[rotation 53] rise & shine
Sunday, October 24, 2010 posted at 7:45 PM
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Sorry for the lack of updates from me lately! Thanks, Carmi, for keeping the site active. :) This is a mixtape/rotation for the morning (I intended it as a "mixtape" but uploaded the songs individually). There's a lot of variety in this mix, for different moods and days. Some are for the times where you wake up to a nice, sunny day and you just need a nice, light song to wake you up. Some are energetic, uptempo songs for the times you really, really can't get out of bed. Enjoy the music!

- Haruhi

001. Yellow Wings - Ferraby Lionheart
English | Folk Pop/Acoustic
A pretty, light song that relies mostly on delicately crafted acoustic guitar and Ferraby Lionheart's warm voice, which is perfectly suited to this brand of folk pop. Great for those warm, bright mornings where you're looking forward to the day ahead.

002. Eternal Love - mink
Japanese/English | Pop
mink is a Korean singer based in Japan, who sings a lot of songs with English lyrics. She's one of my favourite female vocalists. This song alternates between Japanese and English. mink's creamy, warm voice has such a lovely tone, and the hopeful melody of this song, sweet harmonies, and minimal accompaniment based on piano and acoustic guitar makes it a perfect choice to start your day with.

003. アイシテル (Aishiteru) - MONKEY MAJIK
Japanese | Pop-Rock
I love MONKEY MAJIK. I chose Aishiteru because of its beautiful accompaniment - I love the warmth of the piano, and how it contrasts with the crisp, faint acoustic guitar chords (later some electric guitar is used too), not to mention the light strings. It's a little downtempo in tone at times, but picks up during the chorus.

004. Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
English | Pop/Rock
I don't think this song needs much of an introduction. I really love Maroon 5's Songs About Jane album although their newer work is a bit hit-or-miss with me, so this song is really familiar to me and I love the rich piano chords paired with Adam Levine's chocolatey voice. The smooth, laid-back feel of this song is great for mornings.

005. Always Running Out Of Time - Motion City Soundtrack
English | Pop/Rock
This song is from the Alice in Wonderland OST, it's got a bit of an indie-rock feel to it, featuring quick guitar work and catchy melody.

006. Mother Woman - As In Rebekkamaria
English | Alternative Pop
She's a recent find of mine, but I love her - this song in particular. Between a light, airy atmosphere, Rebekkamaria's refreshing vocals, and an innovative percussion and bass line, what is there not to like? She might not be for everyone, but at the same time I don't think that her music is so out-there that it's inaccessible - it's definitely very unique though. Give her a try, you won't regret it.

007. Shut Up And Explode - Boom Boom Satellites
Japanese | Electronic
This is for those mornings where you just can't get out of bed. Like you might have guessed from the name, this song is high-energy, in your face, and unapologetic. While it's not a song for all occasions, it's not just mindless noise either. Boom Boom Satellites mixes elements of rock and electronica - gritty electronic guitars, smooth synths - to create a fantastic atmosphere. If you need a song to get you pumped, this is it.

008. Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars
English | Pop
I don't know about you, but waking up to a creamy, smooth voice like Bruno Mars sounds pretty good to me. This is the single from his latest album. It's very feel-good and sweet, but it's all about the vocals - his voice is so unique and such a pleasure to listen to.

009. I was Wrong - capsule
English | Electronica
I uploaded this in my electro-pop rotation, but since this is the song I usually play when my first alarm goes off, I just had to include it here. It's the perfect song to listen to while you're taking your five-more-minutes of sleep before you really have to get up. This ambient track is just a little downtempo without being too slow, and the mixture of echo-y percussion and rich piano, coupled with gorgeous vocals, is just flawless. It's such a sophisticated song, and shows capsule's ability to do not only upbeat club tracks well, but also something very mature and beautiful.

010. Wake Up! - DEPAPEPE
Instrumental | Acoustic
Whenever I hear this song, I see a bright, sunny morning. DEPAPEPE is an amazing acoustic guitar duo. Just looking at the name, it's pretty clear this song is perfect for mornings. It's so summery and warm, and it always puts me in a good mood.

011. Hot! - Minwoo ft. Son Dambi
Korean | Pop
An upbeat dance track from Shinhwa's Lee MinWoo. It's energetic, bright, and refreshing.

012. Thieves in the Night - Hot Chip
English | Electropop/rock
Starting out with warm synths that lead into a bass drum backbeat before the vocals drop in, there's something about how constructed this song is that I really appreciate. It's not too heavy on the synths, but they're definitely there. Indie fans should check this out.

013. Running Out of Time - Hot Hot Heat
English | Indie Rock
Steve Bays has such a distinctive voice; it's definitely a bit of an acquired taste but I think it's perfectly suited to Hot Hot Heat's brand of upbeat rock. I'm not a fan of everything this band does, and their newer material is generally a miss for me, but I really like the bright energy of this song. It just makes you want to dance.

014. Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells
English | Electronic
This is the first song I've heard from this Brooklyn-based duo, but so far, I'm hooked. Tell 'Em's rapid-fire synths/drums are perfectly executed, paired with anthem-like electric guitar riffs. Its energy is infectious, and it's so unique.

015. She Owns the Night (ft. Mohombi) - Far*East Movement
English | Hip-Hop
As much as I want to support Asian-American artists, Far*East Movement has always been a little too Americanized for my taste. That being said, She Owns the Night has a fantastic synthy bass part which is really boomy and deep, it provides a great contrast with the lighter synth lines over top (if that sounds like a lot of synths, they're handled well and the song itself is surprisingly light-sounding). You could still consider it a club song, but at the same time it's toned down enough to listen to outside of parties as well.

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rotation 53: mixtape - dance, dance, dance
Thursday, October 7, 2010 posted at 6:11 PM
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A small mixtape that I put together quickly; I'm working on a bigger one (with a different theme) that will probably be the next rotation as well as a continuation of the first mixtape I posted here, don't mess with me (if you follow the link you'll have to click the entries icon to get to the entry). Sorry if you're not a mixtape fan as you'll probably be seeing a lot of them soon. Enjoy the songs!

- Haruhi

*mix: dance, dance, dance

tracklist;

001 Seventeen Years Ratatat
002 Starstrukk 3OH!3
003 FLASH BACK capsule
004 A Plus D / Stardust Kids David Bowie vs. MGMT
005 美人計 Jolin Tsai
006 Pop (Feat. Saphfire) House Rulez
007 히비예 히비요 (Hibiye Hibiyo) Moon Ji Eun
008 I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance (The Twelves Remix) Black Kids
009 Girls on the Dance Floor (Feat. 24/8) Far*East Movement
010 Not Myself Tonight Christina Aguilera
011 Dirty Ice Cream Lady Gaga

download;
Mediafire

Some of these are songs that I only like when I'm in a certain mood and otherwise would not really be fond of (Starstrukk, Girls on the Dance Floor, Dirty Ice Cream) but others are pretty good no matter what mood you're in - Seventeen Years is an awesome electronica-meets-post-rock track that is incredibly catchy, and I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance is also pretty catchy. I'm not a Jolin fan, but 美人計 is a really danceable song. A Plus D / Stardust Kids is a lovely little mash-up, and of course you can never go wrong with capsule, featured here with their song FLASH BACK.

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