Stefanie Sun - 天黑黑

Being an adult sucks. That’s the message of this song’s lyrics. It was brought to my attention when my friend sang it at karaoke recently, telling me the song is sad because it’s about how life is more complicated when you grow up. I noticed he was singing some of the lyrics in Hokkien—this is because the refrain of the song is taken from an old, popular Hokkien song. I can’t think of a song more fitting for today, climatewise and otherwise.

Stefanie Sun A.K.A. 孫燕姿 - 天黑黑 [Ti Aw Aw - The Sky is Black]:

City High - What Would You Do?

This song was on the radio a lot when I was a kid. At some point, long after I knew all the lyrics to the song, the family babysitter pointed out that the song was not exactly kid-friendly due to its mature subject matter and profanity and I probably shouldn’t have been listening to it. Way too late for that, though! Despite the disturbing lyrics, it sounds pretty nice and makes a compelling case for not using a screwed up background as a justification for perpetuating the screwed uppedness.
Note: HD quality!

City High - What Would You Do?:

Bridgit Mendler - All I See is Gold

Today was a rather musical day, filled with pop songs and bounciness. I feel it only appropriate to post a song that’s more or less in the vein of what I’ve been listening to all day.
Note: HD listening is available!

Bridgit Mendler - All I See is Gold:

JJ Lin - 江南

Arg! There are too many songs by this artist I want to post! He’s too prolific! I like playing this song on the piano, but not as much as I like listening to the original version. Like the previous video I posted, there are English subtitles for the lyrics!

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - 江南 [Jiang Nan - River South]:

T-ara - Day by Day

Yeesh, what’s happening? Yesterday a Coldplay song, today a T-ara song… I find it admirable how much effort clearly is put into K-pop music videos, even if I find the music vapid and soulless. This artist is among my definite “not favorites” but even I had to give it up to this music video, which is so over-the-top it’s comical in its excess. From the beginning of my interest in Korean pop music videos, one of the things that stood out to me about them was the tendency for them to have storylines, no matter how frivolous the song. The drama was on a level that seemed completely unwarranted by the content of the song. It’s nice to see reassurance that, although over a decade has passed since that time, not only is that trend still going strong but it’s even being taken to extremes like this 15-minute, unfinished saga.
Note: This is the official music video, which has HD AND optional English subtitles! It also has violence, if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing.

T-ara - Day by Day:

Coldplay - Midnight (Confidential Remix)

To be honest, I never really expected to post a Coldplay song on here… but here we are. I heard this song in the trailer for the as-yet-unreleased movie Exodus: Gods and Kings. Sounds perty cooooooool!
Note: New song, and therefore HD.

Coldplay - Midnight (Confidential Remix):

Gloss Da Boss - A Million and One Remix

Here’s a female MC who has the potential to be mainstream… but unlike a certain other hip hop artist who’s somehow made it to the top of the charts, she seems to be a legit lyricist. Not to pit the female rappers against one another; just want to show that there are others out there, and they’re doing it better. If you are unacquainted with the hip hop, the instrumental she’s rhyming over is Jay-Z’s.
Note: This is the official video, and it has HD!

Gloss Da Boss - A Million and One Remix: 

Jones Shi - Beautiful World

Today was a good day. I can’t say the same of a couple days ago, when this song so didn’t suit my mood; I almost posted it then, when it would have been bitterly ironic, but since I really do like this song I didn’t want to taint it with my bitterness so this works a lot better for me. “Wo bu yao langfei shijian.” Word! In case it’s not obvious from the title, the song is about appreciating the positive aspects of the world around us rather than focusing on the negative.

Jones Shi A.K.A. 石康軍 - Beautiful World :

Ella Eyre - If I Go

I just today heard this song in the British series Hollyoaks, and my instant reaction was, “Wooooo, what a voice!” Another youngun’ on the rise… She’s 20, and a songwriter as well.
Note: This is an official music video of some sort, so it’s HD!

Ella Eyre - If I Go:

James Bay - Let It Go

I heard this song on the radio. I liked it and took note of it to look up later when I had a search engine within reach. Judging by the sparse information I came cross on him, it looks like he’s a new artist. It also seems like he’s not very well-known, so it’s interesting that I heard him on the radio, I suppose.
Note: HD hath been brought here.

James Bay - Let It Go:

Ana Johnsson - We Are

My friend recommended this song to me, knowing my penchant for songs with unconventional lyrics meanings and stringed instruments. The lyrics are pretty on-the-nose, but in case it’s not obvious they’re about taking responsibility for the state the world is in.
Note: HD listening is here!

Ana Johnsson - We Are:

Flosstradamus feat. Elkka - Rebound

I found this song by YouTube surfing. This is some nice, chill EDM. It’s the only song I have by either of the credited artists, but it’s a calming force in these stressful times.
Note: You know I got that HD.

Flosstradamus feat. Elkka - Rebound:

Sneha Pant, K.K., and Udit Narayan - ए दिल दिल की दुनिया में

I came across this song from the Bollywood movie Yaadein by surfing YouTube for Indian music. I’m normally not a fan of Indian-style female vocals but I enjoy this song. Also, one of the playback singers is Nepalese, so another new country of artist origin is added to the list!

Sneha Pant A.K.A. स्नेहा पंत, K.K., and Udit Narayan A.K.A. उदित नारायण झा - ए दिल दिल की दुनिया में [Aye Dil Dil Ki Duniya Mein - A Heart in the World]:

Savage Garden - You Can Still Be Free

This is one of the songs by this popular 90s artist that I heard like a decade after they had disbanded that made me go, “Huh. Maybe most of their music didn’t suck after all.” Its somber, perhaps even melodramatic theatricality is much more to my liking than their saccharine pop singles I was exposed to as a child, and I think if I’d heard this first I would have liked them a lot earlier. R.I.P. Super Dave.
Note: HD quality!

Savage Garden - You Can Still Be Free:

Kay Tse - 篋神

This Hong Kong artist isn’t exactly a vocal powerhouse, but her voice has a pretty tonal quality to it. I’m mostly posting her because Canto-singing artists don’t usually get much love. She does some weird things with her voice at a couple points in the song, and I don’t know what that’s about, but it at least it adds some variety. I seriously don’t know what the title’s supposed to mean… If there’s a translation out there that makes sense, let me know.

Kay Tse A.K.A. 謝安琪 - 篋神 [Haap San - Luggage God]:

Epik High feat. Sweet Sorrow - 희생양

Another common translation of this song’s title into English is “Scapegoat.” I thought the English title I used makes for a better translation when taking the religious context of the lyrics into account. If you don’t understand Korean, I recommend reading the English translation included in the video. You can actually get the meaning of the song from the English verse alone: it’s claiming society merely pretends to follow Christian teachings, and questions the existence of God for not interfering. This is kind of a risky move because this popular Korean hip hop group is, well… based in Korea, making music for an audience that very likely consists of a lot of fundamentalist Christians.

Epik High feat. Sweet Sorrow - 희생양 [Heuisaengyang - Sacrificial Lamb]:

P!NK - I’m Not Dead

I've been a fan of this artist's since the release of her single, Most Girls, from her first album. That was when I was in elementary school. She's an original, and more importantly talented, voice in a sea of formulaic pop acts. It's a miracle that she seems to be just as popular now as she was 10 years ago, if not more so. How she managed to maintain her successful career in the industry for so long without completely losing it I don't really know, but I'm grateful for it.

P!NK - I’m Not Dead:

Sleeping at Last - I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)

I can’t remember exactly where I heard this song first, but I suspect it was on a TV show. Upon closer inspection, it turns out this artist is a one-man band. This song is pretty recognizable as a cover of the song of the same title by Proclaimers, but a much calmer version.

Sleeping at Last - I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles):

Kénédy - Cours Toujours

My browser kept crashing and playing this song every time it restarted. It must be a sign that it’s time to post this song and get it out of my queue! I guess it’s also high time I posted some more zouk, too. And with this artist, another country is added to the list: Guadeloupe!

Kénédy - Cours Toujours [Always Running]:

Free Speech feat. Ro Blvd. - Laffy Taffy Rots Your Teeth Intro

This opening track from the hip hop album of the (almost) same title criticizes mainstream rap for being the modern manifestation of the minstrel show. Its title is an allusion to the mainstream rap song “Laffy Taffy,” which belongs to the popular subgenre the emcee is suggesting brings down the black community, drawing a parallel to the candy of the same name: maybe enjoyable in the moment, but ultimately harmful when consumed in excess as people are prone to do. There is profanity, and if you are offended by the message of the lyrics… well, you’ve been warned.

Free Speech feat. Ro Blvd. - Laffy Taffy Rots Your Teeth Intro:



Here’s the official video, which has different audio from the album version, and I like it more because it samples two of my favorite stand-up comics, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. It makes the aforementioned message clear by juxtaposing images of old-fashioned racist representation against modern rap music videos:

Yoko Kanno feat. Shanti Snyder - Sora

This is from the soundtrack of the anime movie Escaflowne, which I received as a Christmas present many a year ago. It was a while ago, but if I remember correctly I actually had this song in my music collection long before I’d watched the movie. This song (and all of its multiple renditions) never ceases to captivate me. This version in particular is painfully pretty, largely to the credit of Shanti Snyder’s pure voice. I’ve seen claims that the lyrics are in old Romanian, but I doubt this is true. Instead, it seems to be a mixture of words taken from different languages.

 Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Shanti Snyder - Sora:

James Arthur - You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You

What kind of message is that for a song?! Whatever. I heard this catchy song on the UK show Hollyoaks. This is YET ANOTHER example of British soul. I’m beginning to think that’s their sole musical export… I’m loving that choir action they have going on too.
Note: This lyrics video has HD quality available!

James Arthur - You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You:

Broods - Four Walls

I heard this artist when they were the opening act for Sam Smith’s concert. Although I hadn’t heard of them before then, I paid attention to their performance and made a mental note to look up their music after the concert because through the din it sounded like the downtempo style of music I tend to like. That led me to the discovery of this chill song.
Note: Here be HD quality!

Broods - Four Walls:

Emmanuel Jal - Warchild

Whoa, while I wasn’t looking this Sudanese hip hop artist released a bunch more albums I wasn’t aware of. I found out about him first through an article in Rolling Stone magazine. I thought his backstory as a child soldier was compelling, and when I looked up his songs I found them to be quite sonically pleasing, too. This, I believe, is the first song of his I heard. It’s clear the lyricist is not a native English speaker, but I still think it’s worth listening to for the sake of getting another person’s perspective.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Emmanuel Jal - Warchild:

Zara Larsson - Carry You Home

Whoooooooooooosh. My first thought when I heard this song was that it straddles the line between acoustic pop and club hit. Her voice has a richness to it that I appreciate all the more in a saccharine pop song. After this one, I listened to a handful of other songs by this Swedish artist and in some of them she sounds just like Rihanna. Aaaaaaaaaand she’s just 16.
Note: The video has HD!

Zara Larsson - Carry You Home:

Boyz II Men - You Just Got Slapped

I finally finished the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother! I watched the entire last season within a matter of days, and this new rendition of an original song from the show made an appearance somewhere in the final episodes. The song demarcates another installment in the TV series’s ongoing saga of characters slapping each other, and I found it especially funny that this time it was performed by this famous R&B artist in their signature love ballad style. The singing group came up in other places with comedic contexts over the past few days as well—in song parodies—so all the more reason to post this now.
Note: Despite not being an officially released song, the video with it has HD!

Boyz II Men - You Just Got Slapped:

Icon for Hire - Pop Culture

The more recent album by this artist has been on repeat for the past few days for me. I actually really enjoy the lyrics from this band. They have nice, aesthetically pleasing rhyme schemes that carry lyrics that are both meaningful and comprehensible. This song mocks the delusion some people have that they’re impervious to marketing or are somehow above mainstream taste.
Note: HD listening está aquí!

Icon for Hire - Pop Culture:

Troye Sivan - Happy Little Pill

I clicked on this song’s music video because it showed up as a related video to another song I’d just listened to on YouTube, and I didn’t recognize the name of the artist. That alone was enough to interest me, and I’m glad it did. I immediately was drawn in, even before the vocals began. Turns out this artist is a youngun’ (19!) and an actor.
Note: HD listening, yo!

Troye Sivan - Happy Little Pill:

Alice Russell - Citizens

This song is apparently the theme song of the show The Blacklist, but as I’ve never seen that show that’s not how I heard it. Instead, I heard it in the show Political Animals.
Note: British soul in HD!

Alice Russell - Citizens:

Trick Daddy feat. Cee-Lo Green & Big Boi - In Da Wind

I admit, this is one of the hip hop songs I loved purely for the beat. But I love this beat! Trick luh da keeds. One of my favorite aspects of this song is Cee-Lo's distinctive (read: decidedly weird) voice, which would later become well known in American mainstream music. The lyrics have profanity, so even if Trick DOES love the kids the kids maybe shouldn't listen to the song.

Trick Daddy feat. Cee-Lo Green & Big Boi - In Da Wind: