[rotation 55] until daybreak
Thursday, December 2, 2010 posted at 6:28 PM
overview. songs for the nights you lie in bed, unable to sleep. waiting for the darkness to subside and the dawn to break, because you know you'll be wide awake until then. english, mandarin, korean, japanese, instrumental. ballad, alt rock, indie.
♪ set the fire to the third bar _snow patrol ft. martha wainwright
their words, mostly noises
ghosts with just voices
your words in my memory
are like music to me
♪ down _jason walker
so why do i try,
i know i'm gonna fall down
♪ seeing you off the edges _eluvium
♪ we are mice _azure ray
it's all in the eyes
the reckless way we dream to die
our past is our future
the present lies
somewhere between our hearts and minds
♪ infection _chihiro onitsuka
in the night
i realize this infection
♪ space between _katie noonan & the captains
space between us blue as oceans
gold as sunshine, red as my blood
♪ nicest thing _kate nash
i wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
i wish that without me you couldn't eat
i wish i was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep
♪ lonely lonely _feist
distance makes the heart grow weak
so that the mouth can barely speak
except to those who hide their needs
♪ still alright _pg. lost
♪ rocks _ben jelen
but now i'm doubting me, i know i shouldn't be but
i've been down, i've been down
♪ diary _kelly chen
loved until it hurt
hurt until i cried
cried until i was tired
the dilemmas in my heart
keep repeating
♪ winter song _sara bareilles ft. ingrid michaelson
is love alive?
♪ cry _kelly clarkson
i'm talking in circles
i'm lying, they know it
why won't this just all go away
♪ apres moi _regina spektor
i must go on standing
you can't break that which isn't yours
i must go on standing
i'm not my own, it's not my choice
♪ 카페인 _mot
♪ 愛我吧 _khalil fong
don't answer me,
don't answer me
♪ breaking my heart again _aqualung
need to know
i don't wanna know
already know
-
you're making me doubt
i thought i knew you
i don't even know myself
♪ teenage dream _the rescues
i can't sleep
let's run away and don't ever look back,
don't ever look back
♪ when my time comes _dawes
and now the only piece of advice that continues to help
is anyone making anything new only breaks something else
♪ moonlight punch romance _nell
i fell in love
with the silence of the night
bonus (not in zip).
♪ why _susie suh
why do i ask myself these questions?
comments. this mix is a bit of an amalgam. i wanted to include songs that provided some sense of comfort, but that doesn't mean they're calming - sometimes, they're only comforting because you've found something that perfectly reflects your mood. at the same time, i didn't want this to be a mix to help you get to sleep. it's more of a mix for understanding that you won't, if that makes sense. near the end of the mix, there's a few brighter, more hopeful songs - perhaps better suited for when the light is beginning to filter in. standouts include the rescues' harmonic, yearning cover of katy perry's teenage dream, regina spektor's dramatic apres moi, katie noonan's silky, rich voice in space between, and chihiro onitsuka's haunting infection. whatever keeps you up at night - i hope this helps.
Labels: Chihiro Onitsuka, Dawes, eluvium, Feist, Jason Walker, Kelly Chen, Kelly Clarkson, Khalil Fong, mixtape, Mot, Nell, pg.lost, Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles, Snow Patrol, Susie Suh, The Rescues
It's been a long time since I did a full rotation! It's not a very big one, only ten songs, but still. I know the site hasn't been as active recently - it's not a matter of me losing interest, it's just becoming harder and harder to find the time. Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently in the summer.
I was originally theming the rotation around lyrics, but there were some other English-language songs that I wanted to share just for the music itself and not necessarily lyrical content, so I sort of broadened the theme. Hopefully you'll find something you like. :)
Also, we have two new affiliates, Random.Shuffle.Play and YuMeMi Light. Be sure to check them out!
Please comment if taking!
- Haruhi
Nine in the Afternoon - Panic at the Disco
Pop Rock
Even if you're not familiar with Panic at the Disco (apparently they've re-added the exclamation mark to their name, but at the time this song was released they'd taken it out) you may recognize this song from Rockband. It's definitely more pop-oriented than some of their songs, but still holds their signature sound. It's catchy and sweet, and I love the full-bodied guitar, bright piano, and backdrop of warm brass instruments. It's definitely a lot more instrumentally developed than your typical pop track.
In Between The Lines - Tyrone Wells
Pop Rock/Soft Rock
This song was one that I just fell in love with on the first listen. I love the melody in the intro, especially how isolated it is with only a light piano accompaniment. The slow buildup of strings, then guitar and percussion is well-executed. While the verses have a melancholic tone, the chorus is hopeful - "Maybe one more chance and we'll get it right/I won't believe that all these days and all these dreams were only meant to fade". This is the only song I've heard from him (so far) but I'm impressed!
Between The Lines - Sara Bareilles
Pop
I love Sara Bareilles. She's one of my favourite female artists ever, any language. Opening with a simple but pretty piano arrangement that is consistent throughout most of the song, and later incorporating drums, bass and guitar, the accompaniment is lovely but always allows her strong, rich voice to shine through. The lyrics are sad, about being left for someone else, but as the song progresses, it seems that she starts to come to terms with the way things are. I especially love the lines, "Memory is cruel, queen of attention to details, defending intentions if he fails."
Look At Those Eyes - Alexz Johnson
Pop
Alexz Johnson was an actress in the show Instant Star, but don't think she's just another actress-turned-singer. She grew up in a musical family and has been taking singing lessons since she was nine, so she's been a musician from before her acting career kicked off. I really like her crisp but rich voice, it's almost like a jazz singer's. Although I find the guitar in the song a bit too twangy and Western-sounding, other than that, this song has really grown on me. Something about the beat and flow of the melody is just attention-catching, although I can't quite place what it is.
Shadow - Josh Hoge
Pop Rock
This is another artist I only recently discovered - and so far, this is the only song I have of his - but I love it. It's backed with simple guitar and echoey strings, with touches of percussion. The song is about being unable to forget someone - Try to run, I try to hide. I leave your memory behind - like a shadow, you won't leave. I take you everywhere with me. Josh Hoge delivers a vocal performance that is highly expressive, yet subtle.
Walking On A Dream - Empire of the Sun
Electronica/Pop-Rock
An endearing, catchy song with a charmingly dated sound (although it was released in 2008) and lots of warm, light synths. It's light-hearted and enjoyable.
Decode - Paramore
Rock
This song is actually from the Twilight soundtrack. While I absolutely hate the Twilight saga and pretty much anything affiliated with it (sorry to any fans out there) and I've never really been a huge Paramore fan either, bits of the lyrics just stood out to me, especially the chorus - "How did we get here, when I used to know you so well?" but compositionally, Decode isn't really anything special. It's a bit too repetitive and doesn't have much direction, but makes for a nice occasional listen. It's starting to grow on me, after a few listens.
Airplanes - B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams of Paramore
Pop
A lot of people have probably heard this song already, but it's another song that I just fell in love with on the first listen and I wanted to share it anyways. I love the warm accompaniment - everything sort of blends together nicely, but every now and then a piano line or guitar riff will stand out. B.o.B.'s rapping is a surprisingly good fit with Hayley William's vocals, which I really love in this song - more so than in some of her songs with Paramore. The lyrics are a bit deeper in the rap segments, but what stays in your head is really the chorus - Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now.
Fearless - Colbie Caillat
Pop
I started listening to her after hearing her collaboration with Jason Mraz in the song Lucky, her warm, rich voice really stood out to me. Piano-based Fearless is one of my favourite songs by her. I really love the emotional strength expressed in this song, especially through its lyrics.
Swan In the Water - Justin Nozuka
Acoustic Pop
I got this as a free single off of iTunes, and what a gem. I love how well this song flows, and the light yet powerful accompaniment - it takes its fair time to establish itself, with percussion only kicking in well into the track which opens with just some piano and acoustic guitar, and of course, Justin Nozuka's warm, expressive vocals, which suit the song perfectly. All the transitions are done extremely well, and although it's not a song you'd call "catchy", the melody always gets stuck in my head, especially where he sings "Swan in the water, how come you can't be with me?"
Labels: Alexz Johnson, Colbie Caillat, Empire of the Sun, Josh Hoge, Justin Nozuka, Panic At The Disco, Paramore, Sara Bareilles, Tyrone Wells
