Luella and the Sun - We Got To Meet Death One Day

Happy New Year’s Eve! As this year draws to a close, so does this music blog, which I’ve maintained for a solid 5 years. I think that’s a good number to end on. This song is tonally perfect for Halloween season, but seeing as this is the last post of the music blog there’s no point in saving it until next October. It’s sad to have to end it, but it had to meet its death one day!
Note: The final post has an HD upload!

Luella and the Sun - We Got To Meet Death One Day:

Apocalyptica - In the Hall of the Mountain King

Edvard Grieg’s famous piece could have been posted in its original classical orchestra form, as I like that version too, but I should have posted this Finnish artist more often. Their originals are pretty nice. Alas, we are down to the wire, so I am left with this! I’m not sure why this piece reminds me of winter, but it does.

Apocalyptica - In the Hall of the Mountain King:

IU - Cruel Fairy Tale

Sounds like a waltz, I suppose like one would find in a typical fairy tale. People compare it to "Once Upon a December" from Anastasia, which I’ve posted in the past. I heard of this K-pop artist numerous times over the past few years, but none of her songs compelled me as much as this one. What's kinda cool about her, according to what I read, is that she is largely the author of her own music, in both lyrics and production.

IU - Cruel Fairy Tale:

Vidoll - 舞夢 ～マイム～

So weird… A sizeable catalogue of gothic music from this visual kei artist and this chipper-sounding song is the one by them that I end up especially liking. I’m throwing it in here because I noticed that the lyrics mention Christmas. Other than that, it’s not really the theme. In fact, I think the lyrical meaning is neither upbeat nor Christmasy, but rather something to do with a lost love, and from the point of view of a woman.

 Vidoll - 舞夢 ～マイム～ [Maimu - Mime]:

Loreena McKennitt - Noël Nouvelet!

I grew up listening to this artist, but didn’t have any of her Christmas-themed music. It wasn’t until I looked over her discography that I realized that Christmas was a primary and recurrent theme of her songs. Last night I heard the Irish-imbued instrumentation and dulcet tones of Loreena’s voice drifting from the speakers at a public Christmas display, so it seems I’m not the only one who’s noticed she’s a good go-to for such occasions. Breaking from her tendency toward Gaelic sounds, this song is a cover of a French carol.
Note: It’s HD!

Loreena McKennitt - Noël Nouvelet! [Christmas Comes Anew!]:

Seo Taiji - Christmalo.win

Oh, Seo Taiji. Such an envelope-pusher. Christmas is establishment dictatorship, and Halloween, the holiday for weirdos and freaks, is where freedom is at. I kind of love the creepy keyboardist. This would have been appropriate for October when my posts were all somehow connected to Halloween, but its Christmas-relevance qualifies it for December too I suppose. The lyrics turn common refrains of Christmas (“You better watch out; you better not cry!”) on their head, representing a fascist society. If you think about it, it makes sense: Christmas rhetoric encourages quiet obedience, whereas Halloween encourages nonconformity and rebelliousness.
Note: This is the official music video, and it has HD!

Seo Taiji A.K.A. 서태지 - Christmalo.win:

BoA - 메리-크리

Years ago, my mom asked for a mixtape from me for Christmas, so in a “be careful what you wish for” move I made a Christmas/winter-themed compilation CD for her that included the Japanese version of this song, as well as other unconventional choices. This artist is a star in both Japan and Korea, with hits in both languages, but Korea is her native country so I went with the Korean version of the song for this post. I just learned that the American band Weezer has a cover of the Japanese version of this song, which I find pretty weird. Merry Christmas!

 BoA - 메리-크리 [Meri-K’euri - Merry Chri]:

Pentatonix - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

This a cappella group has had a great year, and I’m pleased to be a somewhat early adopter so I could gleefully watch their recent rise to prominence. Sometimes I think this artist is at their best when they’re getting their creep on. (See their brilliant LIVE cover of Imogen Heap’s “Aha!” for reference.) This song and even more so this video are an example of that. This piece has a special significance to me because it used to be somewhat of a family tradition for my mother to take me to a ballet performance of The Nutcracker around Christmastime. Oh, and Mitch’s high note? That’s real. I’ve heard him do it live a number of times and it’s breathtaking every time.
Note: Bless this video for having HD!

Pentatonix - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:

Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Unfold

Sometimes I wake up with a craving for Banks-ish music. This fits the profile! I heard a song by these artists in a boba restaurant a few months ago, where they had a playlist or something of similar music playing.
Note: It’s recent, so it’s HD!

Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Unfold:

The Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson - To Build a Home

I can’t for the life of me remember where I heard this song first, but I feel pretty certain it was in a commercial or PSA or something. It sounds SO familiar. I’ve been listening to albums by the main artist lately (for the first time) and when this song started I already recognized it. This track sounds to me like Cascadeur.
Note: This upload has HD, so you can ogle the gorgeous picture while you listen!

The Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson - To Build a Home:

Gilme - Success (Don’t Kill My Vibe)

Uh ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, potential new obsession… The title is a pretty obvious bite off Kendrick, but eh. It’s hop hop; lots of borrowing happens. Another very hip hop thing: obligatory song about loving music. I found this artist through YouTube surfing, but she was a contestant on the reality competition show Unpretty Rap Star, a Korean show featuring all female emcees as competitors. (It sounds awesome, but I barely made it through 15 minutes. It was atrocious.)
Note: This is the official music video, with HD AND English subtitles!

Gilme A.K.A. 길미 - Success (Don’t Kill My Vibe):

Tribalistas - Um a Um

One more from this Brazilian artist! I found many of the songs on their one album write pleasing to the ear, especially because of the interesting way their voices harmonize. This song is one of the best examples of the unique sound, and the disparity between the high and lower registers almost makes it sound a little eerie to me.

 Tribalistas - Um a Um [Separately]:

Röyksopp & Robyn - Monument

Both of these artists are pretty famous, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this song is pretty well-known, but I came across it through YouTube surfing. Neither of them consistently makes a kind of music I’m really into (although I don’t hate it either), but this song I liked from the first listen. It’s just plain aurally pleasing. I like the chilled-out vibe that somehow doesn’t strike me as boring.

Röyksopp & Robyn - Monument:

CunninLynguists feat. Anetra - Brain Cell

Earlier this year, this hip hop song started playing in my head for no apparent reason, and I haven’t even listened to this artist’s excellent album A Piece of Strange in years. I like the various usages of the word “cell” the song refers to. It’s about being trapped at various points in life.
Note: HD listening is available!

CunninLynguists feat. Anetra - Brain Cell:

Joey Yung - 我的驕傲

I’m SO CONFUSED. I could have sworn I posted this song years ago. WTHHHHH? This simple little ditty is not my favorite song by this artist, but it is very likely to have been the first Cantonese song I was exposed to enough to know it. Even though Mandopop is much bigger than Cantopop, I discovered this song around the same time—even the same night—I first discovered Mandarin songs.
Note: Fwahhhh, HD upload!

Joey Yung A.K.A. 容祖兒 - 我的驕傲 [Ngo Dik Kiu Ngou - My Pride]:

Miyavi - 一匹狼論

There is a story behind how I got into this artist’s stuff. Oh yes. One night in 2005 or so I was surfing a message board for Korean pop culture, and saw a banner in someone's profile that had a gothy-looking picture of someone in heavy black makeup and with many-a-facial-piercing, and, being the shallow creature I am, I went, "Ooooh, who's that pretty person!?" So I looked him up and ended up staying up ALL NIGHT listening to his music. I became a fan literally overnight. What can I say? The quirkiness of the music hooked me and has never let go.
Note: Wow, despite how notoriously difficult it is to find Japanese music uploaded in good quality, I found this in HD!
 
Miyavi A.K.A. 雅 - 一匹狼論 [Ippiki Ookami Ron - The Lone Wolf Theory]:

Lascivious Biddies - You Don’t Own Me

I heard this modern-but-retro-sounding cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit on a German soap opera. I searched pretty extensively for this track back in October because I thought it’d make a nice Halloweenish post, but for all my Internet scouring it did not come up. Given that I fruitlessly searched for it a number of times before that over the past few years, I had resigned myself to the probably reality that, like many songs I haven’t been able to find or upload in good quality, I would never be able to post this, but on a whim I decided to briefly check again, and this immediately popped up!
Note: I straight-up GASPED when I saw this song uploaded to YouTube, and in HD no less!

Lascivious Biddies - You Don’t Own Me:

Nitin Sawhney feat. Ojos de Brujo - Shadowland

I think I heard music by this artist at a restaurant and Shazamed it, but I must have heard his music years before that because I watched part of The Namesake, a movie for which he composed the soundtrack. Much of what he makes is classified as world music, which could really mean anything but usually refers to non-Western-sounding music marketed to a Western audience. He also makes some cool trip-hop, which I wish I’d discovered earlier.
Note: Found an upload in HD!

Nitin Sawhney feat. Ojos de Brujo - Shadowland:

Beth Hart - Run

Listen to that gritty voice! Stunning. While I don’t believe this artist was among the ones whose albums my mother owned, songs like this are of the genre that my mother played around the house while I was growing up, so it FEELS familiar even though I don’t think I know this song from back then.

 Beth Hart - Run:

Vitas - Криком журавлиным

I’ve known about this artist a while, but never got around to posting his music or even really delving into it. I’ve seen him in a movie, though (the Chinese, live-action production of Mulan). This speaks to his popularity among the Chinese audience, which for some reason might even match or exceed his popularity among his fellow Russians. His claim to fame is his ability to sing in high registers. If you find the beginning of the song boring, wait until it winds up and you’ll see what people are talking about.
Note: I found a video with HD (and Romanian subtitles, should you desire them).

Vitas A.K.A. Витас - Криком журавлиным [Krikom Zhuravalinym - Crane’s Cry]:

Yuki Kajiura - Gradus Prohibitus

I was just describing this artist’s style to my friend as distinctive and instantly recognizable for a number of reasons, including her tendency to incorporate Middle Eastern influences in her compositions and Latin words into her song titles. Then my friend sent this song to me, which perfectly exemplifies both points I was talking about! When I watched the ultra-popular anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica, whose soundtrack this piece is from, right off the bat I identified the music as the work of the famed anime composer because it had her trademark sounds all over it.

 Yuki Kajiura A.K.A. 梶浦 由記 - Gradus Prohibitus [Forbidden Steps]:

Akdong Musician - 얼음들 (Melted)

I’m positively in love with this song right now. Songs like this help me keep the faith in current Korean music. This artist in particular has songs with meaningful lyrics on top of the sibling duo's beautifully-harmonized voices. The repeated line of English in this one is, “Why are they so cold?” The theme of the track is both a metaphor and a pun, as the Korean word for ice sounds similar to the Korean word for adult—the lyrics question why the world of grown-ups is so lacking in compassion, why people's hearts harden as they age. The music video demonstrates this theme by showing how people can themselves become more jaded and closed off as they grow older and experience the already-cold world around them.
Note: This official music video has HD quality, and true artistry! It's replete with visual metaphors and I'm still newly noticing poetic flourishes in it despite having watched it numerous times already.

Akdong Musician A.K.A. 악동뮤지션 - 얼음들 (Melted) [Eoreumdeul (Melted) - Ice (Melted)]:

Puscifer - Life of Brian (Apparently You Haven't Seen)

*sigh* I grasped what this song is about all too quickly, and related all too well. Like yesterday’s track, this one touches on religious (specifically Christian) themes, as Life of Brian is the name of a comedy movie about Biblical times. I attended the concert of this artist last night, at a majorly sold-out show.
Note: HD upload, boooooooooooom!

Puscifer - Life of Brian (Apparently You Haven't Seen):

Shawn Mendes - Strings Attached

Dang, those verses! So good. I heard the song by this artist that’s currently a hit a few months ago. I liked it and it led me to look up more music by him, which led me to this. It has style, at least in the verses, although it loses some steam for the chorus. It reminds me of Ed Sheeran, which is a favorable comparison.
Note: This music is fairly new, so it’s uploaded with HD!

Shawn Mendes - Strings Attached:

Raign - Don't Let Me Go

Back into the moody abyss I go! I couldn’t stay away for long. I found this song through YouTube surfing, but I guess it’s been used on some popular TV shows that I’ve never watched.
Note: This song is available in HD!

Raign - Don't Let Me Go:

K’naan feat. Damian Marley - I Come Prepared

Wow, I have really neglected this hip hop artist in my posts despite liking so many of his songs… This song plays in my head whenever someone uses the phrase spoken in this track’s title. When the emcee boasts of his street cred and compares his background to that of New York, he says “here” to mean Somalia, his home country. The featured artist is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, so that’s a pretty big “get” for the album. There’s some profanity and allusions to violence.
Note: Hurray, another upload with HD!

K’naan feat. Damian Marley - I Come Prepared:

Aurora - Runaway

This song has one of those music videos YouTube insisted over and over that I watch (by showcasing it repeatedly in the related videos margin). Not a bad choice, though! The artist is from Norway but there are parts of the track that remind me very much of an Irish folk song. That was the selling feature of this song for me, to be honest.
Note: The track was uploaded in HD!

Aurora - Runaway:

Maverick Sabre - Cold Game

This artist needs WAY more publicity. He has nuanced and varied songs, augmented by wordplay and rhyme schemes. He has a distinct voice and point of view that comes through in his lyrics. It’s almost melodic rap, reminiscent of K-os or reggae artists. He’s got opinions and he lets you know by speaking out in his lyrics on sociopolitical topics, against corruption, police brutality, imperialism, nationalism… I didn’t know all this when I first became deadset on figuring out who he was based on a previous song I posted, the first I heard by him. Funny that I discovered an artist so deep through the lowest brow form of entertainment, a soap opera, where he was a diegetic guest performer.
Note: Bless this HD!

Maverick Sabre - Cold Game:

Kokia feat. Ueno Yoko - Currents

When I first got into the main artist, this is one of the songs I came across initially. It was used in the soundtrack of the video game Genso Suikoden II Orrizonte, which I’m guessing is why it was so easy to find when so much other music by her was not. It was instant bliss! Obviously it spurred me on to continue searching for more music by the main artist. When I only had like two songs of hers, this being the second, and I wasn’t able to find more, I made the most of it by listening to it so much I memorized the lyrics, which I remember to this day!

 Kokia feat. Ueno Yoko A.K.A. 上野 洋子 - Currents:

Khalil Fong - 蘇麗珍

This artist is so smoooooooth! I can hardly stand it. I was going to go with a song from one of his newer albums for this post for the sake of variety, but I like a LOT of his songs on his first two albums too much to resist resorting back to them. The instrumental for this one is interesting to me because it has a "cuteness" factor. It’s hard for me to find upbeat acoustic music that I genuinely enjoy, but with this guy it works for me. You can feel that there’s a real positive energy behind many of his songs.
Note: HD quality upload!

Khalil Fong A.K.A. 方大同 - 蘇麗珍 [Su Li Zhen - Lady Sue]:

Bea Miller - Enemy Fire

And now we pivot to something bouncier! Despite its fatalistic metaphors, this song is… fun. The artist’s youth is evident in her voice, but she still clearly knows how to SANG. I feel like this was made for people younger than me but I enjoy it anyway.
Note: This is the official lyrics video, with HD!

Bea Miller - Enemy Fire:

Placebo - Pierrot the Clown

It’s tiiiiiiime for another track by this artist, a longtime love of mine! This song is yet another example of what my friend referred to as this band’s “empty” sound. Not very noisy, but effective in conveying a sense of despair, whether chaotic or lethargic. This piece actually sounds like the wallowing in sorrow it’s singing about, and makes me think of a characterless, lifeless hotel room with the glow of a sunset cast across it. The image is oddly depressing.
Note: HD quality is to be found heah!

 Placebo - Pierrot the Clown:

India.Arie - Brother’s Keeper

This artist’s fans sent in photos of the men in their lives for this video. The theme is pretty straightforward but not often heard: men/boys need the guidance and emotional support of people in their lives, and people bear the responsibility of being a good role model and example for boys.

 India.Arie - Brother’s Keeper:

Aquilo - Calling Me

This song’s music video was a recent discovery of mine. Not mind-blowing, but enjoyable. I like the inclusion of dancing in the video, too. The song is of a genre that’s pretty prevalent these days, with a chill but electronica beat to allow for mild danciness, and a pondering and almost melancholy sound to the melody and vocal style. Lots of reverb is a thing too, for dreaminess effect…
Note: This is the official music video, with dancing and HD!

Aquilo - Calling Me:

Zaho - Assassine

Songs by this Algerian artist are practically begging for hip hop dance routines. I’ve had this song on my list of songs to eventually post for ages. Despite having listened to this song over and over, I didn’t notice until today that the guy in the beginning is yelling in English. Oh well. Here’s a “special delivery to your speakers,” as promised!

Zaho - Assassine [Assassin]:

Tim Minchin - Thank You God

‘Tis time to give thanks! If you’re the type to take the holiday very seriously, you probably won’t appreciate this song’s snark. I personally am thankful for this artist and his well-constructed songs full of snide, clever lyrics lampooning faith-based belief systems and irrational thinking. In this particular song, the comedian mocks the vain but common behavior of crediting a god with an already-fortunate person’s successes and using it as circular evidence of said god’s existence, while not accounting for less-fortunate people’s undeserved miseries. There's profanity. Happy Thanksgiving!
Note: HD qualitayyyyyy!

Tim Minchin - Thank You God:

Ayako Ikeda - 三日月

This artist’s voice is painfully pretty. Her tone is already so pure, and the fluttery vocals in this song put it over the edge. I envy her. It seems like her most famous song is the intro theme to the anime series Dennou Coil, which is how I heard her first too.

Ayako Ikeda A.K.A. 池田 綾子 - 三日月 [Mikazuki - Crescent Moon]:

Ba Cissoko - Silani

NO WAYYYYYYYY. I searched for a decent upload of this song so many times throughout the course of me running this music blog with the intention of posting this song, but never managed to find it until now. I was always so frustrated because I was eager to post this song and had almost lost hope. Such tight instrumentation! This is the first artist from Guinea I've posted, it seems.
I hope y'all appreciate the ridiculous amount of research that went into ATTEMPTING to title-translate and language-tag this post. I mean like combing through translation dictionaries for 3 different African languages, reading about how to play scales on the kora, researching grammatical particles type research--and even after all that I'm still not sure of either the language or the title translation. But I did my best. Can't say I didn't try!
I never found a translation for the word "silani", but I did find that words related to paths in Mandinka start with "sila," and I also found that "-ni" is a Mandinka suffix that means "little." "Sila baa", literally meaning "the great way," is the name of a scale of the kora, the instrument played by the primary member of the group, so I wonder if the title is maybe a play on words that reverses the size of the way that's normally referred to in relation to the kora. But of course if anyone knows the REAL translation of the title I'd love to be informed of it!

Ba Cissoko - Silani [The Little Way]:

The Pack A.D. - B.C. is on Fire

I heard about this artist through my dad, of all people. He recommended them to me knowing my penchant for female-fronted bands. This Canadian band not only is fronted by a woman, it only consists of women. All two members. Haha!

The Pack A.D. - B.C. is on Fire:

Darren Hayes - Words

It takes all my willpower to restrain myself from posting half this artist's entire discography. I love way too many songs by him, and I adore this music video. From the very first chord of this song there’s a sensation of my heart being gripped. This is one of the former pop star's simplest songs, as it only uses his voice and a piano, but its simplicity lends itself to its aching beauty.
Note: The official song upload has HD!

Darren Hayes - Words:


And here’s the music video:

FKA Twigs - Pendulum

Not gonna lie, this artist scares me. A lot of her music videos are actually TOO weird for me and turn me off of her songs by making me feel like I’m in a nightmare. This song, though, was tame enough for me to appreciate her pretty voice in. After finding it on YouTube, I heard it again more recently at a café and quite enjoyed it, reaffirming that I really do like this song on its own, not just as compared to her other songs.
Note: You can listen to that vocal layering in HD!

FKA Twigs - Pendulum:

Sleeping with Sirens - Heroine

I came across music by this artist while YouTube surfing, and then coincidentally I saw them perform live only a few weeks later, when I attended a multi-artist rock concert. I didn’t even know they were among the bands in the lineup. The lead singer was the most impressive part for us, as my friend was convinced he was female and I couldn’t rationalize in my own head how such a pretty, high voice could be produced by a dude. It’s a little more discernible when listening to the tracks with headphones, but even under those conditions there are still some songs where my ears deceived me. This song has drug references, but only as a metaphor for the symptoms of a type of love.
Note: HD listening is available!

Sleeping with Sirens - Heroine:

Siti Nurhaliza - Kurniaan Dalam Samaran

YOOOOOOO, I’m approving of this whole official YouTube upload thing that I’ve been seeing as of late! Said to one of her more difficult songs, this track by the reigning queen of Malaysian music is applauded by critics. If it sounds Japanese to you, that’s probably because it’s influenced by enka. I don’t know Malaysian and didn’t see an official translation of the title, so I’m relying on Google Translate for the title here.
Note: This was graciously uploaded in HD after a while of my searches yielding only low-quality results.

Siti Nurhaliza - Kurniaan Dalam Samaran [Hidden Presents]:

The Neighbourhood feat. Raury - Warm

This song goes through so many distinct phases, it’s like 3 or 4 songs in one! First it’s mellow R&B, then it gets kinda epic and choral, then it turns into hip hop, then it transforms into a spooky outro... and I like it all. The album this song is from isn’t the first time a free mixtape earned a place as one of the most consistently listenable/high quality albums in my collection, but it is the last one so far.
Note: This upload has HD as an option!

The Neighbourhood feat. Raury - Warm:

Song Jieun - 쳐다보지마

SK is impressing me lately… I was originally planning to post a different song by this artist, but after looking into her music I found this and decided to go with it instead. By Korean standards, this song’s lyrics about judging unconventional relationships are “controversial” and “experimental” (in the words of the video’s own description!). I myself was a bit surprised by the provocative nature of the song theme. I first encountered this artist’s solo work when another music video of hers was playing on TV. That video, too, was a bit edgy for the world of K-pop to which she obviously belongs, so I took note. (I also just realized I saw yet another MV of hers even before that, and it too was a little edgier than I expected, with a 19+ rating.) The artist is a member of the girl group Secret, with whom I'm not very familiar.
Note: This official music video is whatever, but it has optional English subtitles and HD!

Song Jieun A.K.A. 송지은 - 쳐다보지마 [Chyeodabojima - Don’t Look At Me]:

Parra for Cuva feat. Anna Naklab - Wicked Games

I’ve found that this song, originally by Chris Isaak, has been covered maaaaany times. London Grammar, Emika, Three Days Grace, Thomas Azier, HIM… All of those are artists I’ve posted music by, too. Both the main and featured artist for this song are new to my blog, though. It’s a lovely song, so I get why it was covered so many times. This version is on the low-key dancey side.
Note: You can enjoy the low-key danciness in HD!

Parra for Cuva feat. Anna Naklab - Wicked Games:

P!NK - U + Ur Hand

My longtime hero! This song is line with the artist’s signature mocking, crass attitude. I always appreciated that about her, her refusal to “act like a lady” and opting for “cool” instead, but I also was kind of in love with the song’s music video (as I am with a lot of her music videos, come to think of it), Admittedly, in this case it's for shallow reasons. Despite the less-than-innocent motif in the title and chorus, this song has a valid and relatable meaning that speaks for a lot of women who want to be able to go out in public without being harassed by annoying, egotistical dudes. There’s a little profanity.
Note: This has HD!

P!NK - U + Ur Hand:

Here’s the official music video:

Kendji Girac - Andalouse

How about something a little more upbeat, huh? I found this track by YouTube surfing. This young artist was a competitor and winner of the French version of the reality singing competition show The Voice. His first language is Catalan, and he’s released songs in Spanish. (This song has a little bit of that.)
Note: This upload has HD quality!

Kendji Girac - Andalouse:

Nicole Scherzinger - Run

I wasn’t inspired to post anything by this artist until a couple months ago when I heard this lovely song. I always thought this well-known singer, lead of the Pussycat Dolls and even known to me when she was in Eden’s Crush, was a very good vocalist, but I didn’t hear any songs of hers that grabbed me. When YouTube recommended her songs to me recently, though, I decided to give her solo stuff more of a chance and went through a handful of tracks.
Note: HD quality upload herrrre!

Nicole Scherzinger - Run:

Gackt - Fragrance

Wahhhhhhhhh, this song sounds so cooooooooool. It has so much mixed in, even though it’s so chill. It’s got harp! It’s got piano! It’s got tambourine! The delicate interplay among all the instrument layers is my favorite aspect of the song, although I find the melody itself captivating as well.

Gackt - Fragrance:

Peiyu Hong - 踮起腳尖愛

This is a simple little song that YouTube recommended to me. It’s true to Taiwan’s tradition of indie soft rock/pop. There’s a song in the same language I REALLY wanted to post, have in its original quality, etc., but for some reason it’s not available anywhere online in good quality that I can find, and my copy refuses to upload anywhere. So this!

Peiyu Hong A.K.A. 洪佩瑜 - 踮起腳尖愛 [Dian Qi Jiao Jian Ai - Tiptoe Love]:

Justin Cross - Drink the Water

I was on a gothic South kick recently and came across this song. It was actually a fanvideo I stumbled across somehow, using this song paired with clips from a short animated film called The Backwater Gospel. You can bet I immediately sought out the short film in its entirety and watched it—it’s excellent. The fanvideo for it is here, but be warned that the visual content is violent. The song lyrics criticize people’s tendency to use religion only when it’s convenient for them.
Note: This upload has HD quality!

Justin Cross - Drink the Water:

Puer Kim - 은행

Upon my initial discovery of this artist, I could tell right off the bat that she was not conventional K-pop. She projected a mature style, flouting K-pop conventions of youthful vocals, modest fashion, and light subject matter. She deviates to a style that’s dark, cynical, and provocative instead, and I appreciate her for pursuing her own artistic vision in an industry where that’s difficult. This song is about selling your soul, working your heart away in the pursuit of material wealth. It describes the rationalization people create that keeps them on the grind. I doubt that the pun in the ending line of the chorus, where the repeated Korean word “manhi” (meaning “a lot”) sounds suspiciously like the English word “money,” the topic of the song, is unintentional.
Note: This is the official music video, which has HD and English subtitles!

Puer Kim A.K.A. 퓨어킴 - 은행 [Eunhaeng - Bank]:

The Young Professionals feat. Anna F. - All of It But Me

Israel keeps popping up in my life lately, so I guess it’s time to post a song from there. I tried listening to a few of the main artist’s songs and found them pretty boring, but this one has a catchy chorus. So catchy, in fact, that after only one listen through I could recall the tune days later, and after two listens I found it playing in my head instantly every time I was reminded of the song. The music video has some cool visuals too. Plus the image of the guy getting pumped while pressing keys on the synthesizer as if he’s rocking out on an electric guitar is funny to me. It’s just a synthesizer! Calm down! Gamers are finding out about this song now because evidently a remix of it is going to be used on the soundtrack of the game FIFA 16.
Note: The upload has HD!

The Young Professionals feat. Anna F. - All of It But Me:


And for fans of grayscale like myself, the music video:

Mecca Kalani - Feel Me

Only a few lines into this song and not knowing what to expect from it, I went, “WOW.” Her voice was so simply flawless. I was so excited at the discovery of this song! I’ve been having a great stroke of lucky lately when it comes to finding good new music. I stayed up way too late one night not long ago, delving into what music YouTube uploads had to offer, and found a number of gems. This was one of the top discoveries of the night. Worth it!
Note: This upload has HD!

Mecca Kalani - Feel Me:

Tackey & Tsubasa - Diamond

OK, I'm not a T&T fan... but I like this song. It’s… fun! I forgot about this song for years, but was somehow reminded of it. I’m pretty sure I originally heard this song through an mp3 rotation site ages ago, but at the time I already was familiar with the artist due to their songs that were used in anime and even their work on J-dramas.

Tackey & Tsubasa - Diamond:

Selah Sue - Reason

This Belgian artist has newer music that is vaguely Ellie Goulding-esque and I’m enjoying its intensity. This song semi-qualifies, but it also has a retro sound to it. There are some parts where her voice sounds raw and others where it sounds polished and instrument-like. I really like a lot of the music I’ve heard by her, old and new, even though it varies in style.
Note: This is an HD upload!

Selah Sue - Reason:

Jaymes Young - I'll Be Good

I'm crushin' on this music video, and the song is like the ultimate redemption theme. It’s about turning a new leaf, waking up to the realization that you’ve been a force for destruction and committing your remaining time on earth to changing that. The artist explained that the video is supposed to reflect how doing harm to others is also doing harm to yourself.
Note: It’s another official MV with HD quality!

Jaymes Young - I'll Be Good:

Alessia Cara - Here

The voice won me over first, then the meaning sealed the deal. GOD. THAT OLD SCHOOL SOUND and alla dat! Jesus! Relaaaaaaaatable… This is for all the people who feel way out of place in a cliché party atmosphere. It encapsulates the bitterness and regret that goes with putting yourself in such situations when it’s not something you genuinely enjoy. It’s such perfection.
Note: This official music video drives the point home, with HD if you like!

Alessia Cara - Here:

Lupe Fiasco - Hurt Me Soul

This song is one of my favorites by this artist. It expounds on the wealth of subject matter and pain experienced by people in the world that can be channeled into music and expressed through hip hop. The genre has such power to therapize and raise awareness of various kinds of struggles, but it’s often sadly squandered on materialism or banal topics. In spite of this misuse, for a fan of the genre and culture, you can’t help but love it still, and rather than desert its fanbase you recognize and mourn its flaws. Since it covers such a range of topics, mostly dealing with people’s problems, the lyrics are laced with some mature and disturbing subject matter, and a little profanity.

Lupe Fiasco - Hurt Me Soul:

Christine and the Queens feat. Tunji Ige - No Harm Is Done

Weird story: I came across this artist only a few weeks ago through looking for music on YouTube. The next day, I was working at a Marina & the Diamonds concert, and found out after I got to the venue and learned that this popular French singer-songwriter was the opener for the show. She rocked it and, like her music videos, incorporates some suave, well-placed dance moves into the performance.
Note: So here’s the official music video, with HD!

Christine and the Queens feat. Tunji Ige - No Harm Is Done:

Tracy Morgan feat. Donald Glover - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

This was written by the comedian Donald Glover, A.K.A. the rapper Childish Gambino. I’ve been meaning to get around to it for years, but I haven’t actually watched the popular comedy series 30 Rock (yet). I know enough about it to know this song is from it, though. In the diegesis of the show, Tracy Morgan’s character created this track as a Halloween novelty song. At first a small piece of it appeared it the show, but due to popular demand a full version was released online later. I heard this on The Todd Glass Show podcast, but it reminded me that I really need to get on watching 30 Rock… Happy Halloween!
Note: HD quality is available here!

Tracy Morgan feat. Donald Glover - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah:

Halsey - Haunting

This new artist is already making an impression in the mainstream. When I heard her current hit on the radio I thought she was Ellie Goulding at first, but in this song her voice doesn’t resemble hers much. I actually realized later that I had already heard a song of hers through a music video when I was clicking around on YouTube for new music. The first song I heard I didn’t care for much and didn’t investigate further, so it’s good that a different song was the one I heard on the radio because that one caught my attention and drove me to look up her album, where I found this moody track.
Note: Experience the haunting in HD!

Halsey - Haunting:

Nothing But Thieves - Graveyard Whistling

I fell in love with this song very recently. Just the sound of it is enough. The lyrics, in my interpretation, are encouraging you to stop subscribing to potentially harmful religion that’s holding you back from enjoying your life and taking advantage of it while you have it. Like whistling when you pass by a graveyard to prevent ghosts from following you, it claims that “if you don’t believe, it can’t hurt you”—if you don’t subscribe to a belief system that teaches you to be ashamed or fear damnation, you won’t fall victim to the psychological harm that belief system inflicts on its believers. I’m not sure which side of the fence the song is actually meant to fall on due to that pesky potential for tongue-in-cheek-ness. As this is my current song obsession, today I recommended this song to some apparent music aficionados and they were impressed, so I felt validated.
Note: I encourage you to take advantage of HD listening!

Nothing But Thieves - Graveyard Whistling:

Snow Ghosts - Gallows Strung

I like how the song has string instruments and is called Gallows Strung. Get it?! It reminds me of music by Dido. The whole track has an eerie vibe of foreboding to it that I really like. Perfect for the season! It paints a dark metaphor for love in the mind’s eye, but at least it’s a somewhat original one.
Note: It’s a dreamy, newer song, so it was uploaded in HD!

Snow Ghosts - Gallows Strung:

Kim Jaejoong - Mine

I don’t get what’s going on in this MV, but it’s pretty, if not more than a little cheesy. While most of K-pop is moving in the direction of hip hop, R&B, or sugary bubble gum pop, this boy band member is apparently using his opportunity as a solo artist to put out some music that takes the less popular route of rock. I am totally fine with that. I for one am pleased with that direction. I’m actually struck by how Japanese this song and video are—the visuals look like something I’d be much more likely to see in a Japanese visual-kei MV, some moments of the vocals stood out to me as especially Japanese-singing-style-sounding, and the fact that it’s rock in itself is enough to make it seem Japanese-influenced. This artist is a member of JYJ, and a former member of DBSK.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD!

Kim Jaejoong A.K.A. 김재중 - Mine:

Digital Daggers - Still Here

Those strings really flesh out what would otherwise be a very static song. Plus, how cool is the artwork? I was planning to post a different song for today, but I couldn’t find a decent quality upload of it anymore. This ain’t a bad substitute. I found this artist through YouTube surfing, but it seems they're a popular choice for TV show soundtracks.
Note: HD quality is available once again!

Digital Daggers - Still Here:

Matthew Perryman Jones - Canción de la Noche

This artist’s placement in Nashville almost places him squarely in the category of country music singer-songwriter, and many elements of that genre are present in his work, but he makes a rather unconventional country artist, listing some of his influences as Vincent van Gogh, Rumi, and Federico Garcia Lorca.
Note: HD quality is here and recommended!

Matthew Perryman Jones - Canción de la Noche [Song of the Night]:

The Nearly Deads - Never Look Back

On Facebook some time ago, one of my FB friends asked for examples of female-fronted rock bands and people posted their suggestions in the comments. This, I believe, was among the suggestions that I took note of and looked up later.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD, and included for its Halloween relevance!

 The Nearly Deads - Never Look Back:

JJ Lin - 殺手

I knew this song back around when it first was released, and later saw the music video, but it wasn’t until years afterward that my friend told me this song’s music video stirred up the public in Taiwan, where this artist’s popularity is centered. He had cultivated a wholesome, nice guy image, so the macabre portrayal of him as a stalker and murderer who pins human body parts on his wall jarred people.

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - 殺手 [Sha Shou - The Killer]:

Here’s the official music video:

Kyla La Grange - Cut Your Teeth

This artist is a recent discovery for me. This is my favorite of the admittedly small handful of songs I’ve heard by her, but she does seem to have an inclination toward mildly spooky music videos like this one. Now I'm having trouble un-sticking the chorus from in my head.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD!

Kyla La Grange - Cut Your Teeth:

Maître Gims - Zombie

Another genre change! Now it’s time for a tortured pop/R&B song. A while ago I found a song or two by this artist, but didn’t like them as much as this one. I came across this song by YouTube surfing for French music very recently, and by coincidence only days after I saw it recommended in the YouTube comments of a completely different type of video. I guess it’s meant to be!
Note: HD quality audio here!

Maître Gims - Zombie:

Spica - 마녀의 일기

For the sake of variety, let’s get an upbeat song in here… At first this song was too bubbly for me, but I stuck with listening through to the end and came to appreciate it more because I like the singers’ voices and the production. This song is stylistically very similar to Halloweeny songs by female K-pop artists that I’ve posted in years past, namely Narsha’s “Bbi Ri Bba Bba” and Lee Jung Hyun’s “V,” with the whole enthusiastic, dancey, girly-but-evil vibe. For better or worse, K-pop is not afraid to be cheesy.
Note: It’s K-pop, so it’s uploaded in HD quality!

Spica - 마녀의 일기 [Manyeo’eui Ilgi - Witch’s Diary]:

MUCC - 赤い空

This artist has long been neglected on this music blog… It’s a shame, because they’ve released so much music and I have so much of it. They have a style all their own, one which is evolving, but this is from one of their earlier releases when their music had a darker sound to it than it does today.

MUCC - 赤い空 [Akai Sora - Red Sky]:

Abi Wade - Hope

Oooh, atmospheric! Evidently a lot of people found out about this song through the show Banshee. I’ve never seen that show, though, and I heard it through Shameless (and then forgot about it) and then found it again through YouTube surfing.

Abi Wade - Hope:

Gravenhurst - Fritzrovia

I heard this song in a TV show (can’t remember which one—although now that I’m thinking about it, it might have been an Irish soap opera) and even though I only heard a small piece of what ended up being a relatively long track, I knew I had to have it. The vocals don’t really do it for me, but man, the instrumental sets a tone! In researching a bit more information about the artist, I came to learn he died a little less than a year ago, so R.I.P. to him.
Note: Woo, HD!

Gravenhurst - Fritzrovia:

Indila - Tourner Dans Le Vide

I found this French artist way too late. She has a sacred voice! I certainly intend to look into more of her music than I already have. Two of my favorite styles of music, I’ve found over the years, are contemporary French R&B, and raï. And here is an artist who combines both!
Note: This is the official MV with HD quality!

Indila - Tourner Dans Le Vide [Spin in the Void]:

Joseph William Morgan feat. Shadow Royale - What a Wonderful World

I heard this cover of Louis Armstrong’s famous song in a fanvideo for the popular cartoon series The Legend of Korra that my friend sent me. It’s all spooky n’ shiz. You can watch the fanvideo here. Evidently the song was used in or to promote the video game Dragon Age: Inquisition, though, which is probably how a lot of people heard it. Nice to see lesser-known/virtually undiscovered artists having their music selected to promote something with high level exposure!
Note: This has HD, thankfully!

Joseph William Morgan feat. Shadow Royale - What a Wonderful World:

Do As Infinity - 遠くまで

Believe it or not, this song is from a horror movie. Although this track doesn’t sound particularly scary or even downtempo, it’s the ending theme of the anime horror movie Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, which I watched recently (after YEARS of searching for it). I was surprised when this song started playing as the credits began to roll, because 1. I had no idea this artist, with whom I was already familiar through a handful of their songs, made one for the movie and 2. I recognized the song and apparently already knew it somehow. It escaped me that the band made the ending theme to this movie I’d been on a quest to watch for ages, and my best guess as to how I knew the song is that back when I regularly scouted mp3 rotation sites I took advantage of this track being posted on one of them.

 Do As Infinity - 遠くまで [Tooku Made - Far Away]:

VIXX - 저주인형

This actual K-pop video made me LOL at how violent it is. Unsurprisingly, the artist ended up having to shoot a second version of the video that’s not so disgusting. I think this one is so stylish though. If you have a hard time with fake violence or gore you probably want to skip this one. I’ve heard by K-pop reviewers that this boy band is underrated, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s true. I’ve also heard that a lot of their MVs have a dark element to them, which is a bit unusual in the K-pop landscape.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD audio and gory visual!

VIXX - 저주인형 [Jeoju’inhyeong - Voodoo Doll]:



For the faint of heart, here’s the alternate music video, which has more dancing and less mutilation:

Anne Müller - Walzer Für Robert

The cello casts such a spell, and whosoever wields it wields much power indeed. This waltzy piece is a shining example of that. I think I found this artist simply through YouTube surfing. By the end of the track, it takes on a bit of a spooky element.
Note: Yay, HD quality again!

Anne Müller - Walzer Für Robert [Waltz for Robert]:

Simon Curtis - The Dark 2: Return to the Dark

Who’d have thought you’d get a dance song for the Halloween theme? But here it is! This artist specializes in poppy dance music, but with an aggressive edge. I guess for this song, that aggression was channeled into some sort of demonic motif. It also acknowledges and takes advantage of the verses’ structural similarity to those of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” (another pop dance music favorite of mine) by including a lyrical nod to the hit.
Note: The upload has HD!

Simon Curtis - The Dark 2: Return to the Dark:

Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

This is a cover of the 80s hit by Tears for Fears, but with a dark twist. It’s from the soundtrack of a movie I’ve never seen, Dracula Untold. I quite like how this cover puts an ominous spin on the upbeat dance track, because the lyrics seem telling of some rather depressing themes and a sonic acknowledgement of that is in order.
Note: Delicious HD available!

Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World:

Kaoru Wada - Kikyou's Theme

OK, first of all, I LOVE the character Kikyou, from the manga/anime Inu Yasha. Everyone else hated her, but she was my favorite character. I have a thing for tragic, beautiful, strong characters, and this theme music for the character is tragic, beautiful, and strong to match.

Kaoru Wada A.K.A. 和田 薫 - Kikyou's Theme:

The Birthday Massacre - Superstition

I came across this artist on YouTube somehow. I’m not that into their music, but this band has exactly the style that would appeal to one of my friends. I’m not sure why it’s one of my favorites of what I’ve heard by them, since it’s so static.
Note: HD quality is to be found heah!

The Birthday Massacre - Superstition:

Eisbrecher - Dornentanz

This German artist is a band that includes two former members of the band Megaherz, and to be honest I can’t really tell the difference between the two projects’ music. That probably has something to do with the fact that the Megaherz music I’m familiar with happens to be what they produced during the years when the aforementioned two members were active in Megaherz. Both bands’ songs (at least from the era I heard them) had an ominous sound to them, much like this track, even though it’s apparently… a love song of sorts?

 Eisbrecher - Dornentanz [Thorn Dance]:

London Grammar - Hey Now

Beeeeeeeeautiful. This is the opening to track to this artist’s excellent album If You Wait, and it completely sets the tone. I didn’t realize it was chosen as a single, but I’m glad it was. The video’s pretty cool and ghosty folklore-inspired. I like how her voice quality is kinda atypical.
Note: This official music video has HD!

London Grammar - Hey Now:

Buck-Tick - ドレス

Ooooh, this is the oldest (I think) song I’ve posted by this artist who’s still going, from all the way back in 1993. Evidently it was pretty popular at the time, too. They clearly cultivated a dark, gothy aesthetic back then that they’ve kept up to this day.
Note: Despite the song’s age, it’s available in HD quality!

Buck-Tick - ドレス [Doresu - Dress]:

Kaitlin Riegel - Silhouettes

It’s another song I heard on the US version of Shameless! It was at this point (the point at which I heard this song in the show, I mean) that I thought, “This show has an unexpectedly good soundtrack. Whoever’s in charge of finding and picking the music for it, well done.” I hadn’t heard of this artist before then, but it led me to look up more by her.
Note: Another with an HD quality upload!

Kaitlin Riegel - Silhouettes:

The Hat feat. Father John Misty & S.I. Istwa - Angry River

I recently finished season 1 of True Detective, and this song was used for the season finale ending theme. So many good finale songs… I haven’t heard of any of these artists, but I like the end product they created. Another track with a haunting sound! Also befitting of the series setting, the song has a southern sound to it.
Note: HD is available!

The Hat feat. Father John Misty & S.I. Istwa - Angry River:

Siouxsie Sioux & Brian Reitzell - Love Crime

This song was written for the dramatic series finale of the horror TV show Hannibal. The show’s creator was a fan of this artist and asked her to make a song in collaboration with the show’s own composer to be featured on the show, and behold, this track was born. Makes sense then that it’s so fitting for the series, and especially its ending scene for which this song was used! Its haunting tone and pulsating beat makes for contextual perfection and added to an already impressive scene.
Note: High quality audio for a high quality song!

Siouxsie Sioux & Brian Reitzell - Love Crime:

Jason Derulo - Cheyenne

Look how mainstream I’m being! I heard this song in a shop and wanted to Shazam it, only to realize I forgot to bring my phone. Anyway, I thought it was catchy and vaguely Michael Jackson-ish. The music video plays up this angle with some stylistic choices and dance moves so I guess this influence didn’t go unnoticed.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD! I’m using it ‘cause it fits the theme of this month while the song by itself doesn’t really.

Jason Derulo - Cheyenne:

Ella Henderson - The First Time

Hollyoaks does wonders for my British music collection. Reminds me of Leona Lewis, another success story whose career was catapulted by a singing competition show. This music artist has a fantastic voice who needs to be put on more fantastic songs. I had difficulty finding a track of hers that did much for me melody-wise but this one was the catchiest of the ones I heard.
Note: HD upload!

Ella Henderson - The First Time:

Darren Hayes - Neverland

This song is like… wow. I’ll try to restrain myself in going into all the ways this song is brilliant, from the production to the vocals to the lyrics, but let it suffice to say it’s told from the perspective of the artist himself when he was a child, and does a brilliant job of capturing the dark dichotomy of a thought process that is simultaneously innocent and violent, childlike and disturbed, upon witnessing his father abuse his mother. I suppose this warrants a trigger warning or something for domestic violence.
Note: Praise be for HD quality!

Darren Hayes - Neverland:

Tori Kelly - Unbreakable Smile

I heard this enterprising young artist through a YouTube video she did with Superfruit (two members of Pentatonix, the a cappella group whose music I’ve posted a few times). It was a mostly speaking video, but she let loose a little sampling of her vocals and I was instantly impressed. Her singing skills are the real deal and I hoped I’d be able to find official song releases by her. In that search, I came across this! The lyrics are so obviously from her honest self and outline her career goals and outlook on life. The lyrics seem almost stream of consciousness, but I like that it’s a deviation from the norm. I like its positivity and sincerity as well.
Note: This is the official (one-take!) music video, with HD quality!

Tori Kelly - Unbreakable Smile:

Lebo M., Maxi Anderson, Max Ngcobo, Khanyo Maphumulo, Khululiwe Sithole, and Rose Stone - He Lives in You

I just saw the live musical production of The Lion King, FINALLY. It reminded me of how much I love the movie and the music. The show included a number of songs that aren’t in the movie but that I knew because they were included on a “followup” CD I owned of music inspired by the movie called Rhythm of the Pride Lands. I may have been even more obsessed with it than the official soundtrack, because the songs are so beautiful and moving. Many implement choirs, African instruments, and non-English languages. This was one of my favorite songs from it, and I’m honestly surprised I haven’t posted this before.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Lebo M., Maxi Anderson, Max Ngcobo, Khanyo Maphumulo, Khululiwe Sithole, and Rose Stone - He Lives in You:

Melanie Martinez - Mrs. Potato Head:

Man, this artist is really growing on me lately. My friend who's a big fan recommended this song in particular to me and let me have a listen. The melody doesn't sound radically different from her others, but I really appreciated this song for its lyrics. It criticizes our culture of emphasizing physical attractiveness in women & girls, especially for the pressure it puts on young girls to alter their appearance, and imposing unreasonable beauty standards that encourage fakeness. Like a Potato Head doll, faces end up being plastic composites of manufactured features that are the same because they're "acceptable", homogenizing the population's appearance.
Note: HD quality is available!

Melanie Martinez - Mrs. Potato Head:

Glen Campbell - I’m Not Going to Miss You

This is one of the most conceptually sad songs I’ve ever heard. I actually didn’t know who this country music star of years past was until fairly recently, when his songs were played (and deconstructed) on the podcast The Todd Glass Show. This song was among those played and explained. The artist wrote it after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and the lyrics are clearly written in light of that harsh reality. Through them, he expresses gratitude for the bittersweet expectation that he won’t have to undergo the more painful aspects of love because he won’t love his loved ones, or even know them, anymore.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD!

Glen Campbell - I’m Not Going to Miss You:

Lavika - Вечный рай

Despite my dislike of the saxophone, I like this song. I found it by YouTube surfing. At first it sounds like likeable pop dance music, but as the song continues it grows on me more and more. So sue me!

Lavika A.K.A. Лавика - Вечный рай [Bechneuyi Rayi - Eternal Paradise]:

Huang Yida - 一秒的安慰

Wowwwwwwwww, this song! I’ve known it for years but had all but forgotten about it! I even know the lyrics and how to play it on the piano. I think it’s the first song I heard by this artist, whom one of my friends introduced me to the music of years ago. This song is apparently from the Taiwanese drama Devil Beside You, which I’ve never seen.

Huang Yida A.K.A. 黃義達 - 一秒的安慰 [Yi Miao De An Wei - A Moment of Consolation]:

The Secret Sisters - Iuka

I heard this song playing before a concert that I recently worked. It’s yet another country song with a dark flourish. Like many other country songs, it also has a linear narrative format, which is kinda cool. Gotta love that fiddle for the little sprinklings of intensity, too.
Note: I had a hard time finding this song at all, but when I did it had HD!

The Secret Sisters - Iuka:

Sticky Fingaz feat. Eminem - What If I Was White?

I hope you like irreverent humor. If not, you probably won’t enjoy this hip hop song that banks on racial stereotypes. Of course, part of the joke is that the song features an artist whose whiteness has always been a topic of much conversation. Naturally, in its humor it touches on a sociopolitical commentary about the state of being a black man in the U.S., and applies some subversiveness by turning the lens onto whiteness.

Sticky Fingaz feat. Eminem - What If I Was White?:

The Internet - Just Sayin

This song appeals to my vindictive side, and I’m relating to the song a bit lately. This artist is kinda like The Weeknd—if you ignore the lyrics, we all good. Her voice is like Jhené Aiko’s, enticingly sweet without even trying. If profanity in song lyrics bothers you you might want to skip this one.
Note: HD quality is goooood!

The Internet - Just Sayin:

Submersed - Life Without You

I listened to only a handful of songs by this artist, at most, a matter of years ago and then didn’t look much further. Recently, though, I decided to revisit their music and listened to this and some other songs of theirs. Their signature is the singer’s nice falsetto, so I chose another song where it’s showcased a bit. It also features a brief section where he sings in a lower register than usual—variety within one song!

 Submersed - Life Without You:

Ruelle - Take It All

I heard this in the trailer for The Leftovers. It seems like this artist may be the new go-to person for moody music to accompany similarly moody shows. Purty.
Note: Dude, sweet HD.

Ruelle - Take It All:

Thomas Newman - The Piano Duet

This understated little piano piece comes from one of my favorite films, Road to Perdition. The first time I watched the film, which was when I was rather young, I went on a fervent search to find the sheet music to this piece shortly afterward. I had to have it. I think I didn’t actually find it until years later, but I felt victorious nonetheless.

Thomas Newman - The Piano Duet:


The movie scene with the duet is here:

Ayako Ikeda - 白いギフト

This artist has a voice with one of the purest sounds I’ve ever heard. So nice I can hardly stand it! Those high notes are what signaled her a winner in my book the first time I heard her, which was through the previous song I posted by her. After that, I acquired her album Lunar Soup and found her voice to be unfalteringly pretty.

Ayako Ikeda A.K.A. 池田 綾子 - 白いギフト [Shiroi Gifuto - White Gift]:

Michael Bublé - Cry Me a River

I’ve known of this artist for many years, as have many people, because for some reason despite not performing a genre of music that’s mainstream these days, he’s managed to garnered mainstream name recognition. This song, too, is well-known since the 1950s and has been covered by many artists over the years. I think the version I’ve heard most is Ella Fitzgerald’s, for whom it was originally written. I heard this cover only a few weeks ago in a restaurant and liked it primarily for its instrumentation. Snazzy and bold!
Note: You can listen in HD!

Michael Bublé - Cry Me a River:

Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat

I wasn’t feeling this artist as much as everyone else seemed to, but I heard this song playing at a concert during the waiting period and I looked it up immediately. It’s from the soundtrack of one of the The Hunger Games movies, none of which I’ve seen. It is kinda cool that an artist from New Zealand has a viable career in the U.S., and her songs have unconventional lyrics for pop music.
Note: HD quality is here!

Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat:

Passenger - David

I worked at a concert for this artist the other night. Prior to that, I think I’d only heard one song by him, his big hit “Let Her Go,” and thought it was all right. I’m glad I stayed for his full show, because I liked the other songs he performed more. This might have been my favorite, and that’s not even including the pretty strings in this version, because his live performance only involved him and his acoustic guitar. Normally the voice is the standout feature of music to me, but with him it was his poetic lyrics and instrumentals that impressed me. His guitaring was beautiful and although it was the only instrument in the show it filled the room. He came across as another of those mild-mannered British dudes filled with cynicism, which people seem to love. He also swore a lot and a tiny bit of that found its way into this song. He explained that he wrote it about a homeless man who hung out outside a hostel and told the artist his life story.
Note: Lovely in HD!

Passenger - David:

Dido - Take My Hand

Part of this song plays in my head randomly sometimes, and until now I couldn’t remember what it was from. OMG! This has been going on for years, and I haven’t listened to the best-selling album this song is on, No Angel, in ages, but when I was a kid I played it tons of times so I guess that’s what stuck it in my head so permanently that it surfaces in my mind with a surprising degree of frequency. I also didn’t realize that this artist authored this and many other songs herself along with her brother as a song-writing/producing duo.

 Dido - Take My Hand:

I-Wayne feat. Lady G - Jealousy and Abuse

It’s surprisingly difficult to tell apart the two artists’ voices in this song. The song title is a pretty literal description of the also-literal lyrics, which are about unhealthy relationships. It’s a pretty catchy tune for such a downer of a topic.
Note: HD upload acquired!

I-Wayne feat. Lady G - Jealousy and Abuse:

Tasha Reid - 검은 행복

Even though I knew of this emcee who dominates the Korean hip hop landscape for a while, I didn’t know she was half-Black. In Korea, where her career is based, that really means something. This song is about the discrimination she faced growing up in Korea and how she overcame the internalized racism through her love of music.
Note: Weird; I was struggling to find this song available in even decent quality, and then somehow found this in HD.

Tasha Reid A.K.A. 윤미래 - 검은 행복 [Keomeun Haengbok - Black Happiness]:


Here’s the music video with English subtitles, albeit poor ones:

Shawn Mendes - Something Big

This artist is another of those young up-and-coming pop stars. I came across his music through YouTube surfing, and first stumbled across one of his music videos, which was kind of interesting. Turns out it was the work of a music video director whose videos I’ve posted numerous times before, as I tend to like his videos. Anyway, this singer has a nice voice and his songs are very radio-friendly. I almost feel like he’s going for an Ed Sheeran sound in some of his songs.
Note: This upload has HD!

Shawn Mendes - Something Big:

Péter Szabó Szilvia - Soha ne Mondd

Finally, some Hungarian pop! I came across this artist through YouTube surfing. She collaborated on some music with a Polish artist I was looking up the music of. It seems like this artist is really popular in her home country.
Note: This is the official music video, with HD quality!

Péter Szabó Szilvia - Soha ne Mondd [Never Say]:

Blueneck - Lilitu

Whoa. I wasn’t intending to find a song like this. I was YouTube surfing for relaxing instrumental progressive rock-type music so that I could concentrate on my work, but after a bit of clicking on the Related Videos on YouTube I was led to this. I assumed it would be more of the same, but instead it captivated my attention thanks to the vocals and strings. It reminds me of some music composed by Yoko Kanno, and not just because the artist’s voice resembles Scott Matthew’s.

Blueneck - Lilitu:

Sara Tavares - Só d’Imagina

This song is so calm and yet so pretty! I think the lyrics are in a Portuguese creole, but I haven’t found confirmation of this and I don’t know if there’s an official name for it, so I’m just gonna put down the language as Portuguese, as I did for the previous song of hers that I posted.
Note: HD quality is available!

Sara Tavares - Só d’Imagina [Only of Imagination]:

JJ Lin - 第二天堂

I went to an Asian dessert place today and shortly after I came in they started playing a bunch of songs by this artist. I got excited because, although he’s one of my favorites, I hadn’t listened to him in a while and had practically forgotten about him. He’s ridiculously prolific, releasing an album almost every day since his career’s inception, so it’s hard to keep up with all his music. I decided to go with a song from one of his earlier albums for this post, because I think I’ve never posted a song from it before. I think this song was used to promote a video game, hence the war sounds that occur partway through the song.

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - 第二天堂 [Di Er Tian Tang - Second Heaven]:

P!NK - Stupid Girls

This artist, a longtime idol of mine, has floated into my periphery multiple times within the past 2 days, and I’m taking that as a sign: it’s time to post a song of hers again. Today she was a trending topic because in light of the recent VMA ceremony she criticized the state of today’s most visible music, calling it ”trash” that “won’t save any kid’s life.” That loudmouth, brash attitude is part of what I love so much about her, and I have to say I’m mostly in agreement with her. Fun fact, related to another recent post: Kelly Clarkson said P!NK’s voice is the best of our generation. This song may or may not be related to the kind of thing she was complaining about in regard to the VMAs… It encourages girls to be trailblazers and aim for intelligence, rather than relegating themselves to a position of servitude and desperate approval-seeking through their appearance and objectification. The lyrics have profanity and mature content.

P!NK - Stupid Girls:


Here’s the official music video, which illustrates the song’s meaning with some specific, unsubtle celebrity examples:

Wordsworth - What We Gon’ Do

One of my favorite hip hop albums is this artist’s Mirror Music. This song is about how life can get overwhelming sometimes. The world is full of problems we don’t have solutions to, and the weight of it all, especially when the problems are taken into account all at once, can discourage and exhaust you in inaction. The lazy beat makes me feel like it’s a sluggish, demotivatingly hot day, and instills a sensation of lassitude reflective of the song’s defeatist tone in the face of the daunting task of addressing all the problems. It’s tiring to even think about, so people tend to sit back and accept them, waiting for someone else to answer the question of what to do, so long as no solutions readily present themselves. They find it easier to make excuses for their inaction or shy away from their issues.

 Wordsworth - What We Gon’ Do:

Kelly Clarkson - Piece by Piece

More mainstream music! I recently attended a concert of this mega artist, and she performed this song, which I’d never heard before. It was touching in its personal meaning, and Kelly got choked up a few times while singing it, saying, “I shouldn’t have gone on tour while pregnant!” This song title was the name of her tour, so she HAD to perform it. She did a stripped down, acoustic version live, which I prefer over this version, but oh well. She has some harsh words for her father in this track, comparing him to her partner as a man and herself as a parent.
Note: This is the official upload of the song, with HD!

Kelly Clarkson - Piece by Piece:

Ne-Yo - Closer

This song is suuuper mainstream and everybody knows it, but I’m posting it anyway because I LIKE IT. The chorus gets so stuck in my head and I just can’t stop, I just can’t stop…
Note: This lyrics video has HD quality.

Ne-Yo - Closer:

Mia Wray - Where I Stand

I heard this artist through a cover she performed, which was used in an AMV. I was disarmed by how effortlessly perfect yet raw her voice is, so I looked up her other stuff. I was delighted to see she had ample original songs.
Note: I suggest experiencing this in HD!

Mia Wray - Where I Stand:

James Blake - Retrograde

For fans of Sam Smith. Everything about this song made me think it could easily be a Sam Smith song. But nope, it’s a different British singer/songwriter guy. I was looking for a totally different song that I heard in a TV show trailer, but in my search wound up discovering this one instead. I’ll take it! Actually, now I realize that I heard of this artist before, through a YouTube recommendation or something.
Note: HD listening is available!

James Blake - Retrograde:

Aneela feat. Arash - Chori Chori

My friend was playing this song in his car. I like how it combines Pakistani and Persian music styles, with each vocalist singing in the language of her/his heritage. PLOT TWIST: although the lyrics are in Urdu and Farsi, the artists are Danish and Swedish, respectively.
Note: HD, yo!

Aneela feat. Arash - Chori Chori [Secretly]:

Steve Conte - Heaven’s Not Enough

Two songs in a row from an anime! This time from the series Wolf’s Rain, which I did watch in its entirety years ago, but I heard this song long before that because it’s composed by the famed anime composer Yoko Kano. I listened to a lot of her soundtrack music without having seen the series it accompanied because knowing it was by her WAS enough. She worked with this artist, the singer and lyricist, frequently, but oddly I don’t think I’ve posted a song by him before. If this song doesn’t leave a hollow feeling in your soul I don’t know what will.
Note: Getcher HD while you can!

Steve Conte - Heaven’s Not Enough:

Egoist - 名前のない怪物

I just finished watching the Psycho-Pass movie, right after finishing seasons 1 and 2 of the popular anime series. This song is the ending theme for season 1 as well as the movie, and although I liked it when I heard it at the end of every episode in season 1 of the series, it wasn’t until I heard the full version used in the ending credits of the movie that I really appreciated it. It has so many parts to like! It also suits the series/movie well in that it manages to be understated and restrained yet energetic and fast-paced, contemplative yet action-packed.

Egoist - 名前のない怪物 [Namae no Nai Kaibutsu - Nameless Monster]:

Killer Mike feat. Emily Panic & Chamillionaire - Anywhere But Here

I didn’t look into this artist for the longest time because the main association I made with him was to Bone Crusher’s music video “Never Scared,” which was ridiculous. Turns out he’s a smart dude, and has political music! Didn’t see that one coming. This hip hop song is about the troubles that plague inner city communities (particularly Atlanta and New York City), driving many who grow up there to feel the need to escape. It points out the irony of the communities that seem like they would be most welcoming to Black Americans in that they’re highly populated by them being among the worst places for Black Americans to live. Love the Langston Hughes reference thrown in there.
Note: Found an upload with HD!

Killer Mike feat. Emily Panic & Chamillionaire - Anywhere But Here:

Automatic Loveletter - Let It Ride

I might find the inflection in Juliet’s voice annoying at times if it weren’t for that raspiness and skill. I really like the power behind her delivery, too, always putting 100% into it. I also found out recently that she competed on The Voice some years ago. Listening to this song made me go, “Yeah, I can hear how that would happen.” This one is packed full of energy right out the gate.
Note: HD quality is to be found here!

Automatic Loveletter - Let It Ride:

Alt-J - Bloodflood Pt. 2

The title’s kinda gross, but I liked this song when I listened through the artist’s latest album. It reminds me a lot of music by Icelandic artists like Ásgeir and Sigur Rós, but they’re British. This confusion goes so far as to me not recognizing the lyrics as being in English—my brain apparently expects Icelandic, and so it sounds--unless I consciously remind myself and pay attention. Even then, the words sound accented and still could be mistaken (in my mind) for being of Scandinavian origin.
Note: This upload has HD!

Alt-J - Bloodflood Pt. 2:

Sarah Jaffe - Under

That is some dirrrrrrty production. This song has a pretty different sound from that of the other songs I’ve heard by this artist. Her other songs have a more delicate, ethereal touch to them. This ends up sounding almost country Western-ish, and I like its aggressive, indignant tone. Some strings are thrown in there for good measure.
Note: HD listening is available!

Sarah Jaffe - Under:

Johnnyswim - You & I

I worked at a concert the other night and this artist was the opening act. I didn’t know who they were, but from first notes they sang in their acoustic set I wanted to. I was impressed and knew I was in for a great performance. In short, they kilt it. The duo consists of a married couple, and announced to the audience that they recently had a child, who I imagine will be similarly talented.
Note: You can take advantage of the HD upload!

Johnnyswim - You & I:

Sam Smith - Good Thing

This young artist pulled a Frank Ocean, garnering recognition and critical acclaim before even releasing his first album, then announcing immediately prior to its release that his debut album is inspired by his first love, a man. Also as with Frank Ocean, people accused this move as being a strategic attention grab, but he really didn’t need it because his talent speaks for itself. At his live show that I attended, he cracked, “People think all the songs on my album were written about the same person. That’s not true; only 5 songs were about the same person!” I’m fairly certain I know which 5 those are (hint: they’re the friendzone anthems), and this is one of them. Those Disney-esque strings are a little distracting but this song is still one of the earwormiest on the record, and as one of the earliest tracks on it reassured me during my first listen-through of the album, “Oh, this is gonna be good.”
Note: That’s right, HD!

Sam Smith - Good Thing:

Bea Miller - Fire N Gold

Who accuses me of not liking any pop? This sounds pretty poppy to me, and I liked it the first time I heard it. This is one of them newfangled young lady stars, whose fame is ushered in by TV exposure. She competed on the U.S. version of the singing competition show The X Factor, which I didn't watch, so I found her through YouTube surfing, or maybe an ad or something?
Note: This is the official lyrics video, with HD!

Bea Miller - Fire N Gold:

Thomas Azier - Verwandlung

I came across this artist while YouTube surfing. I listened to a handful of his songs, and in this one his vibrato reminds me of Antony Hegarty’s. For whatever reason, he sounded pretty different to me in his other songs and I didn’t care for those as much, but I didn’t hate them either. His music sounds akin to a lot of music I hear coming out of the U.K. these days, but the artist is Dutch.

Thomas Azier - Verwandlung [Transformation]:

Kacey Musgraves - Blowin’ Smoke

This song is about people’s tendency to talk a big game about how they’re going to change their lives and leave their stagnant pasts and habits behind, but in reality they are resigned to the patterns they’ve fallen into and aren’t willing to put in the effort to follow through with their plans. Not only that, but they may even resent the few who manage to get out like they said they would. More skilled songwriting from this young country artist (this is another song she wrote with Shane Mack, whose music I’ve posted before), and the lazy, drawling instrumental conveys the hopelessness of the situation very well, and is almost enough to de-motivate you from taking action yourself!
Note: I fixed you up with some of that good HD!

Kacey Musgraves - Blowin’ Smoke:

Wisin feat. Jennifer Lopez & Ricky Martin - Adrenalina

It’s kinda funny that this song features two artists who were huge when I was a kid… and they’re still at it! Since my friend and I have been bingeing on music from our childhoods lately, including songs by Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin from that period, it only seems appropriate that I should post a modern song they both are in. When I ran across this song I noticed that both of them have managed to stay somewhat relevant, apparently, by updating their style to adapt to the current climate of pop music. It doesn’t sound dated and can easily fit in with the rest of the club music.
Note: The song has hi-def calidad!

Wisin feat. Jennifer Lopez & Ricky Martin - Adrenalina [Adrenaline]:

FictionJunction - 時の向こう 幻の空

Right off the bat, I could tell this artist was a Yuki Kajiura outfit. They sang the opening theme of an anime series I watched and it was immediately identifiable as the work of the famous anime composer. As for the performers, they’re a talented group of singers, and part of why I chose this song by them if because all 4 get a chance to shine.

FictionJunction - 時の向こう　幻の空 [Toki no Mukou, Maboroshii no Sora - Beyond Time, Sky of Illusions]:

Ásgeir - Heimförin

This song is from the most popular Icelandic debut album, which is supposedly owned by 10% of the country’s population. Even though the artist is a songwriter, the lyrics are written by the performer’s father.
Note: This is a pretty lyrics video with HD!

Ásgeir - Heimförin [Going Home]:

The Internet feat. Kaytranada - Girl

A friend told me she was recommended this artist by her BF, and asked if I’d heard of them. Of course, I had to look them up upon my answer being no, and discovered that I recognized some of the members of the group as being from an artist I definitely had heard of, the hip hop collective Odd Future. This was the first song I heard by them. At first I just thought it was all right, but with a couple more listens I found myself liking it more. One thing that didn’t need time and replays to grow on me, though, was Syd the Kid’s voice, which I liken to syrup. I’d heard of her before through her work in Odd Future, but I didn’t know she sounded like this. There's some profanity.
Note: HD listening is available!

The Internet feat. Kaytranada - Girl:

Damien Jurado - Sheets

The other night I worked at a concert at which this artist was the opening act. He told the audience people have said he has two types of music: sad and sadder, but you don’t see me complaining. Based on what I heard at the concert, that about sums it up. This song is an example of that!

Damien Jurado - Sheets:

Hwayobi feat. Park Hyo Shin - 가시

I came across this artist through YouTube surfing for K-pop. This artist got her career start in the era when I started listening to K-pop, but somehow I missed her music until now. I like K-pop from the 2000s more than K-pop from the 2010s, so it’s not surprising that I liked her stuff from then. She’s got quite a voice on her, too!
Note: Oh, hey, HD quality!

Hwayobi A.K.A. 박화요비 feat. 박효신 A.K.A. Park Hyo Shin - 가시 [Kashi - Thorn]: