pop music to 90s American pop music and I gotta say I felt it too before I even read that. There’s nothing too outstanding about this song; I just found it whilst YouTube surfing for Russian music and found it to be a good illustration of the aforementioned observation.
Note: Gee whiz, another HD post!

Irakli A.K.A. Иракли - Ты одна [Teui Odna - You’re the One]:

Cassandra Steen feat. Xavier Naidoo - Lass Mich Nicht Hier

For a third time, I’m posting a song by this German artist, only this time it’s featuring another singer. The name has come up a number of times in my searches for German music, but his style never appealed to me as soulful… but I like his singing in this song, more or less.
Note: There’s an HD option available.

Cassandra Steen feat. Xavier Naidoo - Lass Mich Nicht Hier [Don’t Leave Me Here]:

DJ Sammy feat. Do - Heaven (Candlelight Mix)

This artist makes dance music that I heard on the radio as a kid, but I found this non-dancey version of this song quite pretty. I didn’t even know until today that this song is a cover (of a Bryan Adams song, in case you were wondering). I also didn’t know that the DJ is Spanish, and the singer is Dutch.
Note: Another HD listening opportunity!

DJ Sammy feat. Do - Heaven (Candlelight Mix):

Martina McBride - Concrete Angel

This song is pretty well-known, even among people who typically don’t listen to country music. It’s really moving but I wouldn’t call it uplifting… it’s pretty heartbreaking, actually. It’s about child abuse so don’t listen if you can’t deal.
Note: You can experience the heartbreak in full HD!

Martina McBride - Concrete Angel:

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton - Can’t Hold Us

Dang! I didn’t know Macklemore had flow! Get it, son! I heard this song in a commercial just the other day and liked it enough to look it up online—to discover I’m not the only one to search for it, and that it’s the work of this hip hop team I keep hearing about these days. This is the third song I’ve heard by them, and I think I’m done resisting the trend because I’ve liked all three so far. The first was touching, the second was funny, and this one, the third, is freakin’ catchy. So I’m sold. And can I just say: Finally a hip hop artist is blowing up who probably deserves it.
Note: HD listening again, yo!

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton - Can’t Hold Us:

Tegan & Sara - Love They Say

Despite some people’s assumption that I’m a fan of this Canadian artist, I’ve never found the sister duo’s music that captivating. (I get the more shallow appeal of them, but I’m SORRY, most of their music does nothing for me. I tried, really.) I gave their most recent album a listen, though, and found this song appealing to the ears.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Tegan & Sara - Love They Say:

Guy Sebastian - Get Along

From what I read, this artist was a winning contestant on a singing show, Australian Idol. He was also the youngest artist to be placed in the top 10 of a list ranking Australia’s best singers. I looked up his music and came to find that, not only is his voice really nice, his top single has a good message that we hear far too seldom. “Maybe if we worked together, we’d already have a heaven here on earth.”
Note: This is the official music video, and you can watch/listen in HD.

Guy Sebastian - Get Along:

Frandé - Tautology

This song is interesting. It has a "mysterious" sound from beginning to end that I like.  I just came across it on YouTube somehow.  Strangely, there appears to be no Wiki article on this artist, in any language, but I’m gonna assume they’re Taiwanese.

Frandé A.K.A. 法蘭黛樂團 - Tautology:

Alban Skenderaj - Nje Here ne Jete

Annnnnnnnnnd now I have Albanian music. Shweet! I can understand about 0% of what he's saying, but I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's the typical, "I love you and it makes me sad/happy," message. I can only find the song uploaded with the music video, so that’s what I’m posting.

Alban Skenderaj - Nje Here ne Jete [Once in a Lifetime]:

India.Arie - Heart of the Matter

I just started watching the American family drama series Brothers & Sisters, and this song was used as background music. I listened to this artist before, but I hadn’t listened to her more recent music so I hadn’t heard this song.

India.Arie - Heart of the Matter:

Cee-Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City

This eccentric artist has a longgggg history of making a variety of music. He was respected as a hip hop artist, and in recent years he’s been reaching a more mainstream audience and getting their respect as well. This is one of his more recent forays into mainstream music, and I listened to his entire album recently and liked it. This song was covered in the movie Pitch Perfect, which I watched the other day, and since they reminded me of it I’m driven to post the original.
Note: Another HD listening opportunity!

Cee-Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City: