Tessanne Chin - The Messenger

When I came across this artist’s album on YouTube recently, I didn’t know anything about her, including that she is the winner of season 5 of the singing competition show The Voice. When I learned that, though, it didn’t come as a surprise. Somehow, she seemed like the type who would do well on that show. Although she competed on the American version of the show, the soulful singer is actually from Jamaica. Hence the reggae!

Tessanne Chin - The Messenger:

Paul Kandel, David Ogden Stiers, and Tony Jay - The Bells of Notre Dame

What a way to kick off a kids’ movie. My friend and I like to quote this song to each other, “Ring the bells, bells, BELLS, bells, BELLS, BELLS, BELLS, BELLS.” And of course the end of the song is one of the best moments of the whole movie. “Bells of Notre… DAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!”

Paul Kandel, David Ogden Stiers, and Tony Jay - The Bells of Notre Dame:

Sia - Don’t Bring Me Down

This Australian artist just released her 6th album, and it’s full of potential hits. Although she’s currently being thrust into the very mainstream spotlight, it’s relatively late in her career. This track is from a previous album, as a reminder that she’s actually been at this for years, and while her most recent album showcases how powerful her voice can be in song after song, much of her older music is like this: lowkey and with vocals barely above a whisper.
Note: HD listening!

Sia - Don’t Bring Me Down:

Rise Against - Disparity by Design

I really like the lyrics of this song. They’re meaningful and poetic, but not to the point of obstructing the message. They rail against the socioeconomic gap in the U.S. that is only getting worse, and the erroneous (or willfully deceitful) narrative people are presented with about the upward mobility of all Americans being in direct proportion to how hard they work. “We pulled these bootstraps so hard that they broke.”
Note: The lyrics are helpfully displayed in the HD video.

Rise Against - Disparity by Design:

Flyleaf - Fire, Fire

You don’t have to be Christian to enjoy this Christian artist’s music. The band has a good sound, and there’s something commanding about Lacey’s voice. My first impulse was to interpret the lyrics as referring to teenage rebellion, but I don’t really know and it seems like no one else does either. Interpretations range from deadbeat fathers to false prophets to 9/11.
Note: Yay, HD!

Flyleaf - Fire, Fire:

Novastar - Mars Needs Woman

I liked this Belgian artist’s whole album Almost Bangor, but somehow this song ended up being the most memorable to me. Although I haven’t listened to the album in a few years, I can remember this song fairly clearly while the others I don’t.
Note: HD listening available!

Novastar - Mars Needs Woman:

Inga & Anush - Իմ անունը Հայաստան է

Let’s get into some Armenian folk music now. In case it’s not obvious, this song’s a patriotic piece about how awesome Armenia is. The artist is composed of two singers who are sisters. The music video makes it look like the song was intended as an anthem for some event, but I’m not sure what.

Inga & Anush A.K.A. Արշակյան քույրեր - Իմ անունը Հայաստան է [Im Anune Hayastan e - My Name is Armenia]:

Peter Anthony Red - Climb

This artist is actually another pseudonym for the emcee Tonedeff. In addition to hip hop, he has a fervent love for different kinds of music and is a self-professed fan of piano-based singer/songwriters like Rufus Wainwright and Tori Amos as well as new age and trip hop artists like Portishead and Enya. Eventually, he released an EP under this nom de plume as a way to express this less hip hop-oriented musical side of himself, using his self-taught singing, piano-playing, and composing abilities.
Note: You can listen to the clearly new age-influenced track in HD!

Peter Anthony Red - Climb:

Juli - Wenn Du Lachst

Heyyyyyyy, it’s been a while since I posted something in German, eh? I was looking for music by this artist to post, and came across this pretty ballad. Do let me know if the title’s mistranslated so that I can correct it!
 
Juli - Wenn Du Lachst [When You Laugh]:

Maverick Sabre - These Days

OMGGGGGGGGGG, I’ve been trying to track down this song for YEARS! I heard a live performance version of it in the background of an episode of Hollyoaks years ago, but it was muffled and people were talking over it, so I couldn’t make out enough of the lyrics to look it up. I’ve tried many times over the past few years to find it but was never successful, until tonight, when I decided to give it another shot. This time I caught just enough of an uncommon phrase in the lyrics to find it, so I’m feeling quite victorious right now. Interestingly, I thought to myself as I was searching, “This sounds like a male Paloma Faith,” and when I found the song on YouTube it recommended a Paloma Faith song to me as a related video.
Note: Found in HD, too!

Maverick Sabre - These Days:

Joan Baez - Where Have All the Flowers Gone

I just heard this calming song in the ending credits of an episode of the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black. The artist is a noted activist in addition to her music career, which was appropriate because the theme of the episode it was used for was social activism. This song is a cover; the original is by Pete Seeger and has been covered many times, by various artists.
Note: HD listening, despite the oldness of the song!

Joan Baez - Where Have All the Flowers Gone:

The Civil Wars - Disarm

I made a note to look up music by this artist a little while ago through a music recommendation post, but then I ended up not having to go out of my way to do so because then I came across this song by them through a fanvideo. This is a cover of a song that’s originally by Smashing Pumpkins.

 The Civil Wars - Disarm:

Emily and the Woods - Never Play

I heard this song on the excellent British series In the Flesh a few days ago. It has that effortless indie quality to it, but it manages to not annoy me. The somber, brooding mood and slightly dark imagery suits the series as well.
Note: HD listening, yo!

Emily and the Woods - Never Play:

Jurassic 5 - A Day at the Races

I went to a concert of this hip hop artist a week ago. They put on a great show, but I wasn’t familiar with much of their music so I didn’t have the benefit of song recognition. I like that this group sings in addition to rapping. In the live performance, I couldn’t hear the particular lyrics very well, so I gave their music a listen with headphones to better appreciate it and it left me wondering why I didn’t get into them sooner. The rhyme scheme of this track in particular impressed me. There's some profanity.

Jurassic 5 - A Day at the Races:

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

I first heard this song through a cover of it (on Glee) and liked it already—the cover was good. Later I heard the original version by this artist on the radio, and liked that one too, which isn’t surprising because it’s friggin’ Kelly Clarkson.
Note: You can listen to her powerful voice in HD!

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger:

Brinck - N.Y.

It’s pop rock with electronic influence, with just the right mixture of each. I’ve been meaning to look into more music by this Danish artist, but keep forgetting. I’ve liked almost every song I’ve heard by him so far, though.

 Brinck - N.Y.:

Frou Frou - Must Be Dreaming

A single AMV, the much-lauded “Euphoria” by Koopiskeva, was my introduction to not only this song, but also this music artist AND the anime series RahXephon. All three things, it turns out, are excellent, so I have a lot to thank that AMV for.

Frou Frou - Must Be Dreaming:



Here’s the AMV through which I first experienced the song, which is recommended viewing even if you don't normally watch AMVs:

John Newman - Love Me Again

In another installment of British singers with inexplicably soulful voices, I present you with this new artist. I just listened to his debut album Tribute, which I discovered through the album opener that it is so titled because the album is intended as the young songwriter’s way of paying respect to the soul artists who came before him. Even without the introductory track, the influence of soul music of decades past is clear, as many of tracks, including this one, have a decidedly old school sound to them in their construction and instrumentation.
Note: HD, yo!

John Newman - Love Me Again:

Supearls - Fame

Say what you want about the superficiality and manufacturedness of Korean pop music, but the artists tend to be able to genuinely sing well. I don’t know a thing about this… girl group? Duo? I don’t know, but apparently they were competitors on one of the many singing competition TV shows in Korea, KPop Star. I came across this track on YouTube, and it’s a cover of a song from the musical Fame (which I haven’t seen in any form).
Note: It’s K-pop, which means it’s available in HD.

Supearls A.K.A. 秀Pearls - Fame:

Daichi Miura feat. Utamaru - No Limit

I swear, I thought I posted this song years ago! But I guess I never got around to it. Better late than never! Seriously weird, though… Anyway, this is one of the first songs I heard by this artist, long before I heard the other two songs I’ve previously posted by him. I found it so catchy and danceable. Which makes sense, since this artist is a dancer.

Daichi Miura A.K.A. 三浦 大知 feat. Utamaru - No Limit:

Meaghan Smith - Friends Like You

In a previous post I commented on the scarcity of songs about traitorous friends, and immediately afterward stumbled across this song about just that! I can gladly say this isn’t a problem I have much experience with. This song has an upbeat, old school sound to it.
Note: Typography lyrics videos are fun, especially with HD.

Meaghan Smith - Friends Like You:

Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust

I made a note a long time ago to eventually post this song, which I first heard who-knows-where, and then totally forgot about it. Then, only a week or two ago, I heard it again in a fanvideo and didn’t even realize it was the same song I’d noted down ages before, but at least was consistent in my liking it, since I noted it down again.
Note: Hey, hey, HD, eh?

Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust:

Vienna Teng - Level Up

A friend, who’s a longtime fan of this American artist, recommended this recently-released music video and commented on the presence of breakdancing as a point of interest to me. It also has other forms of dance, and is a pretty good MV overall! Even without listening to the lyrics, you can pick up on the song’s message of encouraging the listener to fight to overcome adversity. A positive attitude may not solve your problems, but it can make it easier to cope with them.
Note: You can listen and watch in HD!

Vienna Teng - Level Up:

August Alsina - Testify

Autobiographical R&B! This discovery is another result of YouTube recommendations. Describing his rough past, the lyrics are akin to the content that you’d commonly find in hip hop, but delivered in a melody and a voice like silk. Much of this artist’s album Testimony deals head on with his less-than-wholesome history, which is not exactly uplifting but is refreshing in a genre dominated by love songs. This album opener, which almost functions more as an introduction than a typical song, as it lacks a real chorus until the very end, outlines August’s rough upbringing and explains where he comes from—knowledge which is alluded to in later tracks throughout the album. There's some profanity. Like the artists in my last two posts, he’s a young songwriter as well—all 3 are around the same age!
Note: HD is preferable!

August Alsina - Testify:

Bridgit Mendler - Top of the World

I never heard of this artist before her album was recommended to me by YouTube, but upon a bit of research I learned she’s one of those Disney stars. She writes her own music, though, so props. From what I’ve heard so far, most of her music sounds like pretty typical pop music, but this song stood out to me right from the get-go because of the way she uses her voice in the beginning of the song and the slightly audible reggae influence. It turns out I’m not the only one who picked up on the reggae influence, as others have noted reggae a running theme through much of her music.
Note: Here’s an HD video to listen to!

Bridgit Mendler - Top of the World:

Sam Smith - Like I Can

Is it too early to be posting another song by this artist? Too bad, because I’m still addicted to his album. Plus, I was encouraged to post this specific artist now by a friend who’s just started to get into his music too. For once, the upbeat song on an album may be my favorite from it. The same friend who encouraged me to post another song by him also informed me that she heard 4 of his songs on the radio in one day. Especially for a young artist who just started out, and especially for a British artist making airwaves in the U.S. with a first album released about a month ago, that’s pretty impressive. I don’t listen to the radio so I didn’t realize he’d already gotten that big in the U.S., but if he’s already getting that much exposure, it seems like this crazy kid’s gonna make it!

Sam Smith - Like I Can:

Clazziquai Project - I Will Never Cry

I can’t believe I’ve only posted two songs by this Korean artist! I quite like a lot of their songs, and a lot of them are relaxing without being boring because the singers’ voices are so smooth and tightly controlled. Sometimes everyone just needs to CHILL OUT, so why not do it with this song?

Clazziquai Project - I Will Never Cry:

Mitch Lewis, Lauren Zakrin, Israel Curtis, and Laura Curtis - Dream and Shout

It’s Independence Day, but I can’t think of good American-themed songs so I am posting a song about a political revolution… just in France instead of the U.S. Close enough! This parody song took one of the worst radio hits I’ve ever heard and made it tolerable. Based on the abominable Will.I.Am and Britney Spears song “Scream and Shout,” this parody changes the lyrics to narrate the story of the extremely famous musical Les Miserables. I’m not cultured enough to have seen the theatre performance, but I did fortunately manage to see the 2012 film version before seeing this video, so I could understand the references.
Note: This is actually a parody of the original music video, so it’s meant to be watched, not just listened to (and in HD).

Mitch Lewis, Lauren Zakrin, Israel Curtis, and Laura Curtis - Dream and Shout:

Katyna Ranieri - Oh My Love

This song was used in the movie Drive, which I watched a few months ago. This song was composed by Riz Ortolani, who was the singer’s husband. They are both Italian, but the song is in English.
Note: Although the song’s old, it has HD!

Katyna Ranieri - Oh My Love:

JbDubs - I Hate My Job

I do not, as the song title suggests, hate my job. However, today work was pretty stressful so I thought it would be a good time to post this video, which serves to lift my spirits because it’s both silly and impressive at the same time. (It also happens to be a day after my one-year anniversary at my job.) I think I read somewhere that the artist is from the Boston Ballet, which explains his limberness and choreography skills.
Note: The video’s in HD, with some seriously impressive moves.

JbDubs - I Hate My Job:

Candice Glover - Die Without You

YouTube recommended music by this artist to me the other day, and I hadn’t heard of her. So I took a listen to her album, and all I can say is, “Dang!” Girl got a voice on her. Evidently she was a winner of the singing competition show American Idol, which, as I’ve said before, I’ve never watched. I can’t say I was crazy about the lyrics of the songs on her debut album Music Speaks, but her expertly-controlled voice makes up for that.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Candice Glover - Die Without You: