Breaking Benjamin - So Cold

I think this was the first song by this American band I heard, and although I’ve heard other songs by them, this one regularly plays in my head.
Note: HD available, yo.

Breaking Benjamin - So Cold:

Kelly Sweet - We Are One

Quite pretty! I heard this song in a fanvideo a little while ago... I don’t even remember what for, but I made a note of the song so I could find it later. It reminds me of Sarah McLachlan’s music. Outside of this song, I haven’t heard anything by this artist, but I like the clarity of her voice based on this one song.
Note: Hi-def video!

Kelly Sweet - We Are One:

Fredy Massamba - Zonza

I found this Congolese artist and song a couple days ago through a compilation album of African music on a site for international music. This is probably my favorite song on the album. It has a nice combination of instruments, and I like the guy’s voice.
Note: This is the official music video, which I normally try to evade posting, but it’s one of the few uploads of the song I could find on YT, and it’s in SUPER hi-def.  (And besides, this music video's actually quite nice, and brimming with African pride, which is cool.)  So enjoy!

Fredy Massamba - Zonza [Words]:

Hikaru Nanase feat. Black Lily Sisters - Messiah

I read some pretty negative reviews about the anime adaptation of the Angel Sanctuary manga, so I've never watched it, but this song from the soundtrack is pretty darn cool. (I also like the manga series.) I like how dark and epic it sounds! It suits the series very well.

Hikaru Nanase A.K.A. 七瀬 光 feat. Black Lily Sisters - Messiah:

Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen - No Diggity

I heard this song on a compilation album of R&B hits--which is ironic, considering I'd never heard it on the radio--that someone burned for me. I don’t think I'd even heard of this group before, but this ended up being one of my favorite tracks on the CD because this song just sounds good!

Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen - No Diggity:

Madonna - Frozen

Everyone knows this artist, so no explanation needed there, I assume. Although I’m not a fan of all of her music, I like this song and her other songs from this album because they’re on the new agey/trip-hoppish side. I actually really like this music video; it’s preeeeeeetty.

Madonna - Frozen:


I can't embed the MV, but you can watch it here:
http://youtu.be/XS088Opj9o0

Chukiat Sakwirakul & August Band - Ticket (Day Trip)

This soothing song is from the soundtrack of the Thai movie Love of Siam. If I'm not mistaken, the singer of this song is also the director AND screenwriter of the film. Talk about ambitious (and his ambition apparently paid off, because the film was phenomenally successful in Thailand). And the band providing the instrumentation is the supposedly the band featured in the movie... which was created FOR the movie, and then ended up becoming successful in real life.

Chukiat Sakwirakul A.K.A. ชูเกียรติ ศักดิ์วีระกุล & August Band - Ticket (Day Trip):

Utada Hikaru - Colors

Again I am posting music by the first Japanese music artist whose CD I ever bought. This is one of my first Utada songs, too, and the first one that I liked enough to memorize the lyrics of back in the day. Even back then, I was impressed by her vocal range, which I think is one of her primary claims to fame. She has so many popular songs, but this remains one of my favorites by her.

Utada Hikaru A.K.A. 宇多田 ヒカル - Colors:

Megaherz - 5. März

I heard this German band first from a pretty popular AMV for Naruto (which you can watch here), for which they used this song. I wanted it so badly I bought their album with it, which was expensive because it was out-of-print AND a foreign import, without hearing any other songs by them. Fortunately, I ended up really liking the album so it wasn't a bad investment. I really like a lot of their songs, so I just went with this one since it was the first one I heard.
Note: I can’t embed the video, which has HD, but I have the link to it. Also, if you don’t understand German, but you can read Hungarian, you can read the lyrics translation provided in the video! :-D

Megaherz - 5. März [March 5]:
http://youtu.be/unF7fXUDYVY

Ana Tijoux - 1977

I heard this hip hop song in an episode of the excellent TV series Breaking Bad (which I’ve been watching obsessively). Here is the scene where it's used. I can’t understand all the lyrics because they go too fast for my subpar Spanish skills, but her flow sounds really good! Even if you can’t understand what she’s saying, just the rhythm of the words is pleasing to listen to. I found out this song was pretty successful as a single, and this artist used to be part of an extremely successful hip hop group in Chile. Nice! This song is about the emcee’s life. (She was born in 1977.)
Note: Video has HD!

Ana Tijoux - 1977:

Paul Haslinger feat. Sussan Deyhim & Nona Hendryx - Beginning to End

Usually I learn about songs from TV shows, but in this case I learned about a TV show from a song. A friend in high school burned some CDs for me with music she liked, including this track. I looked it up and found out it was from the soundtrack of the American TV series Sleeper Cell, which I finished watching a few months ago. The show has a pretty grandiose soundtrack, and this song is no exception. I initially didn’t know who either of the vocalists of this song were by name, but when I looked up their info I found that both of them are really accomplished artists and I probably should have known who they were before.

Paul Haslinger feat. Sussan Deyhim & Nona Hendryx – Beginning to End:

Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife

Her vibrato is sooooooo delicious. And of course this is live and still virtually flawless. I don't care for this music genre much, but her singing is so great it makes up for it. No wonder people still talk about her!

Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife:

Apocalyptica feat. Ville Valo & Lauri Ylönen - Bittersweet

The main artist is a Finnish rock band consisting of 3 cellists. They seriously headbang while playing the cello. Cellos are so hardcore, man!! A lot of their stuff is just instrumental, which suits me fine, but I think this song is pretty. Ville Valo is the lead singer of the Finnish band HIM, and Lauri Ylönen is the lead singer of the Finnish band The Rasmus. So it’s a big Finnish rock collaboration! I think their voices sound really good together, with Ville’s signature baritone voice and Lauri’s comparably high register.
Note: HD!

Apocalyptica feat. Ville Valo & Lauri Ylönen - Bittersweet:

Agnes Monica - Cinta Diujung Jalan

Another song by this Indonesian artist! This time a sad, pretty one. I would karaoke this song if I had the opportunity! I think the music video is exceptionally pretty, for some reason, so I’m including it.

Agnes Monica - Cinta Diujung Jalan [Love at the End of the Road]:


And here's the MV:

JJ Lin - 进化论

It’s this talented Singaporean artist again! I love his voice SO much. I like a lot of his ballads, but his more upbeat songs like this one are great too.  He seems to have a thing for the sci-fi theme, because the previous song I posted by him was about a robot, and this is supposed to sound futuristic.

JJ Lin A.K.A. 林俊傑 - 进化论 [Jin Hua Lun - Metamorphosis]:

Sugababes - Too Lost in You

Can't say I'm a fan of this British girl group, since I’ve only heard a handful of their songs and this is the only one that really stuck to me, but this song has a nice melody and their voices are nice. I don’t know exactly how, but I’ve heard this song numerous times before (maybe on the radio?) and I like it.  I don’t think they're as big here in the U.S., but from their discography it looks like they are pretty successful elsewhere. They have released a lot of music (and evidently are still at it), yet I almost never hear of them.
Note:  Video has hi-def!

Sugababes - Too Lost in You:

2pac - Dear Mama

Seriously, who doesn’t have love for 2pac? Behold, the hip hop legend that it seems every modern rapper aspires to be and compares himself to. Such a huge cultural icon, I suspect a lot of his popularity is owed to his appeal to a range of audiences, since he mixed social consciousness with an authentic “thug” mentality. I believe this is the song that made me pay attention to him. Even though he passed away long before I actively listened to hip hop, he was one of the first hip hop artists I listened to, because his songs played on hip hop radio stations constantly (and still do). One day I was in the car listening to the radio, and this song was on and I for once heard the lyrics. I said, “Wow, this song is actually pretty meaningful!” The family babysitter, who was driving, said, “Yeah, a LOT of 2pac’s songs have a good meaning!” So then I started listening. Last week was the 15-year anniversary of his death, but you can tell he’s left such an indelible mark on our culture by the fact that I still regularly hear people talking about him or hear his music blasting out of cars driving by. R.I.P. Tupac Shakur.

2pac - Dear Mama:

Sarah Riani - Intouchable

Wowwwwwww, what a great voice. I stand impressed. I came across this artist on YouTube within the past year when I was looking for French music. I found the video of her performing this song live first, so I’ma post that too.

Sarah Riani - Intouchable [Untouchable]:


And the live:

The Idan Raichel Project - בואי

I found this artist through a YouTube channel that uploaded random songs. I think the sung parts are in Hebrew, performed by Idan Raichel. I don’t know who the people reciting the Amharic parts are, but I’m assuming they’re Ethiopian. Just so you know, because of the reversing script, this post was a pain in the neck to format.
Note: There are Polish (I think) subtitles in the video, in case that helps at all? :-P

The Idan Raichel Project A.K.A. בואי - הפרוייקט של עידן ריי [Bo'i - Come]:

Natu - Gram Duszy

I heard about this Polish singer through a music recommendation column on a blog. She has such a nice, soulful voice! I was sifting through a few songs by her on YouTube and especially liked this one.

Natu - Gram Duszy [Grams of Soul]:

MUCC - 輝く世界

This is one of my favorite songs by this Japanese band. I don’t know why I like this particular song so much. It wasn’t a single of this artist’s or anything, but right from the beginning, the first time I listened to it, it grabbed my attention. Fun fact: two people I didn’t know friended me on Facebook solely because I went to the same school as them and listed this band among my favorite music artists.

MUCC - 輝く世界 [Kagayaku Sekai - Glittering World]:

Meredith Braun & Michael Caine - When Love is Gone

Who would suspect a song from a Muppets movie would be so pretty? This is a part of my childhood because I watched the movie this song is from, The Muppet Christmas Carol, when I was, like... 10. I don't really remember the storyline that triggered this song, but I somehow NEVER forgot the song itself.

Meredith Braun & Michael Caine - When Love is Gone:


Here’s the clip from the movie:

Wheesung - Insomnia

As much as I like Craig David's voice, I think I prefer this cover by this Korean R&B singer, whom I've posted music by before. (Apparently this song has since been covered by a few more Korean singers, for some reason.) I think the music video looks pretty cool too, so I'm using it. Black & white!
Note: The vid’s in HD. It also says it has English subs, but I can’t get the closed captions to work these days.

Wheesung A.K.A. 휘성 - Insomnia:

Katie Costello - Stranger

My friend recommended this song to me after hearing it in the show Switched at Birth a couple months ago. It reminds me of Sarah McLachlan's style, and I think it’s quite pretty. Haunting piano!  Oh, and I just found out this artist is only 20 years old.
Note: Also HD!

Katie Costello - Stranger:

Fischerspooner - Money Can't Dance

I heard this song in one of those funny Chloë Sevigny parody videos (this one, to be exact). Weird song in a weird YouTube video; good stuff. I guess quite a few people found this song through that video. I listened to a few other songs by this artist and I liked them, too, but I decided to go with the first one I listened to.

Fischerspooner - Money Can't Dance:

Do As Infinity - 真実の詩

I don't remember ever seeing the MV before, but I really like something about it so I'm including it. This was actually one of the first Japanese songs I ever acquired; I heard it because it was an ending theme song for the anime InuYasha, which I used to watch on TV years ago. That series introduced me (and a lot of other people) to a number of popular music artists in J-pop, like Ayumi Hamasaki, Amuro Namie, V6, Nanase Aikawa, Every Little Thing, BoA, Tackey & Tsubasa, and this band.

Do As Infinity - 真実の詩 [Shinjitsu no Uta - Song of Truth]:


Embedding was disabled, but here's the link to the MV:
http://youtu.be/7UvdKt3hLNM

Cocoon - Oh My God

I found this French artist when looking on YouTube for French music. I thought this was one of the prettiest discoveries produced by that search. The music video for this song is pretty interesting, too, so I've included it.

Cocoon - Oh My God:


And the MV, which has hi-def:

Ciara - Like a Boy

I really don't know why I took so long to look up this song/video, because I knew of its existence for a long time, but didn’t bother until sometime last year. This artist’s voice never stood out to me, but OMG THIS VIDEO. OMG. OMG. I love so many things about this MV...  For one, girl can seriously dance!  For another, black & white!  For another, Ciara in drag!  And the list goes on...  As for the song itself, string instruments make everything better, but I also like this song's attitude.

Ciara - Like a Boy:

Dúné - Let Go of Your Love

I found this Danish band pretty recently, when clicking around on the related videos margin of YouTube. I like their sound; what more can I say?
Note: HD!

Dúné - Let Go of Your Love:

Bat for Lashes - Glass

I heard this song when my housemate was playing it on her laptop at a party. It was so pretty (and definitely not typical party music) so I checked out the song and artist, then my housemate gave me the mp3.
Note: HD, fuuu~!

Bat for Lashes - Glass:

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: