It's been quite a while since Music Monday has appeared on the blog! But never fear; I haven't forgotten the feature. This week, to mark the tenth (!) Music Monday post, I'm sharing two songs that I've recently discovered and loved.

So, story time: I'm a Korean (you know this) and I'm very, very proud of my heritage (you know this, too). But for some reason, I've never been into Korean music—at least not to the same extent that I'm into English-language music. There are some older Korean songs that I love love love, and I've been hearing them sung by my parents for so long that they're a part of my soul. (No, really. My earliest memory involves my father singing one of those songs.) But more recent Korean music? Not really my thing, mainly because—as most of you probably know—K-pop is a huge deal, both in Korea and internationally. Unfortunately, I don't really enjoy most of the K-pop I listen to.

(Please can no one murder me for that?)

However, something I do love that is recent and Korean is Korean variety TV shows. I'm not big on K-dramas or American variety shows, but I'll take Running Man or Infinite Challenge any day. The most recent episodes of the latter have focused on show members' collaborations with various Korean musicians, and I've found that some of those musicians' work has slipped its way into my ears—and my heart.

Most likely most of my blog readers won't understand the lyrics of these songs, but I wanted to share them with you anyway!

actual dorks. am i right or am i right / [via]

First up is "Wi Ing Wi Ing" (위잉위잉) from the band Hyukoh (혁오). Their lead singer and main songwriter, Oh Hyuk (second from the left), has a really wonderful, distinctive voice and writes surprisingly thoughtful lyrics. Those qualities, combined with the overall sound of their songs, make Hyukoh's work a surefire way to lift my mood. And I'm not the only one who thinks so—since the band's introduction in 2014, their popularity has soared in Korea and beyond.

"Wi Ing Wi Ing", from Hyukoh's debut EP 20, is one of their better-known songs, having climbed up to #2 on Korea's Gaon Music Chart as of July 30. (Their song "Comes and Goes", which I also really like, was #3 on that same day.) Here! Have a listen:



Also, it's most likely just me, but I get major Raven Boys vibes when I see the above picture. (For some reason, they seem like Noah, Ronan, Gansey, and Adam from left to right but in a painfully dorky Korean way. But then again I see the Raven Cycle just about everywhere I look, so probably you should disregard.)

also a dork (do not let his hat + glasses fool you) / [via]

My second pick is "Yanghwa BRDG" (양화대교) by solo hip-hop musician Zion.T. Yes, I know what you're thinking: "Christina—notorious for subsisting on an obnoxiously artsy music diet of film soundtracks, classical music, and indie folk—enjoyed something from a hip-hop musician?"

First: yes. Second: if there's anything I've learned from listening to a lot (and I mean a lot) of music in my life, it's that comfort zones are basically there to be broken. Third: now that I think about it, "Yanghwa BRDG" is probably the most artsy of Zion.T's songs. So.

Anyway, this is a very lonely/lovely song that evokes night driving in the city. The lyrics are poignant but deceptively simple. And I really love it. Released as a single in 2014, "Yanghwa Bridge" was actually #1 on the Gaon Music Chart as of July 30. You can listen to the song right here:

Any lovers of Korean music out there? Or alternatively, if you speak a second/third/etc. language, do you enjoy listening to music in that language?

Read More

For this week's Music Monday, I'm hitting two birds with one stone and completing the Lyric Medley Tag on my Monday feature—for which I was tagged by Alyssa (I'm obviously running out of laudatory adjectives to describe her). 

Anyway, into the mess that is my music taste!

Read More

You think I am exaggerating in the title of this post. I am actually not.

(I'm talking about this Alyssa and you should go give her ALL THE LOVE because she's a wonderful person.)

What happened, you might ask?

Only the most AMAZING THING OF EVER. Allow me to elaborate. (Which I'm already doing, but bear with me because my mind is still awash in fangirly nonsense.)

Read More

I haven't done a Music Monday in quite a while! To make up for it, I'm introducing a snazzy new blog design and graphics - and recommending two songs that I think you'll really enjoy.

"Flicker" by Lorde (Kanye West Rework)

This is the Kanye West rework of Lorde's "Yellow Flicker Beat", a song produced for the new Mockingjay movie. I thought the original was fabulous, because I already love Lorde's electrifying voice, and this song's lyrics and melody are just killer. It's everything I could ask for. But oh my oh my. I thought that the pacing and instrumentals of this were so much better than the original's (I didn't even know that improving this song was possible, honestly) and this is the perfect song for some of my favorite fire-and-death female characters (Celaena Sardothien, anyone?). This gave me chills.

I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm

And the scars that mark my body, they're silver and gold

My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones

It keeps my veins hot, the fire's found a home in me

I move through town, I'm quiet like a fight

And my necklace is of rope, I tie it and untie

"Hercules" by Sara Bareilles

I was a little skeptical of Sara Bareilles - I just feel like I've heard her song "Brave" one too many times, and it grates on my nerves now. But so many people on the Internet just love her so, so much, so I had to pick one of the songs from her latest album on Spotify and give it a listen. Now I'm really glad I did. Bareilles's voice is so strong and... I don't know, earthy? It's really nice, and the lyrics of this song are so beautiful. Plus, more character songs (interestingly enough, this works for Celaena as well)!

I've lost a grip on where I started from

I wish I'd thought ahead and left a few crumbs

I'm on the hunt for who I've not yet become

But I'd settle for a little equilibrium

There is a war inside my heart gone silent

Both sides dissatisfied and somewhat violent

The issue I have now begun to see

I am the only lonely casualty

Have a happy Music Monday, and I hope these picks find their way into your heart!

Read More

I've been listening to a ton of music lately - after downloading the Spotify app, my life has never been quite the same. I've discovered a lot of amazing artists that I'll be sure to highlight in future Music Monday features.

This week's MM is kind of a cheat, since it's a fanmix that I made last week on 8tracks, but I'm ridiculously proud of it and it does have music that I want to share with my blog readers. (I've gotten way into 8tracks lately, and now I have fifteen or so in-progress mixes on there.)

your majesties from clocksandcages on 8tracks Radio.

The mix is based around the aesthetic and emotions of the "power couple". Here's the description I wrote up for the Tumblr post:

a mix for the power couple, the king and queen. two souls like ice, like steel, like rust, intoxicated with each other but so afraid to be. iron hands, iron hearts, clasped together, unbreakable. too similar to ever be perfectly harmonious, but certainly learning to love, to be vulnerable. maddened by each other and far too strong to bend. brought together in a crash of bright sparks by their arranged, merely political marriage. they haven’t stopped glowing since.

And here's the tracklist:

i. viva la vida (live) - coldplay / ii. anaesthetic - thomston / iii. winter - daughter / iv. born to die (two friends remix) - lana del rey / v. red - celia pavey / vi. to sleep apart - farao / vii. dance me to the end of love - the civil wars / viii. skyfall - adele

The original Tumblr post, which is here, has 115 notes so far - the most notes any Tumblr post of mine has ever gotten. So yes, I'm a tiny bit proud of it. 

So hit play this Monday, and I hope you enjoy this destructive, varied music mix that I put together!

Read More

Oh man.

This song has worked its way into my bones and I don't even know why or how or when. I just love it so much.

So I've listened to three different versions of "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys.

It seems a little over the top, I know. But it's a great song, perfect for dark musings at ungodly hours of the night, simmering and dusky and cool. All three versions are equally fantastic and have their own appeal, so I've embedded them all below.

The Original: LISTEN ON SPOTIFY / or you can Google it if Spotify isn't working for you

The original evokes the most unique mood, I think, and that's what drew me to this song in the first place. There's a rough, bloodshot, half-crazy aesthetic to the entire thing that carries a dangerous appeal. (In fact, it reminds me so much of Ronan and Adam from Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle series that I want to burst. Right down to the lyrics and the background and everything.)

The Vitamin String Quartet Cover:

This is a tiny bit slower than the original (a really tiny bit!), but I love string quartets with the fire of a thousand suns, and the way VSQ has interpreted the song here makes it just as amazing even without the lyrics. 

The Paola Bennet Cover:



I've talked about Paola Bennet before - in the very first Music Monday post I ever did, in fact. But I couldn't resist featuring her again for this cover because it's gorgeous. It makes me ache in corners of my heart I never knew existed.

So I know this is a bit of a short post, but hopefully the music rec makes up for it! I'll leave you with a snippet of my favorite part of the song:

So have you got the guts?

Been wondering if your heart's still open 

And if so I wanna know what time it shuts

Simmer down and pucker up

I'm sorry to interrupt

It's just I'm constantly on the cusp

Of trying to kiss you

Enjoy, and do comment with your thoughts!

Read More

Wow, I haven't done a Music Monday in a really long while! So today I'll be sharing two new picks with you as a sort of comeback.

First up is Farao, a UK-based indie artist whose haunting voice and chilling atmosphere make for some really great music. I found Farao through Maggie Stiefvater's Tumblr, because I pretty much trust Maggie Stiefvater's taste in almost all areas. A writer that great is going to be able to appreciate good music, right?

Anyway.



The first of Farao's songs that I listened to was "The Hours", and oh man. Oh man. Shivers all around. Farao's voice has a quiet depth and power that took me totally by surprise, and the background instrumentals are basically the best thing ever.

Another one of Farao's songs that I found was "Tell a Lie" - and again, more ethereal and wonderful vocals and background. Feast your ears below:



The lyrics are also absolutely stunning, if you listen closely enough to catch them. These songs have so many stories inside of them, and I'll be sure to pick them clean for inspiration in the future.

The second pick is a song by The Civil Wars called "Devil's Backbone". The simple, soft harmonies of the vocals in this are breathtaking, and the climax that the song climbs to is bone-shaking and gorgeous. I believe I came across while listening to a fanmix for the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (one of my all-time favorites, by the way) and I immediately made note of it.

While it's not on Soundcloud (so I can't embed it, unfortunately), "Devil's Backbone" is on Spotify, for those of you who use that. (If you don't, I highly recommend it. I keep all my writing playlists there.)

So Spotify users should please listen to this beautiful song here: https://play.spotify.com/track/4qoD4IJbbir3hsAu4IowiG.

A snippet of the lyrics:

Oh Lord, Oh Lord, he’s somewhere between

A hangman’s knot, and three mouths to feed

There wasn’t a wrong or a right he could choose

He did what he had to do

Oh he did what he had to do

Yeah. Pretty in a mournful way, I suppose.

Add some beauty to your Monday with these songs - I hope you fall in love with them as much as I did!

Read More

Since I missed Music Monday last week, I'll do two things this week! AND they're both instrumental for the crowd that doesn't much like to listen to lyrics, haha ~



First on this Monday is "The Scorpio Races", composed by Maggie Stiefvater (also the author of the novel of the same name). Not only it is absolutely-flipping-perfect for the book - which I love love love - but it's a rollicking instrumental piece with wonderful Irish/Celtic influences. I feel like it could make really great writing music for my author friends out there, so give it a try!

If you like: horse racing, sea spray, salt on your tongue, or just good music - please do listen.

Apparently, some people are good at everything. *sigh*

I don't know this violinist or this piece very well, but "Czardas" is an exhilarating musical adventure.

So, instrumentals for this (admittedly somewhat dreary) Monday!

Read More

Lullatone is my second Music Monday pick. Although everything I've heard of theirs is instrumental, it's very pleasant, cheerful, sweet music. It's perfect for just what the album is called: everyday adventures.

Actually, Lullatone is a husband-and-wife duo - Shawn James Seymour and Yoshimi Tomida. These dreamlike, happy tunes will be sure to make your day and paint nicer colors into the background of your mood.

Next is "Soften and Shake", a song by Olivia Broadfield that Lee was kind enough to recommend to me.

Apparently this was part of an episode of The Vampire Diaries, which I don't watch, but no matter. The song is actually perfect for a certain couple in On the Midnight Streets, so discovering it has made me feel very nice.

Been good been bad 

Been hard to break 

With you I feel myself soften and shake 

So please be good to me 

And I'll be good to you

So here are two bits of music for you that I hope you'll like as much as I did!

Read More

As part of my 2014 resolution to post on this blog more regularly, I'm going to run a weekly feature called "Music Monday", where I share music that I've found that I love. (Fellow bloggers, feel free to join in! I'd love to see your music picks in a link in the comments or some such nice thing.)

My first found-sound (haha, that has a nice ring to it, huh?) is "Picture Perfect" by nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter Paola Bennet. I first found her on Tumblr, where synthetic-synaesthesia had reblogged a cover song of hers.

I think this song is so perfect because it's a simple, sweet way to commemorate finding yourself in a big, lonely place - and that feeling of wandering is so well-captured in these lyrics and Paola's beautiful voice.

Go on, get the keys - drive 

Until we hit the coast 

See the beach at night 

The stars I love the most 

You may be picture perfect, babe, 

But there are things you don't know

So hit play, my dears, and enjoy this bright addition to your Monday!

Read More