OneRepublic - I Lived

Another cool song from this artist’s album I listened to recently. It’s about living life to the fullest! Hopefully the past (lunar) year was fulfilling!
Note: The video has HD as well as lyrics presented in a fashion I like!

OneRepublic - I Lived:

Midas Fall - Movie Screens

I heard this song when it was played in the ending credits of the Scottish TV series Lip Service. It’s not exactly my typical cup o’ tea, but I like something about it anyway, and I like it more as it goes on.

Midas Fall - Movie Screens:

Celldweller - Blackstar

BOOM. I’ve been meaning to post another song by this artist but wanted the next one to be from a different album than the one I excerpted before. This artist’s music always makes me feel like I’m being sucked into some kind of cool black hole.
Note: You can enjoy the auditory feast in HD!

Celldweller - Blackstar:

Vera Brezhneva - Задушу

Why is all the Russian-language pop music I come across from Ukraine? Anyway, I found this song by YouTube surfing. I’ve had the tab for this song open for weeks because I was too lazy to close it, so now I practically HAVE to post this song.

Vera Brezhneva A.K.A. Вера Брежнева - Задушу [Zadushu - Suffocate]:

Plat - I Wish

I heard this hip hop song on an album by 2 other artists, Free Speech & Ro Blvd. I want to post hip hop music more often, because apparently sometimes people discover its value through these kinds of recommendations. This seemed like a good choice for part of that effort, because years ago I sent this song to a friend who wasn’t into hip hop and she ended up really liking it.

Plat - I Wish:

Evanescence - Eternal

Here’s a lesser-known song from this American artist. Unlike most other tracks by them, Amy Lee’s vocals aren’t featured. Regardless, it’s one of my favorite songs by this band. I consider this to be good “brooding music,” because it’s relaxing and intense at the same time, and there are no pesky lyrics to distract you from your thoughts.
Note: Even though this video has super-HD, it doesn’t sound as clear as I’m accustomed to hearing it… but we’ll have to make do.

Evanescence - Eternal:

Ben Cocks feat. Nikisha Reyes-Pile - So Cold

I think I heard this song in a TV show, although at the moment I can’t remember which one.
Note: You can listen to this in HD!

Ben Cocks feat. Nikisha Reyes-Pile - So Cold:

Mika Nakashima - 雪の華

My mom has a thing for this song, and she’s not alone. This song is possibly this popular Japanese artist’s most famous song, and it’s been covered a number of times by artists all over the world, in different languages.

Mika Nakashima A.K.A. 中島 美嘉 - 雪の華 [Yuki no Hana - Snow Flower]:

Jason Mraz - 93 Million Miles

Can’t remember where I heard this song, but I’ve known of this popular American artist for a while! The other songs I’ve posted by him were more dramatic, but this one’s of his more common style, the low-key acoustic folksy pop sound.
Note: Official lyrics video, and HD!

Jason Mraz - 93 Million Miles:

Sertab Erener - Bu Böyle

I found this song when I was YouTube surfing for Turkish music. The acoustic of this song seems quite popular—it looks like it was used as theme music for a movie or TV show. The acoustic version sounds nice too, but it sounds more jazzy while this sounds more poppy.
Note: I had luck finding this song in HD, but with the official music video.

 Sertab Erener - Bu Böyle:

Dead By April - What Can I Say

Based on this one song I've heard by them, this artist sounds like a boy band with screaming. I am entertained. Evidently this artist is a Swedish metal band. I’m not even sure how I came across this, but it really does make me laugh, because it sounds like an odd combination of pop idol crooning and elements of metal.

Dead By April - What Can I Say:

Lauren Aquilina - Fools

I heard this pretty song in the British soap Hollyoaks. Immediately I was struck by how pretty the artist’s voice is. It’s a nice amalgamation of a variety of styles. Upon looking up her profile, I found out this teenaged singer-songwriter got garnered her initial popularity through Facebook and YouTube.
Note: You can more clearly hear her pretty voice if you listen in HD!

Lauren Aquilina - Fools:

Miyavi - 君にファンキーモンキーバイヴレーション

This eccentric artist has always had the guitar skills on lockdown, but his vocals often were unique but left something to be desired in terms of skill. When his acoustic album was released and I heard this song, though, about his singing I finally thought, “Now he’s getting it.” He goes through phases of different types of music and genres he focuses on, and this song marks the period when his music became clearly blues-influenced.

Miyavi A.K.A. 雅 - 君にファンキーモンキーバイヴレーション [Kimi ni Fyankii Monkii Baibureeshyon - Funky Monkey Vibration for You]:


Hey, it’s a video of him playing this song live!:

Azam Ali - Abode

This is the lead singer of Niyaz, whose music I’ve posted before. Although many of her songs are in English, I thought it’d add a bit of variety to use a song with Farsi lyrics. I also like the way her voice reverberates in this song, especially since I haven’t heard her do that much in her other music.

Azam Ali - Abode:

Beats & Styles feat. Elastinen - You Got the Light

I don’t know why this didn’t show up every other time I searched for this song… Ugh. Anyway, lest anyone should say my music selection is consistently depressing, hers’s some upbeat Finnish hip hop! I think I found this song by YouTube music surfing.
Note: I could only find the official music video in good quality, but at least the “good quality” is HD.

Beats & Styles feat. Elastinen - You Got the Light:

s/he - U & I

This project is Michelle Chamuel’s collaboration with Tyler Duncan. In case you don’t remember who the vocalist is from my previous posts that contained her work (under different artist names), she is most widely known as the 2nd-placing contestant in a recent season of the singing competition show The Voice. This kind of music doesn’t really let on how great her voice is, but it’s still not bad.
Note: I recommend listening in hi def!

s/he - U & I:

Sergei Prokofiev - Петя и волк

This piece is a part of my childhood. My family had the audio narration of this Russian children’s story plus its accompanying music, and I remember listening to it when I was young. It reminds me of winter, but I’m not sure if that’s because it was winter in the story if it’s because that’s when I listened to it. I can’t say I remember the story with as much clarity as the music. Fortunately I found the music without the narration in its entirety.
Note: You can even listen to it in hi-def quality!

Sergei Prokofiev A.K.A. Сергей Прокофьев - Петя и волк [Pyetya I Volk - Peter and the Wolf]:

Alicia Keys - Butterflyz

It’s pretty weird I’ve maintained a music blog for this long and never posted a song by this famous American artist. Virtually everyone’s already heard her hits, which she’s still coming out with, but how about a song from her widely-respected debut album that WASN’T one of her singles?
Note: Act now, and you can listen in HD!

Alicia Keys - Butterflyz:

Jeong Jun Il - 안아줘

I really didn’t know who this artist was when I came across this song on YouTube. I gave the song a chance almost purely because I saw that it was a solo artist, which isn’t so common in Korean popular music. Evidently he’s one of the members of Mate, whom I have heard of and have even listened to before. At first I wasn’t that impressed, but then when the chorus kicks in I’m like, “Whoooooooo! That’s more like it!”

Jeong Jun Il A.K.A. 정준일 - 안아줘 [Anajwo - Hold Me]:

Nabiha - You

I think I came across this Danish artist by YouTube surfing, but I don’t remember how I came across this particular song. I don’t think this song was a single or anything, but it’s one of few songs I’ve heard by her.

 Nabiha - You:

Matthew West - Broken Girl

I came across this artist I’d never heard of through YouTube surfing. I was kinda surprised by how much I liked the song. Obviously it's supposed to be a supportive message for girls.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Matthew West - Broken Girl:

Lily Allen - Hard Out Here

It’s astounding how many people don’t get the point of this song and/or music video considering how literal and straightforward the lyrics are. It’s hard to miss that this song is mocking the entertainment industry’s treatment of women, and yet “missing the point” is exactly what so many people have done in claiming that it’s offensive. Clearly the whole “satire” thing flies over their heads. Take note this song has profanity and this music video is not for the kiddies, but if you don’t get the message I feel sorry for you. My friend sent this music video to me shortly after it was released. Although I’d listened to (and posted) music by this British artist before, I hadn’t heard this song until he sent it to me.
Note: You can listen AND watch in HD!

Lily Allen - Hard Out Here:

A-Xin - 盛夏光年

I totally thought I’d already posted this song! But this timing is actually pretty good, because I saw this artist performing live in concert with his band Mayday only about a week ago. This song is the theme track from the Taiwanese movie Eternal Summer (same name as the song), and I played it a lot even before I saw the movie.

A-Xin A.K.A. 阿信 - 盛夏光年 [Sheng Xia Guang Nian - Eternal Summer]:

Loreen - My Heart is Refusing Me

I don’t know why, but this song CONSTANTLY plays in my head. I don’t expect dance music to be this good. I’m probably going to end up eventually posting almost the entire album Heal by this artist.
Note: You can listen in HD, and it’s the official lyrics video so you can watch in HD too!

Loreen - My Heart is Refusing Me:

T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead and Gone

I have underestimated you, T.I. I owe you an apology. For all these years I have avoided listening to anything by T.I., and I guess I just assumed he made the kind of hip hop I wasn’t into. Maybe he does and this is the exception. I actually came across this song through a fanvideo, haha! There’s some profanity.
Note: You can listen in HD!

T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead and Gone:

Serebro - Дыши

For some reason, Facebook keeps recommending this artist to me. That’s not how I first heard about them, though. I think I either came across them by YouTube surfing or through a recommendation on an international music blog, and I was already planning on eventually posting this song before Facebook started recommending them to me.
Note: This is not the official music video, but it has HD anyway.

Serebro A.K.A. Серебро - Дыши [Deuishi - Breathe]:

Rise Against - Architects

If I’m interpreting it correctly, this song is meant to encourage people to not lose the ambition and idealism of youth that drives people to work toward changing the world for the better, even if they are beyond the age when that’s typical. It’s never too late in life to work toward large-scale progress and have a role in shaping the future.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Rise Against - Architects:

Eisblume - Hoffnung (Interlude)

Even though this is an album interlude, I think this is one of the prettiest tracks from the album by this artist that I have. Although this artist is a rock band, this song is kinda trip-hoppy.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Eisblume - Hoffnung (Interlude) [Hope (Interlude)]:

JJ Lin - K-O

Since I’m returning from my first legitimate visit to Taiwan, I thought I should post another song by one of my favorite artists based out of there. Although he’s from Singapore, he is popular in Taiwan and is on a Taiwanese record label. He has so many good songs I have a hard time choosing which one to post, even though I’ve already posted 4 of them.

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - K-O:

Florence + the Machine - Over the Love

I don’t always love Florence Welch’s singing, but this is one of her songs where her voice drives me wild with its soaring amazingness. In case you’re wondering why the lyrics are full of allusions to The Great Gatsby, it’s because this song was used for the soundtrack of the recent movie adaptation of the novel.
Note: Another opportunity for HD listening!

Florence + the Machine - Over the Love:

John Legend & The Roots feat. Melanie Fiona and Common - Everybody Wake Up

Welcome to the New Year! Time to wake up! 2 of the artists in this song, John Legend and Melanie Fiona, are among my favorite vocalists. And of course The Roots are The Roots. Who can be mad?
Note: You can listen to this song in HD!

John Legend & The Roots feat. Melanie Fiona and Common - Everybody Wake Up: