Mr. Lif - Because They Made It That Way

This song mourns the sad trajectory of hip hop and what it has come to represent. It attacks the materialism and hedonism that dominates mainstream hip hop today, castigating the gradual cultural commercialization of the music, and complains that modern hip hop promotes values that are toxic to society instead of uplifting people.  There's a bit o' profanity.
Note: This is the actual music video, 'cause I just like it. The synchronization on this upload is a bit off, but it's in hi-def.

Mr. Lif - Because They Made It That Way:

Shakira - Ojos Así

It would be hard to not know who this artist is, but maybe not everyone has heard this song by her. I like a lot of her songs, but this one has the advantage of the distinctive Middle Eastern sound, which is reflective of that part of her heritage. Cool!  BTW, the English version of this song is called "Eyes Like Yours."

Shakira - Ojos Así [Eyes Like Those]:

The Prodigy - Shoot Down

I heard this song because of this AMV for the awesome series Canaan. I'm not crazy about the whole song, actually, but I really like the beginning.

Prodigy - Shoot Down:

Lucia Micarelli - Lady Grinning Soul

This is a violin cover of a David Bowie song by the same name, and I listened to this cover before I listened to the original song. I came across this on an mp3 rotation site years ago. I didn't know this until I looked up her info on Wikipedia, but apparently she's done a lot of collaboration work with another artist I've posted music by, Josh Groban.
Note:  This song is blocked on YouTube AND is missing from my other source I usually use, so we're trying a new player this time.

Lucia Micarelli - Lady Grinning Soul:

Anson Hu - 願望

A couple weeks ago I found the file for this song just sitting in a folder on my desktop, unlistened to after YEARS of it being there. So I listened to it, FINALLY, and really, really liked it. Now I feel stupid for having it that whole time and never listening to it until now. And since then I haven't been able to stop listening to it. I love the combination of R&B style with traditional Chinese music! It sounds so GOOD.

Anson Hu A.K.A. 胡彦斌 - 願望 [Yuan Wang - Wishes]:

MakSim - Знаешь ли ты

Strangely, I can't remember how I came across this Russian singer, even though it wasn't that long ago.  Somewhere on the Internet is all I can recall.  Anyway, the singer has a nice voice and I like the song as well.

MakSim A.K.A. МакSим - Знаешь ли ты [Znaesh' Li Ty - Do You Know]:

System of a Down - Spiders

It’s another song by this awesome band! Years ago I played the 1st three albums by this band constantly, and they have a lot of crazy, high-energy songs, which I love, but this was one of my favorites because I found it quite beautiful. Supposedly it’s about government surveillance.
Note: HD available!

System of a Down - Spiders:

Loveholic - 신기루

This was the ending theme of the anime Black Blood Brothers, but I heard it in an AMV for Le Chevalier D'Eon first. One time I played it near a friend and she was shocked because she "[doesn't] like Korean music," but she liked this song regardless. I like it too, of course, but that's not such a shocking idea. It's interesting that this song is by a Korean band, with Korean lyrics, but its title is often presented in Japanese and it was the theme of a Japanese show.
Note: The video has English subtitles for the lyrics!

Loveholic - 신기루 [Shingiru - Mirage]:

Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla

This Icelandic band's music makes me happy/sad.  I AM CONFUSED.  (Same goes for this particular music video.)  This is the second song I'm posting by them, and it's from the same album, though I suppose next time I should try to diversify and choose something from another album.  At least they always have interesting music videos.
Note:  Video is the official music video, and is in HD!

Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla [Hopping Into Puddles]:

Sarah West - Tag Min Hånd

Hey, look!  It's a Danish song in which the singer doesn't try to sound like a robot!  Sorry, I was looking for Danish music recently and kept finding excessively autotuned club music.  Fortunately, I eventually came across this artist, and thought her voice was so pretty.  Then I looked into the background of the song and found out it was written for a project that aims to help struggling teenage girls with their problems.  Interesting!

Sarah West - Tag Min Hånd [Take My Hand]:

Tonedeff - Optimist

I heard (and saw) this artist perform this song live, too!  It was quite dramatic.  :D  I wasn't sure what song to post by this artist, since he's one of my favorite hip hop artists and has tons of great songs, but eventually decided on this one because it's a good song for when you're feeling down.  In case you're wondering, the song sampled in the chorus is "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz (which I've ALSO seen performed live!), and Tonedeff himself produced this track; dude has great taste in music!  (He's a huge fan of another favorite artist of mine, Tori Amos, and believe it or not this guy is the reason I gave music by Rufus Wainwright another chance--he so strongly encouraged his fans listen to those 2 artists, even though their music is of a very different genre from his own.)

Tonedeff - Optimist:

Adele - Rumour Has It

I had the pleasure to hear this artist perform this song live recently!  The night before her concert my friend played her newest album for me and this was the standout track for me.  Where did this girl get all her soul from?!
Note:  HD!

Adele - Rumour Has It:

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

This song is all right, but the main feature of this post is the music video.  Since I discovered it through a NewNowNext playlist last year, I have shown it to just about everybody.  It's the greatest music video in the history of the world.  Make sure you watch all the way through, because at first I thought it was the worst music video in the history of the world, but it ended up being the best.
Note:  And lucky you, you can experience its glory in HD!

Hot Chip - I Feel Better:

Christina Perri - The Lonely

I think this is the second song I heard by this artist, whom I somehow came across on the Internet, probably through a music recommendation article.  I can't really remember where I heard this particular song first either, but it was probably a fanvideo or something.  Quite nice!  I think it's cool that this song has an OFFICIAL lyrics video.
Note:  AND it's in hi-def!

Christina Perri - The Lonely:

Disturbed - Stupify

I have always liked Disturbed, and this is one of the first songs I heard by them. Their lyrics can be pretty corny, but I like the lead singer's unique voice and usage of it. I like imitating him. LOL! Don't listen if you can't handle profanity. Sidenote: this is the kind of music people evidently think is ALL I listen to, which I think is strange... And which, if you follow this blog at all, is obviously not the case.
Note: HD!

Disturbed - Stupify:

F.I.R. - 我們的愛

This is one of the first songs I heard by this Taiwanese band, as well as one of their first hits, and it's still one of my favorites by them.  It's also one of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke!  It was a long time ago when I found this artist, but I think I may have acquired this song through an mp3 rotation site.

F.I.R. - 我們的愛 [Wo Men De Ai - Our Love]:

Hans Zimmer, Lebo M., and Jay Rifkin feat. Khululiwe Sithole - Lea Halalela

I have been obsessed with the soundtracks of The Lion King since I was a little kid. I thought the movie's music was the most epic, beautiful thing ever (which hasn't exactly changed). I used to own this "inspired by" soundtrack called Rhythm of the Pride Lands on cassette tape as a kid, and a few years ago, in my adulthood, I bought it again on CD. This is one of my favorite songs from that soundtrack; the choir sounds so gorgeous! It's cool that on this version I can hear the clicks in the lyrics!
Note:  Listen in HD!

Hans Zimmer, Lebo M., and Jay Rifkin feat. Khululiwe Sithole - Lea Halalela [Holy Land]:

Janelle Monáe - Cold War

Here's another song that seems thematically related to the previous song I posted by this artist, in that it's about the pressure to conform to societal expectations. I'm proud of my lyric interpretation on this one because she actually confirmed it in a number of interviews, so yay!  It's not often I find the lyrics of a song so personally relatable.
I'm posting this video this time too, because it's also great (and remniscent of Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" video). Supposedly this was the first take of what was intended to be only part of the official music video, but they ended up using the raw footage because it was so powerful on its own. She starts out sticking to her android persona but rather conspicuously drops it when she gets to my favorite line of the song.

Janelle Monáe - Cold War:


And the music video:

Gary Cao - 笑我笨

A long time ago one of my friends showed me a music video by this Malaysian-born, Taiwan-based artist, but I didn't pay much attention.  Then, later, I heard another song by him through a Chinese-language music video playlist on YouTube, and this time I was impressed by his nice R&B voice, which I don't hear very often in Taiwanese music, so I listened to a few of his albums and especially liked this song from the collection.

Gary Cao A.K.A. 曹格 - 笑我笨 [Xiao Wo Ben - Laugh at Stupid Me]:

Natacha Atlas - Leysh Nat'arak

I found out about this artist quite recently, when my friend was playing her music from the soundtrack of the film Kingdom of Heaven. Yesterday I came across this old song by her, which is lamenting the conflicts and lack of unity in the Middle East.  The singer is from Belgium, but it seems like the bulk of her work is sung in Arabic, as in this song.  You can find a translation of the lyrics into English here.

Natacha Atlas - Leysh Nat'arak [Why Are We Fighting?]:

Erik Hassle - Hurtful

I stumbled across this Swedish artist by accident while clicking on random music artists' songs in the related videos margin on YouTube the other day. I thought his voice was nice, as is this song.  I can imagine this song doing well as a single in the U.S., because it sounds stylistically similar to a lot of other current popular songs on American radio.
Note: Video in HD!

Erik Hassle - Hurtful:

Bada - Aurora

This is a pretty little song I heard on a Korean MV program on TV years ago. It's also one of the first Korean-language songs I even tried learning the lyrics of. Ummmmm... I don't really have much more to say about it.

Bada - Aurora:

Taku Iwasaki - Say Goodbye

Holy crap, this piece... It makes me feel like my heart is being ripped in half or something! Its pain is palpable! Which is, of course, why I can't get enough of it. It's from the second soundtrack of the anime series Witch Hunter Robin.

Taku Iwasaki A.K.A. 岩崎 琢 - Say Goodbye:

Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within

This artist is not my favorite celebrity personality, but she is, IMO, one of the best mainstream singers of my generation. Her voice is so powerful I'm constantly in awe of her vocal ability, even though I'd been hearing her voice since I was a youngun'. I think this song by her is particularly beautiful and soulful.

Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within:

IAMX & Imogen Heap - My Secret Friend

The first listed artist is the alias of the lead singer of Sneaker Pimps, Chris Corner, and the second is the singer of Frou Frou and one of my all-time favorite artists.  I think both of them are really innovative and have cool voices that go really well together.  Their respective styles mesh together excellently, too.  I love this song and its creepiness, although I have very little idea as to what it's about.  I'm including the MV, which was directed by Chris Corner/IAMX, because I have a thing for its weirdness and gender-bending.

IAMX & Imogen Heap - My Secret Friend:


And the music video:

Brown Eyes - No Day But Today

I heard about this Korean duo years ago through a forum for K-pop music.  I was sampling the music of various Korean artists and came across this one, and thought their voices were great and their music was addictive.  Both their albums are still among my favorite R&B albums in my collection.  I've already posted music by one of the singers from this group's other project with a similar name, Brown Eyed Soul, but this group came first.

Brown Eyes - No Day But Today:

Bôa - Duvet

This was the opening credits song for the very trippy anime series Serial Experiments Lain.  It's not my usual style but for some reason I like it.  See, this is confusing because there's another singer (whose music I've posted before) named BoA, who ALSO has done anime theme songs.  But she's a Korean pop star and this is an British singer-songwriter.

Bôa - Duvet:


Here's a link to the intro credit sequence from the anime in HD, because I think it's kinda cool:
http://youtu.be/NDAeOatiooM

Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been

I've known of the existence of this artist for a long time, but didn't go out of my way to listen to their/his music, for some reason.  I heard this particular song in an AMV for Tokyo Babylon and X, which I realize is pretty lame, but there it is.  This is one of the few songs where the instrumental component, excluding songs with violin or cello, is what got me rather than the vocals.

Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been:

Eve - Who's That Girl

The first lady of the Ruff Ryderssssssss.  Eve is one of those rare female MCs who made it to the mainstream without resorting to full-on skankitude.  I used to see the MV for this song getting played on TV all the time back in the good ol' days.  And she's still around, making music and acting (I saw her in episodes of Glee and the movie Whip It).  Yet again there is profanity; COVER YOUR EARS, CHILDREN!

Eve - Who's That Girl:

Darren Hayes - Random Blinking Light

Even though this was a B-side (of the single for the OTHER song I posted by him, actually!), it's one of my favorite tracks by this artist.  I loooooooove when his voice goes high...  There's a tiny bit of profanity.
Note:  Arghghghg, it seems like it's impossible to find a song by this artist on YT that DOESN'T feature a slideshow of him, and his music seems to have been purged from my other source I use for this blog, so I had to settle for this... but at least it's in HD.  Whatever; I suppose everyone knows what he looks like because of his Savage Garden days.

Darren Hayes - Random Blinking Light:

Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang

I heard this song in the movie Kill Bill and liked it, though it was nearly ruined for me by a housemate who played it repeatedly for days on end and wouldn't stop singing it.  Fortunately, that stopped eventually so now I can listen to it without feeling like strangling someone.
Note:  HD!

Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang:

Staind - Waste

I've had the album this song is on and played it many, many times since I was 14 or so, but it took me a while to realize this song is chastising someone for committing suicide. Supposedly, it's based on a real encounter in which a fan of the band committed suicide and the mother blamed the band. There is some profanity.

Staind - Waste:

Natalie Merchant - My Skin

My sister is a fan of this artist, so I've been exposed to her music for quite some time, but I paid closer attention when I heard this song in a fanvideo. This song is reeeeeally pretty, IMO.
Note: The video has HD.

Natalie Merchant - My Skin:

Juanes - A Dios le Pido

I heard this song before class when my Spanish teacher was playing it for a higher-level Spanish class one day and really liked it but didn't know who the artist was.  Then, shortly afterward (cómo un milagro), I saw this artist performing this song live on TV and stuck around to watch just so I could find out his name and solve the mystery.  It worked, I found the song, and I learned the lyrics, which ended up being helpful because the following year I had the same Spanish teacher and she used the song for our class's exercise (as she had for the same level class the previous year), in which we had to try to transcribe the lyrics as they were sung.  Tricky, tricky!  And now this seems to be the one Spanish-language song everyone knows.
Note:  HD!

Juanes - A Dios le Pido [To God I Pray]:

TLC - Damaged

A couple days ago I was reliving some of my childhood by listening to an album by this artist.  This song is from a later album than the one I was listening to, but I like it all the same.  It's sad watching the music video that has only 2 of the original 3 members, since this video is from after Lisa Lopez died... but at least it features the lovely & talented actress Justina Machado (who was in Six Feet Under)!

TLC - Damaged:

Gackt - 君が待っているから

Ah, there's something really enjoyable about this artist's (melo)dramatic music.  Last time I posted a more fast-paced rock song by him, so I thought this time I should post a more downbeat one.  This is one of my favorite songs from what I believe to be his strongest album, Crescent.

Gackt - 君が待っているから [Kimi ga Matteiru Kara - Because You Are Waiting]:

Cat Power - I Found a Reason

It's not often that I like such understated, minimal pieces as this song, but for some reason this strikes a chord (HA, get it?) with me. I heard this calm, low-key cover of the Velvet Underground song in the movie Saving Face AND in the movie V for Vendetta.
Note: Watch/listen in HD!

Cat Power - I Found a Reason:

Nidji - Heaven

I found this band years ago when I was rooting around for Indonesian artists. They were one of my favorite discoveries, and this was one of my favorite songs from their album Breakthru'. I was surprised to find out, when searching for a video of this song for this post, that this song was used in the soundtrack for the American show Heroes.
Note: The lyrics transcription is really bad, but the video's in high def.

Nidji - Heaven:

Lara Fabian - Je Suis Malade

I heard about this artist years ago through an mp3 rotation site, though I can't at the moment recall which song I heard by her then. More recently, though, I came across a video of her performing this song live and was moved by how powerful her performance was.
Note: The first video has the song in HD, the second has the live performance I came across.

Lara Fabian - Je Suis Malade [I Am Sick]:


And the link to the live performance (which can't be embedded):
http://youtu.be/uGthVEza97U

Khalil Fong - Goodbye Melody Rose

This artist has one of my favorite male R&B voices. It's so smooth and controlled! And this is one of my favorite songs by him. Strangely, I can't remember how exactly I started listening to his music. I think I just saw his name floating around forums for a while and finally decided to check him out.

Khalil Fong A.K.A. 方大同 - Goodbye Melody Rose:

Christina Stürmer - Scherbenmeer

I heard this Austrian artist's music first because she provided the theme song for the German soap opera Alles was Zählt (do American soaps even have theme songs?), but when she guest starred as herself in an episode or two and sang some more songs I liked what I heard and looked more of her music up. Among the other songs by her that I listened to, I especially liked this one. Here's an English translation of the lyrics.

Christina Stürmer - Scherbenmeer [Sea of Shards]:

Linkin Park - From the Inside

I doubt anyone here doesn't know of this artist, since they're incredibly famous.  I heard of them when their first single came out and I saw their angsty MVs on TV, and their first album holds a place as one of my most-played CDs of all time.  I love pretty much every song from their first two studio albums, but for some reason this song really stuck to me when I was living in the land of depression known as Oregon.
Note: HD available!

Linkin Park - From the Inside:

Akino Arai - 月の家

This is an ending theme of the anime Outlaw Star, but I heard it in an Outlaw Star AMV by Aluminum Studios first, MANY years ago, back when I was first getting into AMVs.  This is also one of the first Japanese songs whose lyrics I memorized.  This artist's singing doesn't floor me or anything, but she has a lot of pretty music.
Note:  The video contains Spanish translations of the Japanese lyrics, so if you know Spanish you're in luck.

Akino Arai A.K.A. 新居昭乃 - 月の家 [Tsuki no Ie - House of the Moon]:

Il Divo - Regresa a Mi

This is a Spanish cover of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart," performed by the Simon Cowell-created international singing quartet that my friend got me into during high school. I believe their music is characterized as "popera." This is the first song I heard by them, and probably their most well-known song.
Note:  HD again!

Il Divo - Regresa a Mi (Return to Me):

Lauryn Hill - Forgive Them Father

Wise words from a seemingly wise woman. It's hard to pinpoint when I heard of this artist first since she's so well-known and widely respected. I've definitely known about her since I was little, though. She combines skillful lyricism, soulful vocals, and social consciousness to make great music. Random fact: I just found out her 6th child was born 3 days ago.

Lauryn Hill - Forgive Them Father:

The Rocket Summer - Never Knew

I found this song through a fanvideo, and though I didn't realize it at first I eventually concluded that this is a Christian song, after finding out the singer is a Christian artist. I really like this guy's high-pitched voice!
Note: Another HD video, weeeeeeeeee...

The Rocket Summer - Never Knew:

Gaelle - Transient

I JUST discovered this artist through a music column on a blog. I listened to a bunch of songs of hers on YouTube and found myself really liking her style, which seems to range from R&B to new age. This song leans more toward the new age end of the spectrum. I was listening to this song in the background while I did other stuff, and it still managed to give me chills.
Note: Available in HD!

Gaelle - Transient:

TV on the Radio - Mr. Grieves

A friend burned a CD of songs he liked for me, including a few by this artist.  Of them, this was my favorite.  Turns out it's a cover of a song by The Pixies.  Acapella is awesome, and I love their harmonizing and the song's kinda haunting quality.  This sounds pretty unlike the other music I heard by this group, and very unlike the original song.  Fortunately I like this version WAY more.

TV on the Radio - Mr. Grieves:

Sarah Brightman - Eden

I've known who this artist is for a long time, because my mom is a fan and has some of her music, but I heard this particular song (which is one of my favorites by her) in an excellent Trigun AMV that YouTube keeps disabling the audio of.
Note:  This song seems to have been pretty thoroughly removed from YouTube, and this is the ONLY copy I found of this song from my alternate source for this blog.

Sarah Brightman - Eden:

Buck-Tick - Long Distance Call

This is such a sad song. Even before I looked up the full lyrics translation I got a lot of the meaning, because I understood the lyrics, "I love you, Mom," in the chorus, and it had that personal feel to it. Then I found out Atsushi Sakurai (the lead singer) had written this song about his last phone call with his mother before she died. I love Atsushi's voice and I love a lot of Buck-Tick's songs, but this is one of my favorites.
Note: The video isn't ideal, but its description has the English translation of the lyrics.

Buck-Tick - Long Distance Call:

Stefanie Sun - 懂事

This Singaporean artist's voice and singing style has always reminded me of someone else, and I've never been able to put my finger on whom.  But that's OK, because I like her voice, style, and music overall, and she's a talented artist in her own right.  This is one of my favorite songs by her, and you can find an English translation of the lyrics here.

Stefanie Sun A.K.A. 孙燕姿 - 懂事 [Dong Shi - Sensible]:

James Horner - Casper's Lullaby

OK, so I watched the movie Casper when I was little, but music tends to stick in my head better than plots so for years the melody of this would get stuck in my head periodically and I thought it was lovely and sad, but could not for the life of me figure out where I'd heard it.  After some number of years, I heard a midi of this autoplaying on a friend's blog and demanded to know what it was.  As I recall, she didn't know where it was from but when I looked up the file info it said it was from Casper and it allllllllll came back to me.

James Horner - Casper's Lullaby:

Porcelain and the Tramps - The Neighbor

A friend of mine posted this song on Facebook a few weeks ago. On one hand, it grates on me when female vocalists scream like this because I know it's probably ruining their voices. On the other hand, it sounds so cool! Apparently this is the former artist name for Porcelain Black, whose music with the rich homeless man known as Lil Wayne I was not nearly as fond of.
Note: HD, biznitches!

Porcelain and the Tramps - The Neighbor:

Mario - Let Me Love You

I heard this artist's first few singles on the radio and found them to be kinda lackluster, then somehow saw his music video for this song playing on TV one time.  He just has a really nice, smooth voice and for some reason the song stuck to me. I didn't realize the song was as successful as it was until I looked up the info about it on Wikipedia. 0_0 Dang.
Note:  HD quality!

Mario - Let Me Love You:

Tori Amos - 1000 Oceans

It's kinda lame that I only got into this amazing artist years ago after I heard this song in a Naruto AMV, but oh well.  It was not the first Tori song I heard (which probably was "A Sorta Fairytale," since it was a single that was played on the radio), but I think it was the first one I heard that made me go, "Wow, this is beautiful.  I should look up more music by her!"  It's still one of my favorites by this artist.

Tori Amos - 1000 Oceans:

DBSK - Rising Sun

I was predisposed to disliking this artist because it's a boy band, but when I listened to them I realized they're really talented.  Compound their talent with their young age and they're even more impressive.  This is the song that made me say, "Hooooooly crap, these guys are a force to be reckoned with!"  Even though this song is clearly heavily produced, they don't have to rely on production because they started out as an acapella group.

DBSK A.K.A. 동방신기 - Rising Sun:

Ikue Asazaki - おぼくり~ええうみ

This is such a lovely songggggggg. It's a traditional Okinawa-style ballad, but I heard it from the anime Samurai Champloo, which is interesting because the rest of the soundtrack is very hip hop-influenced. I love that too, but this was a really beautiful departure from that pattern.
Note: Watch in HD!

Ikue Asazaki A.K.A. 朝崎 郁恵 - おぼくり~ええうみ [Obokuri~Eemui - Obtain Bearing]:

Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch

Duuuuuuuuude, I totally thought the lead singer was a woman until I saw the music video for this song. I heard this song in the trailer for the recent movie Sucker Punch. The song certainly adds to the appeal of the already-very-appealing trailer. I like the bass in this song, which is weird since I normally can't even hear the bass in music.
Note:  Video has HD!

Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch:

Ellie Goulding - Your Song

She has a really sweet voice!  I discovered this British singer through an article on a blog I frequent (as I mentioned last time I posted a song by her), then my friend posted this song on Facebook and I was impressed all over again.  Obviously, this song is originally by Elton John, but this singer's voice suits my taste better.

Ellie Goulding - Your Song:

K'naan - Voices in My Head

I think this is one of this hip hop artist's best songs. This is also one of the first songs I heard by him, which of course led me to look into more of his music. You can really feel his passion in his delivery; it's excellent! (I should probably mention that this song has a little bit of profanity, in case that bothers anyone, but it's not much.) I can't remember how I first found K'naan, but I remember one of my professors later recommending his music and playing a music video of his in class, which I thought was kinda strange but cool.

K'naan - Voices in My Head:

Yuki Kajiura - Canta Per Me II

This is the instrumental version of a theme to the anime Noir. This composer is one of my favorites; she makes lots of great music for anime soundtracks. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but her style is distinctive enough to be recognizable because I was recently watching another anime series (El Cazador de la Bruja) and for some reason thought the music sounded like a composition by this artist... so I looked up the soundtrack info and discovered that she indeed was the composer for that series as well!
Note:  There is HD to heighten the glory!

Yuki Kajiura A.K.A. 梶浦 由記 - Canta Per Me II [Sing for Me II]:

Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

This is possibly the only time you'll see me post a song by a popular indie band.  In general, I find typical indie band music boring, but I make an exception for this song.  I probably wouldn't care for this song nearly as much if I didn't associate it so strongly to the wonderful series Six Feet Under.  (It was used in an episode of the show, and in a featurette for the show, and in an excellent fanvideo for the show.)
Note:  The friggin' record labels apparently blocked every one of the numerous uploads of this song on YouTube in the U.S., so I must resort to alternative sources once again.

Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism:

Raiomond Mirza feat. Mena - Ma Fini Fakker

Like everyone else who knows this song, I heard it through the soundtrack of the film I Can't Think Straight. I think this song was recorded FOR the movie, actually. Which would make sense, since one of the main characters is Lebanese and this song is supposedly in the Lebanese dialect of Arabic (not to mention the song title is a translation of the movie title). I love the combination of instruments in this one. Trivia: I found out the composer is married to an actress who was in the movie, and whom I've also seen in a popular British soap opera.

Raiomond Mirza feat. Mena - Ma Fini Fakker [I Can't Think]:

Calogero - Pomme C

I found this song about online dating (I think) while looking for French music on YouTube. I found out the lyrics of this song were written by another French artist whose music I've posted, Zazie. And, with the help of this lyrics translation website I discovered that the lyrics are pretty clever! I had for a while been agonizing over what the title could possibly mean, and fortunately that site provides a handy explanation.

Calogero - Pomme C [Apple C]:

Lacuna Coil - Swamped

My friend introduced me to this artist's music many years ago, but I didn't really pay attention to this song until I heard it on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack.  I think the guy's vocals are pretty corny and the song really could have done without them, but oh well.
Note:  HD!

Lacuna Coil - Swamped:

Patrick Doyle feat. Liesel Matthews - Goodbye

This is the lovely ending theme of the Alfonso Cuarón movie A Little Princess.  I loved this movie when I was a child (still do, I suppose, but I need to rewatch it!) and especially loved this piece (the part that starts after 1:00).  I distinctly remember staying to watch the credits just to hear it finish.  And even though many, many years passed without me watching the movie, I remembered this song!  The singer is the main actress, BTW.

Patrick Doyle feat. Liesel Matthews - Goodbye:

Cherry Filter - Channel-Non

As I've said before, I LOVE YOUJEEN'S VOICE SO MUCH.  Especially when it gets all growly & angry in the chorus of this song!  I also love the weirdness of the song overall, but the angry Youjeen voice is what ultimately makes this song one of my favorites from this Korean band.

Cherry Filter - Channel-Non:

Sneaker Pimps - Blue Movie

This song could potentially be perceived as offensive because of its juxtaposing themes, but I love its instrumental. I could be totally off the mark, but my understanding (and the seemingly reigning interpretation) of this song is that it's about how if Jesus returned to Earth now, he would see a world inundated with pornography. I don't think it's meant to be religious, but more of a commentary on the shameful & hypocritical state of our society. Regardless of your interpretation, this song sounds awesome!

Sneaker Pimps - Blue Movie:

Mary J. Blige - No More Drama

I've always liked this very well-respected & talented queen of contemporary R&B, and the more I hear about/from her, the more I like her as an artist and a person. This has long been one of my favorite songs by her and I always used to hear it on the radio.
Note: HD quality on the videooooo.

Mary J. Blige - No More Drama:

Placebo - Blind

Annnnd time for another song by this artist! One time I was listening to this song and the thought occurred to me: This song would have made a good single! Something about it just seems more accessible and widely-appealing than a lot of their other music (which I also love, but would probably be more of a risk if marketed toward a mass audience). I feel like it would have gone over well. But it wasn’t a single. Whatever.
Note: More HD goodness!

Placebo - Blind:

Sia - Soon We'll Be Found

Another song by this artist! I like her unconventional style, which is apparent in her music videos.  The MV for this song in particular is one of my favorites ever. I'm including both the MV and a live performance, because I think the live performance is actually BETTER than the recorded version! Go Sia!
Note: The first video is in HD.

Sia - Soon We'll Be Found:


And the fabulous MV:


And finally, a live performance:

MayDay - 為愛而生

This artist is a relatively famous rock band from Taiwan.  Not only is the lead singer better than a lot of singers for rock bands that I hear, but I really love the instrumental aspect of this song.  Especially those strings!  I heard that this song was written for the members of the band who recently had children, which imbues the title (and lyrics) with a nice meaning.  This one guy from Taiwan told me I was "so cool" because I knew who this band was, haha!
Note:  You can find an English translation of the lyrics here:  http://www.onedayinmay.net/BorntoLove/BorntoLove.html

MayDay A.K.A. 五月天 - 為愛而生 [Wei Ai Er Sheng - Born to Love]:

BoA feat. Daichi Miura - Possibility

Speaking of SF Pride, I saw this Korean pop star performing there live 2 years ago in her first American public performance.  Whooo!  She's extremely famous and has been dubbed the Britney Spears of Asia, which I guess is only supposed to be analogous in terms of fame and genre 'cause BoA is actually a pretty talented singer.  I really like this Japanese R&B singer's voice, too, but he doesn't seem very famous.  I knew about both these artists for quite a while, but didn't know they had a duet until my friend showed me the music video for this song a few years ago.  I'm using the MV itself because I'm quite fond of it; it's very aesthetically pleasing with its black & white contrasting imagery and clean look.

BoA feat. Daichi Miura A.K.A. 三浦大知 - Possibility:

Christian Chávez feat. Anahí - Libertad

I just got back from SF Pride festivities, so I felt it would be timely to post this song now. I came across this song by these two Mexican artists, who used to be in a pop music group together, on a website only a few days ago. It's essentially a queer rights anthem and exactly the kind of song you'd expect to hear blaring from one of the floats at Pride.
Note: The video has HD quality available!

Christian Chávez feat. Anahí - Libertad [Freedom]:

Métisse - Boom Boom Bâ

I think I heard this through a fanvideo or something... although I can't remember for what.  Maybe I got this from an mp3 rotation site, on second thought.  Anyway, it sounds good.  I have read that the non-English language in this song is Dioula, Agni, and Melinke, but the one I saw most frequently was Agni so I'm going with that.

Métisse - Boom Boom Bâ:

Chris Garneau - Baby's Romance

It's another song by this artist! This is one of the most disturbing yet beautiful songs I've ever heard. Incredibly sad story behind it, but beautiful nonetheless. The artist wrote this song when he was 16. I would normally shake my fist in jealousy at the artist's ability to create something so darkly beautiful at such a young age, but the circumstances that inspired its creation are nothing to be jealous of.
Note: Watch it in its full high definition glory!

Chris Garneau - Baby's Romance:

Hélène Ségara - Elle, Tu L'Aimes

Wow.  She sounds a lot like Celine Dion to me.  Great vibrato.  I found this song when rooting around on YouTube for French pop music a few months ago.  It has kind of an epic feel to it.  I don't know much about the artist, but from what I saw on Wikipedia it looks like her career has been going for quite a while.
Note:  The video is a little weird, but at least it has HD.

Hélène Ségara - Elle, Tu L'Aimes [You Love Her]:

Maximum the Hormone - Louisiana Bob

RUAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! This Japanese band es muy loca. Me gusta mucho. I honestly have no idea what this song is about, but it sounds AWESOME. I love their energy; I imagine it would be really fun to perform live with them. In high school my friend recommended them to me because she thought I would like their manic style. And was she ever right!

Maximum the Hormone A.K.A. マキシマムザホルモン - Louisiana Bob:

Haru - 타아 (他我)

I have not for the life of me been able to find any source of substantial information (at least in English) about this song or artist. Which is frustrating, because I found this song on an mp3 rotation site (I think) years ago and really like it. I can't even find a translation of the lyrics into English. So I've just been enjoying it for years without knowing much about it.

Haru A.K.A. 하루 - 타아 (他我) [Ta Ah (His Me)]:

Savage Garden - Gunning Down Romance

Dang, this artist's lame, disingenuous love songs were all that ever got played on the radio around here during the height of their popularity. If this had been on the radio instead I probably would have liked them back then. This is the second song by this Australian duo that I've posted.

Savage Garden - Gunning Down Romance:

Naya Rivera - Back to Black

Naya's voice makes me meltttttttt. A couple weeks ago I had the chance to meet this talented singer/actress FOR FREE but I didn't go because I'M AN IDIOT. And now I want to punch myself in the face. ...Anyway, this is the Glee cover of Amy Winehouse's song.

Naya Rivera - Back to Black:


Here's the clip of the abridged version from the show, if you're curious:
http://www.yinyuetai.com/video/177349

Eminem - Biterphobia

Have you ever wondered what Eminem sounded like before he became the most famous rapper alive? Well, now you can hear for yourself! THIS caliber of lyricism is why he got discovered. If you were ever confused as to how someone who wrote such a stupid song as "Just Lose It" became so famous, now you know: it's because he used to be this. He made plenty of amazing songs after this era, but his style back then is almost unrecognizable when compared to his later music.

Eminem - Biterphobia:

12 Girls Band - Freedom

This artist is pretty awesome. They do some originals, but also lots of covers of songs from all over the place with traditional Chinese instruments. It always sounds so cool! I had trouble picking a song because they have so many good ones, but I eventually went with this one because it's an original instead of a cover.
Note:  The video is of a live performance, AND is in HD.

12 Girls Band A.K.A. 女子十二乐坊 - Freedom:

Pogo - Mary's Magic

This artist takes audio clips from movies and manipulates them into music.  This particular song is from the movie The Secret Garden, which I watched as a child but don't think I liked very much.  Something about bratty kids mixed with a stiff, melancholy British setting that was a turnoff for me.  I found this song through this fanvideo for a movie I cherished as a child, A Little Princess.  It fits very well, and it's interesting that the the books upon which both movies are based are by the same author.

Pogo - Mary's Magic:


Here's the original video:

Tanja Savić - Тако Млада

I found this Serbian singer on YouTube and thought she had a really good voice.  According to Wikipedia, she was a contestant on a Serbian singing competition TV show.  She didn't win, but she did pretty well, and she seems to have gotten a career out of it as well.  I'm not crazy about the song itself; I just really like her voice.
Note:  Just to let you know, I know NO Serbian.  As in 0%.  I don't even know how to say "hello."  I can read Cyrillic, so I can tell you how things are pronounced, but as for the meaning, I got nothing.  So if I got the translation of the title wrong, I'm sorry; please correct me.  I just plugged it into Google translator.  Also, HD!

Tanja Savić A.K.A. Тања Савић - Тако Млада [Tako Mlada - So Young]:

Demon Hunter - My Heartstrings Come Undone

I came across this song on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack.  It's nice, no?  Vocal harmonization can do wonders.  This is as far as I know the only song by this band that I've heard and I know almost nothing about them, but according to Wikipedia, this artist is considered a heavy metal Christian band.
Note:  HD video!

Demon Hunter - My Heartstrings Come Undone:

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance

Country music doesn't get much love from me, but everyone else in my family listens to it and every once in a while I overhear a country song I like.  This is one of those songs.  It was always on the radio back in the day and I heard it (constantly) that way, but kinda forgot about it until someone sang it on last week's episode of The Voice.  In addition to the strings being pretty, I think the lyrics are really good.  My mother has repeatedly said that she wants to dedicate this song to me, and lately I have begun to take it to heart.

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance:

Kevin Kern - Pearls of Joy

I found this artist while browsing through a Chinese sheet music website. Interestingly, although he's American I've only ever heard him brought up by people from Asia, so I get the impression he's more famous there than here. This was one of his pieces I found the sheet music of on the website, and probably my favorite of them, so I play it on the piano fairly frequently.

Kevin Kern - Pearls of Joy:

Utada Hikaru - Prisoner of Love

If you listen to any Japanese pop at all, you probably have listened to this artist.  She's immensely famous and, fortunately, also very talented and prolific.  I like a lot of her songs, but this is one of my favorites; I even memorized the lyrics!  I love the strings in this song.  This was the theme song of the Japanese drama Last Friends.  The drama was quite good, and this song really set the mood.  Even though it has an audible beat, it has a sad tone to it that I feel conveys the overriding emotion of the series.
Note:  I'm including the opening credits of the drama for which the song was used, because I think it's gorgeous.

Utada Hikaru A.K.A. 宇多田 ヒカル - Prisoner of Love:


And here's the opening credit sequence for the drama:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/lMOxUj90c4M/

Cascadeur - Walker

I heard this song when I was going through a YouTube channel for French music last year.  It's fairly simple and mellow.  I really like the artist's voice; he sings in such a relaxed way but demonstrates vocal talent, especially on those high notes.  I've only listened to a few songs by this artist but this seems to be representative of his general style.
Note:  The video has HD quality, wooooooo!

Cascadeur - Walker:

Paloma Faith - Play On

I heard this British artist's music on a German soap opera and thought she had an interesting sound, so I looked up more of her music and found this.  I like the combination of instruments in this song (if you listen closely, you can hear there are a LOT of different ones!).  Which is, of course, fitting, given the song's dominant metaphor.

Paloma Faith - Play On:

Shinhwa - Shooting Star

This song is fairly catchy, but the real reason I had to post this was because of Eric's hilarious rap. I'm accustomed to hearing the Korean boy band rapper's cheesy English lyrics, but it really caught my attention when he suddenly starts swearing in Spanish. When I was listening to this song and noticed that the first time, I was like, "Did he just say what I think he said?!" and went back to replay it a bunch of times. Indeed, Eric raps a few lines in broken Spanish, including a part that basically means, "F*** your mother." Maybe he thought no one would notice? From a quick Googling of the lyrics, I found that most transcriptions skip over the Spanish lyrics for this song entirely, and on the one site I found that transcribed them at all, they were incorrect. So I guess no one DID notice. XD

Shinhwa A.K.A. 신화 - Shooting Star:

Agnes Obel - Philharmonics

ALL RIGHT, DENMARK, it's your turn!  I found this artist when I was purposely searching for Danish artists to post a few months ago.  Piano makes everything better.  Her music has a nice eeriness to it that I really like, not unlike the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack of which I spoke a few posts ago.

Agnes Obel - Philharmonics:

30 Seconds to Mars - The Fantasy

It is lame but true: this is yet another song I heard first through an AMV.  (This one, to be precise.  It's for a crapload of different anime and gets major points for diversity.)  I know, I'm really nerdy...  This song's intensity was irresistible, and when I looked up the band's other music I found out that I was already familiar with the lead singer through some of his roles as an actor.  I'm kind of in awe of his in-key screaming skills.

30 Seconds to Mars - The Fantasy:

Tiye Phoenix - Killin' Everybody

OK, first of all, I freakin' love this instrumental!  Second of all, I was so impressed by this artist's lyricism, since I'd never heard of her before this song!  Yet another tragedy of female invisibility in hip hop.  I came across this artist through the mixtape The Illest Female Rappers Volume 1.  If you don't listen to hip hop this probably won't appeal to you, but I want to do my part to spread the word of her talent to those who can appreciate it.
Note:  It's uploaded in HD!

Tiye Phoenix - Killin' Everybody:

Danny Elfman - The Grand Finale

Although this piece is from the awesome Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands, it caught my attention because of this lovely AMV for the short anime film Comedy. I occasionally try to play this on the piano but I'm definitely not good enough to capture its beauty. Sometimes it makes me feel like my heart physically hurts. I LOVE IT.
Note:  Vid is available in HiDef!

Danny Elfman - The Grand Finale:

Cassandra Steen - Darum Leben Wir

I came across this artist when I was looking for German singers through Wikipedia and then searching for their music on YouTube a few months ago. This was one of the first songs by this artist I came across. I really like it; it's purdiful.

Cassandra Steen - Darum Leben Wir [That's Why We Live]:

SID - 紫陽花

Whyyyyy have I not already posted music by this awesome Japanese band?!  The voice of the lead singer, Mao, is so interesting to me, and I love their jazzy rock style.  I probably found out about this band through a message board or mp3 rotation site not long after their first release.  This is one of the first songs I heard by them and I still really like it.
Note:  The video has Spanish translations of the lyrics, so if you read Spanish you're in luck!

SID A.K.A. シド - 紫陽花 [Ajisai - Hydrangea]:

Aaliyah - I Care 4 U

This artist's voice was never my favorite--I always found it lacking in energy and she tended to sing songs that didn't exactly showcase technique.  This song, however, demonstrates that she can indeed sing.  When somebody got me a compilation album of her hits many-a-year ago, I found myself especially getting hooked on this song.  Slow songs provide more of an opportunity to demonstrate the singer's abilities, I think.  R.I.P. Aaliyah.
Note:  The video's in HD, foo!

Aaliyah - I Care 4 U:

Damien Rice feat. Lisa Hannigan - The Blower's Daughter

This is a very quiet but pretty song by these Irish artists.  It's minimalistic and acoustic, which sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn't.  Fortunately, this is one the times it does.  Fun fact:  I saw the female vocalist in this song perform live with Jason Mraz at Jason Mraz's concert a few years ago.
Note:  HD!

Damien Rice feat. Lisa Hannigan - The Blower's Daughter: