2NE1 - I Love You

 2012; 1 track My absolute favorite South Korean girl-pop group 2NE1's new single "I Love You" is out today (or rather, yesterday), and I literally can't stop listening to it!! I am so in love with it. You can find it different places, or you can just hear it here. I am soooo in looove with itttt. Oops I already said that.

p.s. the spoken intro sounds a lot like lady gaga. :s


I love you every day, in every way

Googoosh - Googoosh

 2011; 11 tracks  Googoosh is Faegheh Atashin, an Iranian singer and actress who has been releasing pop albums since 1970 and is continuing to tour and spread her music throughout the world.

This release is a compilation of tracks that survived the destructive Iranian revolution of 1979, in which many of her pre-1980 songs and performances were hidden or banned, and sometimes even destroyed.


Download.

f(x) - Pinocchio

 2011; 10 tracks  Fun and cute and really awesome all-girl pop from one of South Korea's biggest girl-pop groups, f(x). I love this album. So. Much.

"빙그르 (Sweet Witches)" is my favorite track!

Download.

현아 - Bubble Pop! EP

2011; 5 tracks



현아 (Hyun Ah) is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. She is also the main rapper in the popular girl group 4minute. This is her debut EP, after releasing a popular single last year, and the title track, "Bubble Pop!" is super catchy. I like this EP a whole lot, her voice has a lot of character and the music isn't overblown and obnoxious... The track "A Bitter Day" is actually quite beautiful, and "Downtown" is really awesome. Yes, I love this.



Download.

Twin Sister - Color My Life

2010; 6 tracks



Sensuous, dream-like and pretty indie pop from New York. I don't know much about this band, and for some reason I'm not too interested in looking it all up. But, really, I could easily sleep to this. (last.fm?)



Download.



EDIT: the more i listen to this the more i love it.

The Bats - Daddy's Highway

1987; 17 tracks

The Bats are an influential New Zealand-based band with a discography that is still growing. This was their debut album - cold and melancholic, yet poppy.



Download.

East Village - Drop Out

1993; 10 tracks



This is an incredibly lovely album, the melodies mild and flowing. Highlights: "Shipwrecked," "Black Autumn," and "Everybody Knows."



"Formed in the mid '80s by two brothers, Martin & Paul Kelly, East Village (originally Episode 4) were the sound of the Byrds relocated to surburban Southern England. Martin and Paul were unique amongst their peers in that they were influenced heavily by The Byrds, Dylan and The Beatles at a time when most people were obsessing over acid house, pills and the width of their trousers. After a couple of years as Episode 4, the Kelly Brothers relocated to East Village, where they were joined by Johnny Wood (guitar/vocals) and Spencer Smith (drums)."



While the band was only Martin & Paul, a rare EP entitled Strike Up Matches was recorded for £78 in one day. After Drop Out was released in 1993, a compilation album, Hotrod Hotel, that contained all of their singles and some unreleased songs, was released in 1994. Try this, you will like it!



I'll get away from the shadows

Slim Twig - Contempt!

2009; 12 tracks

Contempt! is the debut, full-length album from Slim Twig, a self-made exercise in resourcefulness where Slim experimented with whatever he could get his hands on. It leans decidedly towards an innovative pop sound that places sampling and found sound firmly at its core. The result, pairing the artist’s 'switchblade-sharp lyrics' (NOW Magazine) with a rawer, sample-based aesthetic, is unpredictable and highly original. Beyond the attempt to move away from a conventional guitar and drum-based set up, the project is Slim’s reconciliation of his obsession with early 90s New York hip hop and the rockabilly-inflected persona that he has already cultivated. Think of it as ‘Elvis lost in the 36 Chambers’, fighting through lyrics that evoke dark, fragmented images and depraved characters.



Download.

2NE1 - 2NE1 EP & To Anyone

 2009; 7 tracks

01 Fire
02 I Don't Care
03 In the Club
04 Let's Go Party
05 Pretty Boy
06 Stay Together
07 Lollipop

Download.   2010; 12 tracks

01 Can't Nobody
02 Go Away
03 박수쳐 (Clap Your Hands)
04 난 바빠 (I'm Busy)
05 아파 (Slow)
06 사랑은 아야야 (Love is Ouch)
07 You and I
08 Please Don't Go
09 Kiss
10 날 따라 해봐요 (Follow Me)
11 I Don't Care
12 Can't Nobody (English version)
Download.

2NE1 is a fairly new South Korean hip-hop / pop girl group consisting of four members - CL, Minzy, Dara, and Bom. Here are their two most recent releases, both full of great k-pop music that tends to the hip-hop / rap / electronic side. They sing a lot of their songs in English. Favorites, ever: "난 바빠" and "Kiss" off of To Anyone. Enjoooyyyy.

ルナパーク・アンサンブル (Luna Park Ensemble) - Mushi Kui Mandala

1998; 17 tracks

"Uber-whimsical art rock screwiness from the endlessly fascinating 80's Japanese undeground. This CD compiles material from their two very rare LP releases and presents a group with a pronounced affection for After Dinner-like delicate pop discombobulation."

Here we have a creative ensemble of sounds from various styles - free-form psychedelic, dazzling and fantastical pop-inspired jazz. It is ingenious, it is fun, it is great.

01 スクランブル・スーツ
02 虫喰いマンダラ
03 今夜視る夢
04 たきびが消えた
05 傘とお弁当
06 わたしの宝物
07 森の抜け道
08 恋の中毒
09 葡萄の蔓
10 ワルツ(ああ,だめだ)
11 可愛い私のドッペルゲンガー
12 水晶宮殿
13 抗うつ済
14 ネッカーズ・ワルツ
15 パノラマ島
16 青空落下
17 無題

Download.

Ｓｔｉｌｌ - Pale Face EP

1985; 5 tracks

Here is the 1985 EP released by Japanese experimental group Ｓｔｉｌｌ, the silken vocals provided by Toshie Santo. Their style consists mostly of jazzy guitars, poppy beats and an overall light and airy atmosphere. Some might consider their sound as new-wave. Pale Face is easy and whimsical to listen to, with not a second of filler that I could detect.

The live track "Orgel" is recorded in this link.

Download.

note: the folder included in the file is mistagged - it should say "pale face" instead of "real time."

少女時代 - 1st Japan Album

2011; 12 tracks

少女時代 is the correct Japanese tagging of the Japanese releases by South Korean pop group 소녀시대, also known as Girls' Generation and SNSD.

Here is 1st Japan Album, a conglomeration of a few singles ("Hoot," "Gee," "Genie") that have appeared on other releases, and some new tracks. It is awesome. Simple as that.


Download.

Ovens - Ovens

2009 (?); 44 tracks

"Weezer crossed with The Fucking Champs, playing minute long, hook-laden pop rock songs about smoking PCP and falling down.

There are 44 tracks, so no track-listing for you, but here are some highlights: 'Puke When I'm Sad,' 'We Know We Suck,' 'Braden's Bleeding Head' and of course: 'PCP Song.'"

This is an AMAZING album! It is full of incredible moments, fun and beautiful and catchy. Even though most of the songs are a little too short to get attached to, they are well worth their while. I'm so so so glad I found this.


Woke up in a garbage can, bleeding from the head again.

Senator Flux - Storyknife

1991; 10 tracks

Senator Flux was a D.C. hardcore band from the late 80s. Their syle is more indie rock, but influences of pop and punk are pervasive in Storyknife. This is a nice record of interesting music, I think I like "Canadia" the most.

Download.

二階堂和美 (Nikaido Kazumi) - また おとしましたよ

2003; 13 tracks

Nikaido Kazumi is a lovely young Japanese singer of mellow pop/folk music. With just her and her guitar, these lovely waves of tracks turn simple melodies into gorgeous songs, as warm and beautiful as a day by the ocean. Nikaido's music is a precious blend of cute, heartbreaking, and ethereal. I realllllyy recommend this!

"また　おとしましたよ (Mata oto shimashita yo), or You Dropped Something Again, Didn't You?, is a foray into beautiful and simplistic pop album that focuses on Kazumi Nikaido's beautiful voice as the instrument of choice. Fragmented melodies that feel so innocent and playful in the most childish manner ever. What we have here is mostly just soft acoustic strumming that manages not to sound like every other singer/songwriter who uses an acoustic guitar. It's even slightly experimental, and Nikaido uses her voice to great effect, whether it's sounding more intimate or more screechy (like in "Even Though the Time Passes"). Nikaido can make eight minute songs seem like nothing; you really do just drift along with her music."


Download.

Buono! - Buono!2

 2009; 12 tracks  Buono! is a J-pop group under Hello! Project, a collective of all-female Japanese pop recording artists. Buono! (meaning Tasty!) is Momoko Tsugunaga and Miyabi Natsuyaki from Berryz工房, and Airi Suzuki from °C-ute.  Download. 

Françoise Hardy - Comment te dire adieu?

 1968; 12 tracks

God, this album... it is honestly beyond words. Françoise Hardy was a French singer of the 60s, focusing on pop and fashion. On Comment te dire adieu?, which originally had no title, each song is beautifully written and sung, the lyrics from a variety of sources. Françoise Hardy's voice is unlike anything I've ever heard, especially in the realm of French 60s pop singers. Lacking the deep, seductive qualities of Juliette Gréco, but not as sweet and childlike as the voice of France Gall, Hardy seems to float just in the middle with her pure, heavenly voice. My particular favorites are the softer, acoustic tracks, like "Où va la chance ?" and "A quoi ça sert ?" Listen to these two and you'll know what I'm talking about.

"...Tastefully imaginative orchestration, strong melodies, and sexy vocals. It's perhaps even sadder and more sentimental than was the norm for Françoise - she perpetually seems to be singing as though she's gazing out of a deserted château on a rainy afternoon. She largely forsakes original material here (although a couple cuts bear her writing credit), and offers fine, haunting French interpretations of Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne,' Phil Ochs' 'There But for Fortune,' and Ricky Nelson's 'Lonesome Town.'"

This is the first album I've heard of hers, and it's amazing, but I really want to hear more. Any suggestions? :3


Download.

Zouzou - L'intégrale

2003; 21 tracks

Here is a collection of 60s songs sung by Zouzou (Danièle Ciarlet). She's a French ye-ye/pop artist and she's fantastic. I've been listening to Chantal Goya, and I thought she was good, but Zouzou is even more spectacular. Particular highlights from that album are 'L'Heroiene' and 'Mes Convenances' (ye-ye + punk?!!), but there's a handful of other beautiful songs too.

Download.

Sparks - Propaganda

1974; 14 tracks

Sparks is an American glam/pop-rock band, formed in 1970 by brothers Ron and Russel Mael. I love this album so so much, as it reminds me of Queen but is actually much better. The brothers are very charismatic musicians/performers and if you've ever seen a youtube video or something of them performing their music, it is quite awesome. Anyways, this is my favorite Sparks album, and I really love the song "Something for the Girl with Everything."

Download.

Goldfrapp

I just began listening to Goldfrapp (real name:Allison Goldfrapp) because I was really excited to see that she shared my name. I heard from my boyfriend that Seventh Tree was his favorite album, and I wanted to hear it, but the next day I couldn't remember which album it was that he had said. SOOO, I got Black Cherry and was amazed. I eventually also got Seventh Tree and it was extremely gorgeous, to say the least. I decided to put them both up here, although I do like Seventh Tree a tiny bit better :')

Black Cherry


2003; 10 tracks

Download.


Seventh Tree


2008; 10 tracks

Download.