Day 47: Hirasawa Susumu

Yep, another Japanese band. Sorry for so many of them so close together, but I absolutely have to post this one today.

Nobody in the entire world has inspiried me more than Satoshi Kon. His movies are incredible, and he's my absolute favoirte director ever. His movies blew me away, and if I could be half as brilliant as him, I'd be happy forever.

Today, he passed away at age 47. And words cannot express how upset I am. Seeing him as the #2 trending topic on twitter, reading through condolences...it just doesn't seem real. A guy this amazing can't die so young and unexpectedly.

Satoshi Kon had great taste in music, because he was a fan of Hirasawa Susumu. Hirasawa Susumu did music for Paranoia Agent, Paprika, and Millennium Actress, all by Satoshi Kon. Both of them together were nothing short of amazing. And now the thought that they'll never collaborate again is freaking killing me.

Today's feature is one of Hirasawa Susumu's songs from Millennium Actress, Rotation LOTUS. Spoilers ahead: This is song is played during the ending credits of the movie, just after the main character, an actress named Chiyoko dies. The last we see of her is a scene from one of her movies, as she blasts off into space and dissappears, representing her dying and moving on to heaven or whatever. /end spoilers. I'll never be able to watch that scene, or hear this song without crying. But I thought a song from a part of the movie like that was perfect for sending someone off.

Goodbye, Satoshi Kon. Thank you so much. Thank you for everything. I wouldn't be the person I was today without you.

Day 46: Best Coast

I absolutely love Best Coast. Bethany has an awesome voice, and I always love when this song, Boyfriend, shows up on the radio. It was the first song I heard of hers, and I love it. I hope you do too!

Best Coast is from Los Angeles.

Day 45: the pillows

My absolute favorite song ever is today's feature. It's taken me forever to post it, and I don't really have a good reason for why it's taken so long. But I love it, so I need to post it now. [:

The song is 'Last Dinosaur' by the pillows. If you're familiar with anime, you my recognize it as the song played during the previews for the next episodes on Fooly Cooly. The whole soundtrack is done by The Pillows, and it's amazing. Even if you don't like anime, I HIGHLY reccomend checking out the soundtrack.

Sorry for posting two songs from the same country in a row, I've just kinda stopped worrying about that, lol.

Day 44: Start Of The Day

I first discovered Japanese music through a podcast my freshman year. (2007) The podcast was called 'All Rock, No Talk: Music From Japan' and it was an awesome introduction to j-rock. I found so many amazing bands through there. Perfume, Aural Vampire, Gollbetty, Chirinuruwowaka, Chatmonchy, Last Alliance, Bleach, Mika Nakashima, die!!die!!color!!!!, Mihimaru GT, SNoW, Start Of The Day, etc. I seriously wish I could find the person who did this podcast and give them a massive hug, because they majorly influenced my music tastes for the better.

Anyway, nostalgia aside, today's band is one that I discovered through that podcast: Start Of The Day. I love them dearly! I really dig unique voices, and Atsuko Watanabe definitely has one. The band has gone through a lot of changes since this song came out, (i.e: new drummer and bassist) but they're still awesome, and they'll have a new album out in Japan this September! The song is 'Hero of the Starry Night' the first song I ever heard of theirs, and my absolute favorite.



(p.s They were Start of the Day, then StartOfTheDay, and now they're Start of the Day again, right? This is confusing, lol)

Day 43: Twin Sister

Today's feature is a song by Twin Sister. I had this song on repeat soooo much while I was on vacation. It's called 'Nectarine', from their EP 'Vampires with Dreaming Kids', and it's really pretty! I hope you like it too! [:

Day 42: Jesca Hoop

-edited from pervious apology post-

Today's song feature is the current free song from Zune, because I'm lazy/lame/etc. It's "Feast of the Heart" by Jesca Hoop. I really like her voice! You can get it free from Zune right now, if you like it!

I'll hopefully be posting more regularly from here on out? I'm still not quite sure. OTL Sorry guys!

Day 41: Miami Scissors

Sorry I haven't been featuring anything regularly for the last few weeks. I've actually had a life recently, so I've been busy. And lazy. And I was sick for a while. OTL Things just kept getting in the way. I'm pretty busy this summer, so that won't change. Sorry! I'll update as much as possible.

Also, whoa! New views from new countries! Thanks guys! [:

Anyway, today's band is Miami Scissors, from Tver, Russia. 'Tuna's Angst' is probably my favorite song by them, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. This song is a close second, though. It's 'Fear Hides in Snare Drums' off their album 'First April Morning at the Empty Stadium' from 2007.

Day 40: Le Sport

Sorry for the lack of updates lately! I've been so lazy! OTL

Today's band is Le Sport, from Stockholm Sweden. The song is 'It's not the End of the World' and you can get it for free from Last.fm!

Day 39: Fleeting Joys

First off, sorry I haven't posted recently. I've been really sick. Like, really sick. But hopefully that's over and I'll be able to post regularly again.

Today's band is Fleeting Joys from Sacremento, California. The song is 'Lovely Crawl', and I've had it on repeat all morning. I hope you like it!

Day 38: die!!die!!color!!!

The band I'm featuring is die!!die!!color!!!. Like Aural Vampire, they're one of the first Japanese bands listened to. But unlike Aural Vampire, they're depressingly obscure. My favorite songs are 'Countdown', and 'Bid Start' but I can't find them anywhere. ]: But 'Trust' is good too, so that's what I'm featuring.

Day 37: Cao Fang

I absolutley adore Cao Fang, (曹方) also known as Icy. I first heard her on the GE commercials they played during the Beijing Olympics. They used her song 'In Summer' on it. I eventually figured out who she was, and now I've been listening to her ever since. She's from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China, and besides singing, she's also a songwriter and a melodica player.

I really, really, love 'In Summer' but all her music is great, so I wanted to show a less known song. This song is '黑色香水' which is 'Black Perfume' in English, I think. I like this song just as much as 'In Summer', and I hope you like it too!

Day 36: Sigur Rós

Today's song is by Sigur Rós, an awesome band from Reykjavík, Iceland. The song is Hoppipolla, which means 'Jumping into Puddles', I think. The band I featured a few days ago, We Are Scientists, did an awesome cover of this song. If you like them and today's song, go check it out!

Day 35: Tapes 'n Tapes

Whoaaa, sorry I didn't update yesterday! I spent the whole day in Omaha with friends, and I didn't get home until late. Sorry! D:

Well, since I spent the entire day there yesterday, and because of the College World Series going on, I'm featuring a song called 'Omaha'. Omaha is really an awesome place, imo. There's lots of good music, cool people, and hipsters, lol. I love it! But anyway, Omaha is by Tapes 'n Tapes, a band from Minneapolis. Hope you like it!

Day 34: The Dears

Today has been a pretty disappointing day, World Cup-wise. At least for me. But I saw Toy Story 3, and it was awesome!

Anyway, today's band is The Dears from Montreal, Quebec. I really love the vocalist's voice! [: The song is 'Lost In The Plot', and I heard in the car on Sirius XMU today.

Day 33: Aural Vampire

Today's song is by Aural Vampire, one of the very first Japanese bands I ever listened to! They're from Tokyo, and I really love them. [: The song of theirs that I'm featuring is the first one I ever heard, and my favorite: 'Darkwave Surfer'. Hope you like it!

Day 32: A Classic Education

Good morning, internet! Maybe you've realized it already, but Nylon's music issue has been inspiring the blog quite a bit lately. I first found both today's band and LCMDF through there, so thanks Nylon!

Today's band it from Bologna, Italy! They're A Classic Education. I don't really know very much about them, but I dig their music!

Day 31: We Are Scientists

If you noticed, there's a new little widget on the side of the blog now. It's my friend's blog, so go check it out! lol.

I didn't really know who to feature today, but I eventually decided on We Are Scientists. They're from right here in the United States, but they're more successful abroad. This song is 'Rules Don't Stop' and you can get it free right now from Zune, so don't miss out! It's off their new 'Barbara' album.

Day 30: Le Corps mince de Françoise

Sorry for the delay! Life has been a little wild lately, but I'm finally back and ready to post more music!

Today's featured band is Le Corps mince de Françoise, or LCMDF, made up of two sisters, Mia and Emma Kemppainen, from Helsinki, Finland. The song is 'Cool and Bored'. Hope you like it!

Day 29: Kettcar

Hey! Just a warning: I will not be featuring any more songs until the 11th or 12th, as I will be somewhere far away with no internet access. I might be able to post a song tomorrow, but it's unlikely. Sorry! ]: If I don't start posting again by the 13th or 14th...I must have died or something, lol. I'll do my very best to get back to posting asap!

Anyway, today's song is by another German band, Kettcar. The song is 'Nacht' off their album, 'Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen'. They're from Hamburg. Hope you like them! [:

Day 28: Tilly and the Wall

Since it's Memorial Day here, I have to feature an American band! They're a local band from right accross the river, in Omaha, Nebraska: Tilly and the Wall. They're unique because instead of a drummer, they have a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall. I wasn't sure what song to go with, so I just went with 'I Always Knew'. I hope you like it! [:

Day 27: Los Planetas

Today I'm featuring a band from a country I haven't featured yet: Spain! Today's band, Los Planetas is from Granada, Spain. The song of theirs that I'm featuring is 'Mil millones de veces'. I should probably know what that is in English, since I took Spanish for three years, but I don't. Sorry! I think it's something like 'A Thousand Million Times'? If you speak Spanish, let me know what it is! [: But I do know that Los Planetas means The Planets!

Day 26: Lykke Li

Lykke Li is my absolutle favorite! The only reason I haven't featured her yet is because I can't decide what song of hers to feature! I decided to go with 'Little Bit', because it's the first song of hers that I ever heard. It's from her 'Youth Novels' album. I hope you love it as much as I do! [:

Day 25: Moremoney

More views from Russia! Awesome! :D Thanks a bunch to all of you out there who stop by and check out my blog! I'm featuring another Russian band to celebrate this! It's Moremoney, formed in Moscow in 2007. The song is 'Hate', one of their only songs I could find on YouTube that wasn't live. Thanks again for stopping by! [:

Day 24: The Russian Futurists

Today I'm featuring the first Canadian band to be on the blog! It's The Russian Futurists, and they're awesome. They're based in Toronto. I just discovered them, and I love them already! The song is 'Let's Get Ready to Crumble'. The picture in the video is irrelevant, lol. It's the best quality video I could find, though, so it's the one I used!

Day 23: Bat For Lashes

Today was the last day of my junior year of high school! Pretty crazy! this year went way too fast!

Anyway, today's song is by a British singer, Natasha Khan, better know by her stage name, Bat For Lashes. She's not obscure or anything, and this song has won awards and whatnot, so it probably isn't new to anyone. But even if you have heard it already, it's still awesome, so it won't hurt to hear it again!

Day 22: Everything is Made in China

I got a view from Russia! This is super awesome! I had to celebrate by featuring a Russian band, of course! [: The featured band is Everything is Made in China, from Moscow. The song is 'Held Back Clapping', and I seriously dig it. I hope you do too! [: Thanks for stopping by!

Day 21: Phoenix

I'm sure all of you are plently familiar with Phoenix. You've certainly heard 1901 or Lisztomania on commericals or TV shows by now. But maybe you haven't heard this song, 'Armistice'. It's pretty dang awesome. [: Phoenix is from Versailles, France.

Day 20: Plastic Tree

As promised, here is your Japanese song! It's not one of the bands I had planned on featuring, though. The band is Plastic Tree, and they are from Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Choosing a song was really difficult, because I love all of their stuff! I ended up going with 'Kuuchuu Buranko' (Trapeze), but Ghost and Sanbika came really close! I HIGHLY reccomend you check out the other two songs, they're great!

Well, here you go! [:

Day 19: Shout Out Louds

Whoa! I got my first visitor from outside the US! This is exciting! [: I'll find another good Japanese song to feature soon, since that visitor was from Japan. It'll probably be Chatmonchy or die!!die!!color!!!! or maybe someone like LM.C. I haven't decided yet.

I'd had this song picked out ahead of time, so I'm still going to feature it, because it's awesome! The song is 'You are Dreaming' by Shout Out Louds, from Stockholm, Sweden.

Day 18: Juli

I haven't featured any German bands yet, so that's why I decided to go with Juli today! The song is 'Wir Beide'. They're from Gießen, Hesse, Germany. Their song 'Perfekte Welle' is available for download on Rock Band, I highly reccomend it! [:

Day 17: Mates of State

I've noticed that I always menion 'you', like I'm talking to a reader I have or something. But I don't have any readers, so that's weird of me. lol. It's also weird that I'm even saying this, because I'm just talking to myself. OTL

I've been having a harder time picking songs lately. Today I just went with 'Beautiful Dreamer' by Mates of State, from Kansas. I like it a lot! [:

Day 16: Dir En Grey

There's a good reason behind why I picked today's song! [:

When I had swine flu, all I did was lay in bed and listen to Dir En Grey. Nothing but Dir En Grey for four days, and I got over H1N1 and was back to normal. But I ended up giving it to my aunt, and then she had it for a week and a half! I am fully convinced that I recovered so quickly because of this band, lol. And maybe the fact that I ate nothing but chicken, couscous and cheesecake while I was sick had something to do with it.

Anyway, the reason I picked them is because I'm home sick today, so I figured I'd feature the band who got me through my last big illness. The funny thing about this band though, is that I absolutley adore their Gauze album. It's one of my favorites of all time. But I absolutley loathe their new music. It's just not my thing. It makes me sad, because their old stuff was SO good. ;__;

okay, whatever. I'm talking to much. Here's a great song from their first album, Gauze, released in 1999. It's called 'Yokan'.

Day 15: The Temper Trap

You've probably already heard this song, but I like it a lot, so I'm going to feature it anyway!

The song is 'Sweet Disposition' by a band from Melbourne, Australia, named The Temper Trap. Their music is in a ton of stuff including the movie 500 Days of Summer, the the TV shows Greek, Chuck, The Vampire Diaries, etc. I hope you like them!

Day 14: The Cure

Two weeks straight? Whoa! I promise I won't always be able to update this so often, but it's pretty cool that I've been able to do it this much so far! [:

Today's feature is one of my favorite bands ever, The Cure. And it's my favorite song by them too! This is 'Disintegration'. It's an old song, (the album it's from, also titled 'Disintegration', was released in 1989) so some of you guys might not be into this sort of thing! haha. I hope you like it, though. [: The Cure is from Crawley, West Sussex, England.

Day 13: Serena-Maneesh

oops, sorry this didn't work right the first time. Let's try again.

Today's song is 'Sapphire Eyes' by Serena-Maneesh, an awesome band from Oslo, Norway. Hope you like it!

Day Twelve: Dealership

Today's song is Database Corrupted by Dealership. Maybe you've played it on Rock Band before? I kind of adore this song. They're from Berkeley, California.

This was the only video I could find that wasn't of someone playing it on Rock Band. OTL The background is really distracting, sorry.

Day Eleven: Kaki King

Okay! Today's song is by Kaki King, from Atlanta, Georgia. The song is "Pull me out Alive". Not much to say today, sorry.

Day ten: Peter Bjorn and John

You've probably already heard PB&J before. Their song 'Young Folks' was pretty popular a few years ago. The song I'm playing today isn't 'Young Folks', it's my favorite song of theirs, and it's called 'Up Against The Wall'. Peter Bjorn and John are from Stockholm, Sweden.

Day nine: The Young Friends

There isn't much online about today's featured band, which is sad, because they're great! I've had this song on repeat quite a bit latley, it's definitley my favorite of my recent downloads. The song is Make Out Point, by The Young Friends. They're from Arizona!

Day 8: The Kissaway Trail

Okay! Today's band is The Kissaway Trail, of Odense, Denmark! The song is SDP from their latest album Sleep Mountain. They're awesome, so make sure to check out their other songs!

Day seven: Cold Cave

Happy monday! It's been a week since this blog first started. AWESOME!

Today's song is 'Life Magazine' by Cold Cave. They're from Philidelphia. I've been listening to this song a lot lately, hopefully you like it!

Day six: UVERworld

I listen to a lot of j-rock, but I haven't included any of it yet, until now. This is also the first song that isn't in English! Fun!

Today's song is Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi by UVERworld, from Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Any anime fans out there might recognize this as the opening of the second season of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Their songs have also been in Blood+, D. Gray-Man and Bleach. Enjoy!

Day Five: Twin Atlantic

I think that maybe if I include the band name in the title, songs will be easier to find later or whatever. I'll try to start doing that now. [: Prom is today, so I don't have much time to post! I'll make this quick.

Today's song is 'Lightspeed' by Twin Atlantic of Glasgow, Scotland. It was a free song from Zune a while back, and I really like it. Hopefully you will too! [:

Day four: Now Now Every Children

I had a hard time picking today! I eventually decided to go with 'Cars' by Now Now Every Children. I like a lot of their songs, so it was hard to pick. 'Friends with My Sister' and 'In My Chest' are really good too, so if you like this one check them out! They're from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Day Three: Beach House

I've somehow made it three days in a row! What a miracle! Let's see if I can keep it up even longer!

Today we have a song from Beach House, an awesome band from Baltimore, Maryland, made of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. This song is my current favorite of theirs, 'Norway' off their Teen Dream album. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Day two: Working for a Nuclear Free City

Seeing as it's Cinco de Mayo, I was going to play a song by a Mexican band, but I don't really have anything good from Mexico. Any suggestions?

Anyway, today I decided to go with a song by Working For a Nuclear Free City. I picked up their album 'Businessmen & Ghosts' at the public library a few months ago and totally fell in love with it. They're from Manchester, England.

Picking a song was hard, because I absolutley adore both 'All American Taste' and 'Quiet Place'. But I ended up going with the first one. (You can hear Quiet Place here, btw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFJeZ9rars)



irrelevant pictures in the video are irrelevant, haha. [:

Day one: Honey is Cool

We have to start things off with something good! I decided to go with 'Bolero' by Honey is Cool. It's my favorite song by them. The vocalist is Karin Dreijer Andersson, who you might recognize as the vocalist of The Knife! They were together from 1994-2000, and they're from Sweden.