Xia feat. Flowsik - Tarantallegra

Someone sent me this song in a gigantic playlist of K-pop. I was blasé about most of it, but this song really stood out. In particular, the “Americanness” of the rapper struck me and led me to look up the song info, at which point I confirmed my suspicion: the artist is indeed American, and from the hip hop group Aziatix. I’m not sure exactly what it is that tipped me off, but his swagger is distinctively American, even though his role in the song is minimal. BTW, the main artist is evidently the new incarnation of Xiah, from the original version of the K-pop group DBSK, whom I’ve posted music by before. I guess he’s doing stuff as a solo artist now.
Note:  It's also in HD!

Xia A.K.A. 준수 feat. Flowsik - Tarantallegra:

Eve feat. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind

Another song by this famous hip hop artist! In collaboration with this famous singer! I must have heard this song a LOT back in the day when I regularly watched hip hop and R&B MVs on TV after school, because I never had an mp3 of this track or her CD, yet I remember a good portion of the lyrics. Which have some profanity, BTW.

Eve feat. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind:

K’naan feat. Chubb Rock - ABCs

‘Tis another song by this hip hop artist. When I first started listening to him, I don’t think he was that well-known, but now it seems he’s doin’ big thangs. I honestly had a hard time picking which song to post by him because he has so many good ones.

K’naan feat. Chubb Rock - ABCs:

Emeli Sandé - Heaven

My friend sent me this song a few months ago, and reminded me of it again recently. I like her voice and style!
Note: HD, FUUUUUU~!

Emeli Sandé - Heaven:

Gotye - Smoke and Mirrors

Everyone heard of this artist over the past few months through another song, but I heard this song in an episode of the British soap Hollyoaks.
Note: HD yet again.

Gotye - Smoke and Mirrors:

ChocQuibTown - Hasta el Techo

I found this Colombian artist on YouTube. I’m kinda annoyed at the moment ‘cause one of my posts got taken down for no good reason.
Note: HD, biznitches!

ChocQuibTown - Hasta el Techo [To the Ceiling]:

Phil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart

This song is from the Disney film Tarzan. I always thought it was a nice song. Today I was watching videos of gorillas (‘cause that’s apparently how I spend my free time) so this seemed apropos. Also, I’ve known who this British artist was since I was very little, and I have no idea why.
Note: And there’s HD!

Phil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart:

Kaori Hikita - みちゆき

This is the ending theme of the anime series Loveless. It’s pretty and calm. It’s one of my favorite anime theme songs. I used to play it on the piano a lot, but I fear by now I’ve forgotten how.

Kaori Hikita A.K.A. 引田 香織 - みちゆき [Michiyuki - Journey]:

Jay Brannan - Rob Me Blind

A website I frequent posts songs by this actor/singer/songwriter once in a while, but I never found them particularly compelling until they posted this one. I blame the strings.

Jay Brannan - Rob Me Blind:

Aaliyah feat. Timbaland - Are You That Somebody

I think this song was my first exposure to the late Aaliyah. I remember listening to it in my best friend’s room back in elementary school. It was on a compilation album of the hits of the year, and this was one of my favorite tracks on it.
Note: HD music video.

Aaliyah feat. Timbaland - Are You That Somebody:

Adam Hurst - Sparrow

Came across this whilst YouTube surfing. Of course it’s got that cello I love.
Note: And HD!

Adam Hurst - Sparrow:

Cassandra Steen - Es ist Wahr

I’ve posted music by this German artist before, but upon listening to the album this song is on many times, I found this song to be the one I was drawn to replay the most.

Cassandra Steen - Es ist Wahr [It is True]:

SID - 隣人

Good ol’ SID, with their jazzy Japanese rock and Mao’s unique vocals. This song of theirs is among the most replayed in my collection. I think someone should choreograph a dance to it.

SID A.K.A. シド - 隣人 [Rinjin - Neighbor]:

Bertie Blackman - Byrds of Prey

This Australian artist’s music reminds me of that of The Good Natured. I found her via YouTube surfing.

Bertie Blackman - Byrds of Prey:

Black Eyed Peas - Bebot

Did you know American party jam group Black Eyed Peas have a song in Tagalog? I was embarrassingly excited when I first learned that. Evidently one of the rappers in the group, Apl.de.ap, is half-Filipino and proud of his heritage, so he made this song with the group. And I guess it was so important to them they made TWO music videos for it. I like how in the videos the rest of the group is reppin’ the Pinoy pride and they’re not even Filipino.
Note: HD is here!

Black Eyed Peas - Bebot [Baby]:

Maria Mena - Eyesore

I find that, generally, this Norwegian artist’s music is very beautiful in melody, instrumentation, and vocalization, but sometimes her lyrics seem overly literal or otherwise off-putting to me. But I’m trying to ignore that to appreciate the rest more. This song is pretty strong lyrics-wise, though. It’s about anorexia nervosa. Heavy stuff.

Maria Mena - Eyesore:

Muse - Unintended

Finally gettin’ some Muse up in heah. I like quite a few of their songs, but I heard this one the other day and felt like posting it.
Note: And in hi-def!

Muse - Unintended:

Niyaz - دلربا

I heard this Iranian artist first through a cover of a famous English-language song. Their songs seem to cover a good range of languages, from English to Farsi to Urdu. This song has a title in Farsi, but the lyrics are in Urdu and from an Urdu poem. Sounds cool, no?

Niyaz A.K.A. دلربا - نياز [Dilruba - Enchanting]:

Murs - H-U-S-T-L-E

I used to always listen to this hip hop track back when I was first getting into underground hip hop. It’s pretty entertaining in content as well as catchy in sound. It’s a mildly humorous autobiographical account of how the artist scraped by without resorting to peddling drugs. There is profanity.
Note: It’s available in HD!

Murs - H-U-S-T-L-E:

Corrinne May - Scars (Stronger for Life)

I heard this song in an AMV, though I'd heard of this Singaporean artist before. I’ve only heard a few songs by her, and they were all in a pretty style similar to this song. I also noticed some religious undertones in her lyrics.

Corrinne May - Scars (Stronger for Life):

Elliott Yamin - Wait for You

I never watched the TV show American Idol, but I heard this guy was a contestant on it. He didn't win, but it appears he got a career out of it anyway, since I heard of him when I saw his music video for this song playing on TV and was like, "Who is this dude? He has a GREAT voice!" Then this song was all over the radio. I should probably look into more music by him…
Storytime: A few years ago, someone I had fallen out of contact with back in middle school sent me a message, seemingly out of nowhere, confessing a rather personal story about how he was in love with his best friend, who had a GF, and how his best friend had posted this song on his blog as a dedication to him… It was so dramatic that I now associate this song with that story.
Note: Song’s in HD!

Elliott Yamin - Wait for You:

Ane Brun - True Colors

Cyndi Lauper is the original singer of this song, but her version makes my ears bleed. Fortunately, I came across this lovely cover by Norwegian singer Ane Brun first (in a commercial... sad, I know) and couldn't stop replaying it. It's SO PRETTY.
Random: I discovered there's a mini-album of a bunch of Korean artists covering this song. Yes. Every track is a cover of the song in each artist's respective style. I have no idea why they did that.  I suspect they are not aware of the song's "It Gets Better"esque connotations.
Note: I found it in hi def!!

Ane Brun - True Colors:

The Yellow Monkey - メロメ

My friend who's a fan of this Japanese band burned a CD for me that contained this song. I thought it was nice, so here ya go!

The Yellow Monkey - メロメ [Merome]:

Celine Dion - That's the Way It Is

Apparently a lot of people hate Celine Dion. I don't really get it, and I don't really care--she has an amazing voice. This song used to be on the radio, I think.  ¡Me gusta!
Note: HD!

Celine Dion - That's the Way It Is:

Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement

This is one of my favorite classical piano pieces. It’s so simple, yet so pretty.
Note: Enjoy it in HD!

Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement:

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice

This song both responded to the exile of this group, my longtime favorite country artist, from the country music community after they made a statement criticizing then-president Bush, and signalled their transition into the pop music world. Their music style still sounds the same to me, it’s just that their songs started being played on pop radio stations instead of country music ones (because country music stations were boycotting them, and the pop music world embraces their Bush-criticizing ways). Worked for me, since I actually quite like this song and probably wouldn’t have heard it if it weren’t on non-country radio stations. Plus, the subject matter of the song is clearly about that whole fiasco—and their refusal to apologize for their comments despite being exiled and expressing their disgust with how people responded.
Note: I think my first exposure to this song occurred when I saw the MV on television. I loved the visuals in it and for a while became obsessed with the pretty, so I’m including it here along with the song in HD.

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice:


And the prettiful MV::

Blue Scholars - The Distance

I can’t remember where I first heard of this two-man hip hop group based in Seattle, but I do remember that this was the first song by them I heard. The song is about the immigrant experience in the United States. It’s quite poetic!
Note: HD!

Blue Scholars - The Distance:

Nina Simone - Feeling Good

This cover of the song is pretty famous, so I’ve heard it many times throughout my life, but I always assumed the singer was male. It wasn’t until sometime within the past few years that I learned that the singer was female. Clearly, she has a unique vocal quality.
Note: HD available!

Nina Simone - Feeling Good:

Orange Range - Asterisk

Howwwwwwww did I forget this song for so long? I scared one of my Japanese-speaking friends one time by singing the first few lines of this song. It’s so fun! I learned it because it was the first opening theme of the anime series Bleach, which I watched the first 11 episodes of.

Orange Range - Asterisk:

Lissie - When I’m Alone

I found out about this artist through WTF Should I Listen to Now?. This is the first song I heard by her, and out of the handful of songs I’ve heard by her thus far it’s the only one I actually like.

Lissie - When I’m Alone:

Staind - Fade

Another song from one of my most often-played albums, Break the Cycle. I used to listen to this album sooooo much, and this was one of my favorite songs from it.
Note: Shweeeeeet, found in super HD!

Staind - Fade:

MISSTER - Bomb Bomb Bomb

...That's it, I'm moving to Taiwan. Not gonna lie; this androgynous girl group's appeal to me has a lot more to do with their appearance than their music (though the music doesn't hurt either). This is almost certainly a gimmick group, but it obviously is working on me, because their style reduces me to a squealing pile of flail. Evidently this is a cover of a Korean song "Boom Boom Boom" by SHU-I.
Note:  English subs, oh yeahhhhh!

MISSTER - Bomb Bomb Bomb:

Woodkid - Iron

My friend sent me this music video not long ago, probably due to its epicness. It sounds pretty cool, though the Engrish takes away from the cool factor a bit. Then again, Engrish has never stopped me before. I guess it’s from the video game Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.
Note: Video included in HD, and it’s the official music video, because it looks awesome.

Woodkid - Iron:

Marina & the Diamonds - Fear & Loathing

When I heard music by this artist a while ago, I didn’t care for her sound. But I heard this song on the British soap opera Hollyoaks the other day and thought it was nice. Also, note that she, like Florence + the Machine, has a stage name that deceptively appends a band-sounding title to the singer’s first name, giving the impression that it consists of a band of people when in fact it’s just one talented woman. Man, UK female artists are owning lately…
Note: There is HD!

Marina & the Diamonds - Fear & Loathing:

Disturbed - Shout 2000

It’s time for this band again! Years ago I became addicted to this song, which was originally by Tears for Fears under the title “Shout,” and I made my father listen to it repeatedly in his car.
Note: Rock out in HD!

Disturbed - Shout 2000:

Nelly Furtado - Turn Off the Light

This artist, as far as I know, is still pretty well-known and still makin’ hits, although this song was popular when I was a youngun’. By accident, I ended up memorizing this song just by hearing it so many times on the radio.

Nelly Furtado - Turn Off the Light:

Chemistry - Floatin’

I probably discovered this Japanese R&B duo through an mp3 rotation site years ago. I really like their voices, although I find myself wishing their songs were more interesting.
Note:  HD!

Chemistry - Floatin’:

Lykke Li - Tonight

OK, I’ve heard a few songs by this artist and never really cared for them—in fact, the style somewhat bothers me. But I heard this song in a fanvideo and the chorus hasn’t left my mind since.

Lykke Li - Tonight:

Rufus Wainwright - Little Sister

For me, the main appeal of this song is in the lyrics. They consist of a boy (suggested by the lyrics and instrumentation to be Mozart) singing to his little sister about how she won’t become famous based on talent alone like he will, because she’s female, and he will still go down in history as more famous than her for the same reason. It’s a commentary on the gender double standard in the entertainment biz, at any stage in history.

Rufus Wainwright - Little Sister:

Loreena McKennitt - The Highwayman

I listened to the album this song is from, Book of Secrets, so much as a wee one. This song is based on the poem by Alfred Noyes by the same name. So this song taught me some literature! It’s pretty dark. Fun fact: One time someone started reciting to me the part of the poem describing the moon, and I identified it as being from the correct poem because of my familiarity with this song. It made me look all well-read and cultured even though I’m not. :D

Loreena McKennitt - The Highwayman:

Claude - Hero

Sounds like typical R&B, but dude has a nice voice and I’d never heard of him before I ran across this track randomly on YouTube.
Note:  You can listen in hi-def!

Claude - Hero:

BoA - Always

This song, which I believe I acquired through an mp3 rotation site years ago, was further assurance that this K-pop star who’s famous throughout Asia was indeed a talented singer. Not to mention this song is beautiful.

BoA - Always:

Dima Bilan - Всё в твоих руках

I can’t really remember how I found this song—maybe through a fanvideo—but the English version won the 2008 Eurovision Award.
Note:  HD, yo!

Dima Bilan A.K.A. Дима Билан - Всё в твоих руках [Vsyo v Tvoih Rukah - All in Your Hands]:

Shakira - Suerte

Wooo, it's the Spanish version of the song that made her famous in the U.S., "Whenever, Wherever!" I distinctly remember hearing of Shakira because of that song, because I was at a friend's house for a party and all the girls were watching Shakira performing live on TV and admiring her dancing skills, whereas I had never even heard of her before. Normally I would ignore the praises of those girls, but I noticed that 1) the song was catchy, and 2) the woman could actually SING very, very well! So I was impressed.

Shakira - Suerte [Luck]:

Seal - Human Beings

My friend sent me this song a matter of months ago because she liked it and thought I might too. She was right!
Note: You can listen in HD!

Seal - Human Beings:

Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y.

Old school hip hop! I’ve known who this movie star, hip hop artist, cultural icon, etc. is for a long time, but I didn’t actually listen to her music until very recently. Queen L’s got swagger for days, and this is a great women’s empowerment anthem. There is some profanity.

Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y.

Josh Groban - Vincent

This song, whose original artist is, I believe, Don McLean, is about Vincent Van Gogh and the tragedies of his mental illness and his artistry going unappreciated during his lifetime. For some reason this song has been playing in my head lately. I listened to it quite a few times last summer when I was reviewing my albums I hadn’t given enough attention, including this young opera singer’s eponymous Josh Groban.
Note: HD!

Josh Groban - Vincent:

Samaris - Góða Tungl

I found this pretty ditty whilst surfing YouTube.

Samaris - Góða Tungl [Good Moon]:

Javed Ali - तू हि हकीकत

I found this song while looking for music from the Indian film Tum Mile on YouTube. Unfortunately, the credited composer of this track, Pritam, is widely accused of outright plagiarism (which is not unusual for the Indian film/music industry), so there’s no guarantee he’s actually the author of it.  Therefore, I’m only tagging the singer’s name.
Note:  Wow, I found it in HD, AND with English lyrics translations!

Javed Ali A.K.A. जावेद अली - तू हि हकीकत [Tu Hi Haqeeqat - You are the Truth]:

JoJo - Get Out (Leave)

This song was really popular when I was in elementary school. This artist was ridiculously young when she recorded this (13 years old, I think—only a year or two older than me at the time!) and this song ended up topping the charts, thereby making the singer the youngest music artist to have a song chart at #1 on the Billboard chart, but at the time I didn’t know about all that; I just thought it was catchy and her voice was great. It’s still one of my favorite songs to sing!
Note: HD, sweeeeeeet.

JoJo - Get Out (Leave)

Gackt - Cube

Oddly enough, this was the first song of this artist’s that I really liked. Before hearing this song by the uber-popular J-pop/rock artist, I had heard quite a few songs by him but was always annoyed by the nasal quality of his singing style. I think that quality was minimized in this track, though, and I found the chorus addictive, so I listened to this repeatedly and I think as a result became accustomed to his voice in general.
Note: The video has a slideshow, which I didn’t want, but at least it has English subs.  (Plus slideshow videos of this artist are virtually unavoidable.)

Gackt - Cube:

Lindsey Stirling - Electric Daisy Violin

A friend sent me a song by this artist I hadn’t heard of a few months ago. Since then, two more of my friends have sent me songs by her so I guess she’s gaining popularity.
Note: HD!

Lindsey Stirling - Electric Daisy Violin:

Switchfoot - Dare You to Move

I can’t remember how I heard of this artist first, but I know I heard a few of their songs a long time ago. I might have heard of them due to an mp3 rotation site. In more recent years, I’ve heard their music in AMVs, and my friend who’s a fan of this Christian band sent me some more of their music to listen to. I think this is one of their most well-known songs. As far as I can tell, it’s about taking chances and making the most of your life, which is a message I can definitely get behind.

Switchfoot - Dare You to Move

Uh Huh Her - Common Reaction

I already knew who this artist was and posted a song by them a while ago, but I came across this song on Tumblr more recently and found it post-worthy as well.

Uh Huh Her - Common Reaction:

Altan Urag - Хөх толботон

Mongolian folk rock with throat singing, fuuuu! This is the second song I’ve posted by this artist, but the first song I heard by them. It was used as the ending theme of the film Mongol, which I saw in theatres and when it started playing during the credits I was mesmerized by how cool it sounded and went, “I HAVE to have this!”
Note: This is the official music video, using clips from the film. I didn’t want to use it but I couldn’t find another good quality upload on YT. There’s violence in the music video; sorry about that.

Altan Urag A.K.A. Алтан ураг - Хөх толботон [Khukh Tolboton - Blue Mark]:

Ingrid Michaelson - Breakable

Looks like the piano trend shall continue… I heard this artist on the radio, but I heard this song through a particularly good fanvideo for the TV series Six Feet Under. This song would normally be too “light” for my taste, but I grew to like it quite a bit. I like that it speaks to the fragility of humans.

Ingrid Michaelson - Breakable:

Cascadeur - The Odyssey

Unlike the other song I've posted by this artist, no version of this track is on his only album The Human Octopus. Es tan bonita, y un poquito extraño, but alas, it seems this French artist is considered "indie" even in France.  His music has an overall pleasant feel to it.

Cascadeur - The Odyssey:

Keiko Matsui - Beyond the Light

I heard of this artist years ago by browsing a sheet music website and randomly coming across this piece by her. I didn’t know it, but I downloaded it and played it anyway, and found it to my liking.

Keiko Matsui A.K.A. 松居 慶子 - Beyond the Light:

Wordsworth - Unity

The album this song is from, Mirror Music, is one of my favorite hip hop albums, and this is probably my favorite song off it.

Wordsworth - Unity:

Paloma Faith - Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?

This song has been playing in my head a lot lately, I don’t know why. It’s the song that introduced me to this artist, when I heard it on a German soap opera.  This is the 2nd song I've posted by this artist/actress.

Paloma Faith - Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?:

Atsushi Sakurai - Sacrifice

For some reason I thought I already posted this artist’s solo work, but I guess I haven’t. I adore this artist’s voice as it currently sounds, and I’ve already posted music by the band he does lead vocals for, Buck-Tick. They’ve been around since the 80s, but I prefer their newer music and Atsushi’s solo music because I think over time his voice has gotten richer and more controlled. He’s far into his music career and still going at it by working on a number of projects, including this one.

Atsushi Sakurai A.K.A. 櫻井敦司 - Sacrifice:

Pati Sokół - Woman’s Work

I stumbled upon this lovely cover song and its equally lovely music video while using YouTube’s trusty “recommended videos margin” feature, only a matter of days after it was released. I didn’t know of this Polish artist before, but I did know of Kate Bush, the song’s original artist.
Note: When I came across this song at first there were HD versions uploaded, but evidently they’re all gone now… LAME.

Pati Sokół - Woman’s Work:

Sneaker Pimps - Kiro TV

‘Tis another song by this British artist! I really like the whole album this song is from, Bloodsport, and this song kicked off the album in such a way that I knew it was going to be good. The lyrics are about Kurt Cobain and the inability to cope with fame.

Sneaker Pimps - Kiro TV:

Eugene - 폭풍의 언덕

This Korean artist used to be in the girl group S.E.S. but released two albums as a solo artist. This song is from second one, which I acquired back in the day when I was collecting Korean albums.

Eugene A.K.A. 김유진 - 폭풍의 언덕 [P’okp’ungeui Eondeok - Wuthering Heights]:
 

Nasri - It's Not Just You

This Canadian artist has written a number of songs for big-time music stars, but evidently the dude can sing so he’s got his own work now. Just thought I’d put some of it out there.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Nasri - It's Not Just You:

Florence + the Machine - Leave My Body

I was reminded of the magic of this artist (who, despite the name that suggests otherwise, is a solo artist) when a lovely song of hers was covered in a recent episode of the TV show Glee, and again a day later when this breathtaking song was used in an episode of the British soap Hollyoaks.

Florence + the Machine - Leave My Body:

Kyo - Pardonné

This is probably the first French artist I went out of my way to listen to. I heard them through an mp3 rotation site.
Note: HD, ya’ll!

Kyo - Pardonné [Forgiven]:

Angus & Julia Stone - All of Me

I keep hearing this artist’s music popping up in random places. I think the first time I noticed their music was when a song of theirs was used in a dance piece on the dance competition show So You Think You Can Dance.

Angus & Julia Stone - All of Me:

Ungu feat. Iis Dahlia - Hampa Hatiku

I came across this band while searching for more Indonesian artists to add to my collection.  Noyce!

Ungu feat. Iis Dahlia - Hampa Hatiku [Hollow Heart]:

Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise You)

OK, so I’m evidently REALLY slow… At first I thought this song was praising some guy to the point of servitude. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize it’s meant to be praising God. Which not only makes more sense, but also offends my feminist senses a lot less. I heard this song on a compilation album someone burned for me.

Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise You):

David Deyl - Akorát

I’m not actually that crazy about this artist. OK, so I just wanted to post Czech music. I think I found this guy by YouTube surfing.

David Deyl - Akorát [I Just]:

Yoko Kanno feat. Ilaria Graziano - Pearls

Mon Dieu, I looooooove this song. I heard it during a screening of the Cowboy Bebop video game at Fanime Con and loved it instantly, so I made a note of it to look it up later. After a bit of searching I eventually found it and made it the only Italian song whose lyrics I have memorized. This is one of my favorite songs to sing!

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Ilaria Graziano - Pearls:

Godsmack - Awake

I remember years ago my friend who was a fan of this band recommended their music to me, but warned me that I might not like it because I might find the vocals "scary." Can you feel my eyes rolling? Anyway, this song was on my self-made CD compilation of various hard rock/metal songs I listened to in middle school.

Godsmack - Awake:

12 Girls Band - 茉莉花

My assigned Chinese name is the same as the first part of this song’s name, so when I’ve told people my Chinese name they would start singing this very famous Chinese folk song to me. I learned it first when part of it was used in a Gary Cao song, and have heard it numerous times since, although I hear it’s banned in China now because of its association with the Jasmine Revolution. *rolls eyes* Anyway, this is a modern version performed with traditional instruments by this popular cover artist.
Note: Watch/listen in HD!

12 Girls Band A.K.A. 女子十二楽坊 - 茉莉花 [Mo Li Hua - Jasmine Flower]:

Shane Mack - Lie to Me

The genre isn’t what I typically listen to, but I think this artist's voice is pretty. I would consider this country artist’s voice to be androgynous since, when I heard his songs used throughout the American movie Shelter, I thought the singer was female. Upon looking into the artist, though, I discovered this was not the case. He sounds to me like a cross between Jason Mraz and Tracy Chapman.

Shane Mack - Lie to Me:

Elvira T - Всё Решено

I came across this artist while YouTube surfing recently. Man, what’s with Russia and the emo-sounding music lately? Not that I’m complaining.

Elvira T - Всё Решено [Vsyo Ryeshyeno - All Resolved]:

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shamas-ud-doha, Badar-ud-doja!

I learned of this artist years ago when my dad was playing radio stations on his TV, and a song by this artist popped up. I thought it was beautiful, and my dad’s then-GF informed me that the artist was a very prominent Pakistani singer. He is widely considered to be the most important singer of the qawwali genre ever.
Note: I tried to find the title of the song in the original text, but couldn’t confirm it so I’m just gonna keep the romanized version rather than risk getting it wrong on my own guess.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan A.K.A. نصرت فتح علی خان  - Shamas-ud-doha, Badar-ud-doja!:

Nneka - Soul is Heavy

I found out about this Germany-based Nigerian artist through a music column on a blog, and liked the few songs I heard, but wasn’t eager to post any of them. Later, I was listening to a hip hop mixtape and found myself loving this song on it, only to discover afterward it was the same artist!
Note: This is the official music video, and it’s in HD.

Nneka - Soul is Heavy:

Brett Anderson - Hymn

This artist is British, but I heard this song in a German soap opera...  >_<  That’s some beautiful ish, man.

Brett Anderson - Hymn:

Melanie Fiona - It Kills Me

OMGGGG that voice! I discovered this artist when she was the featured singer on another artist’s track and was entranced by her awesome voice.

Melanie Fiona - It Kills Me:

Entwine - Still Remain

My housemate recommended this Finnish artist to me. This band sounds pretty good! Not much more to say.

Entwine - Still Remain:

Shannon LaBrie - Calls Me Home

I only recently came across this song, probably through a fanvideo or something. I thought the song was pretty enough for me to make a note of it, although I’d not heard of this artist before. Her voice is lovely, and it reminds me a lot of Maria Mena’s voice.
Note: Listen in HD!

Shannon LaBrie - Calls Me Home:

Dave Porter - Breaking Bad Theme

I came across the full version of the opening theme song of the brilliant TV series Breaking Bad on Tumblr. Before, I had only heard the version on the show, which lasts only a few seconds, but this full version sounds even cooler!
Note: Available in super hi-def!

Dave Porter - Breaking Bad Theme:

Garbage - Androgyny

As a fan of androgyny, I am fond of this song. I believe I acquired this song years ago through an mp3 rotation site. So catchy!
Note:  The video has an Italian translation of the lyrics.

Garbage - Androgyny:

Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram - Somewhere Out There

You can file this under “songs from movies I watched in childhood that I remembered clearly throughout life despite forgetting the movie plot.” Neither of the official versions of this song (the one from the film diegesis, and the film ending theme—this one being the latter) have singing that I like, but I always thought the melody itself is so pretty.  I didn't really know who either vocalist was before looking them up for this post, but evidently Linda Ronstadt is a country singer, and James Ingram is a soul singer, so it's kind of an interesting collaboration.

Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram - Somewhere Out There:

Serj Tankian - Borders Are

I guess the political themes become even more transparent in the solo work of System of a Down’s frontman. The premise of the song seems to be that national borders are false divisions between people and are manipulated and maintained by the powerful few to their own ends. (Notice that the border between the U.S. and Mexico is the last to go.)
Note: The official music video is simple but effective, and lends itself to the songs's meaning, so I’m including it.

Serj Tankian - Borders Are:

Maria Gadú - Sonhos Roubados

Finally I have a Brazilian song!  The genre of music this artist makes isn't my favorite, but I REALLY like her voice. At this point I’m not sure, but I think I found her through a music recommendation thread on a website.

Maria Gadú - Sonhos Roubados [Stolen Dreams]:

Bloodgroup - My Arms

Not crazy about the vocals, but I quite like the instrumentation component of this track I found while YouTube surfing for music.

Bloodgroup - My Arms:

Muhsinah - One

This doesn’t sound far off from the kind of music that plays on the radio constantly, but less autotuned and obnoxious.

Muhsinah - One:

Basim - Nok Af Dig

Niiiiiiice R&B voice. I discovered this Danish artist while cruisin’ the Tubes of You. I came across a music video of his first and thought he looked really young, so I looked up his bio and found out he was only 15 when he became known for competing on the TV show X Factor, and is only 19 now.

Basim - Nok Af Dig [Enough of You]:

Ofrin - Dry

This is interesting. I’m not sure how to feel about it, but it’s interesting. It’s kind of a weird collection of sounds. I came across this Israeli/German artist by YouTube surfing.
Note: Yet another song in HD!

Ofrin - Dry:

Brother Ali - Rain Water

This is just one of the many excellent songs by this very talented hip hop artist. This track is about various struggles in life and how we all just have to get through them. It has profanity.
Note: Yessssss, found in HD!

Brother Ali - Rain Water:

Kaitlyn K. - Who Do U Think U R?

I don’t normally do these posts, but this was so awesome I had to share it. The student body at Cypress Ranch High School in Texas contributed to an anti-bullying campaign with this music video they made, which was almost all shot in the same take and involves the participation of tons of students and clubs and must have required a ridiculous amount of coordination. The song was written and performed by a student of the school, too. The way they filmed this is so impressive and I think they did such a great job!
Note:  Watch it in HD!

Kaitlyn K. - Who Do U Think U R?:

Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Main Theme

I never owned video games so I never played Final Fantasy, but when I saw the trailers for the video game-based movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, I FREAKED OUT. The animation was so gorgeous I knew I had to have it. Contributing to the visual beauty of the animation was the aural beauty of this freakin’ song, which was also featured in the trailer. It drove me to acquire the sheet music to it and practice it frequently even though I never got good at playing it.
Note: Listen in hi def!

Nobuo Uematsu A.K.A. 植松 伸夫 - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Main Theme:

Clare Maguire - Last Dance

My friend sent me this song by this artist, though I came across her and this song before that somehow I can't recall. I like the strength in her voice. Supposedly this song is about Michael Jackson.
Note: Listen in HD!

Clare Maguire - Last Dance:

Huang Yida - 臭男人

I think I discovered this Singaporean artist through an mp3 rotation site, but later paid more attention to his music when my friend showed a music video of his to me. (Funnily enough, that friend reminds me a lot of him in a number of ways, even though she’s a girl. Other people have noted their uncanny similarities as well!) This song was the opening theme for the Taiwanese drama series Devil Beside You, which I never saw. This song is just cool.
Note: The video has a picture that doesn’t seem to fit the song (it’s from the drama), but at least it’s in HD!

Huang Yida A.K.A. 黃義達 - 臭男人 [Chou Nan Ren - Jerk]:

Soumia - Quand Tu N'es Pas Là

I found this artist while searching for French music artists. I don’t believe this was the song I found first, but when I looked for more of her music as follow-up I especially liked it.
Note: There’s a hi-def option!

Soumia - Quand Tu N'es Pas Là [When You’re Not Here]:

Declan Bennett - 15 Minutes

This artist’s very audible British dialect entertains me. :D I found out about this artist through an article on a website, I think sometime within the past year. He has some nice downbeat songs, but I opted for a more upbeat one this time; I especially like how fast he recites the lyrics in the beginning.

Declan Bennett - 15 Minutes:

Bana - Half Pain

I heard this song while watching the anime series Witch Hunter Robin, as it’s the ending theme. This is one of my favorite anime theme songs. I also like the visuals for the ending credits, which fortunately are displayed in this video.
Note: The video has HD AND a loose English translation of the lyrics!

Bana - Half Pain:

AFI - Prelude 12/21

I’ve known of this artist for a long time, though I never really got into their music. I heard this song much more recently, though, and thought it sounded cool despite its shortness. I think my friend sent me this song last year because he thought I’d like it.

AFI - Prelude 12/21: