Brazil and Prussia suggested me to do TOP 5, but I can't... I simply can't! At least I will find three different styles from four categories.... Here you go, 12 songs.
And I didn't even add my favourite Cantonese songs here......
I hope the songs don't sound boring to you.
Group 1 - British pop / contemporary / something that doesn't sound exactly like classicalBecause I got lots of complaints from my friend saying I hate pop music. Hey I mean, not exactly...Bee Gees - Melody FairOther than classical and Hong Kong pop song, my Anglophile mother brainwashed my childhood with Bee Gees. So yes - I am not a big of Beatles, but I am for Bee Gees. Thanks to brainwashing.
Melody fair is so classy too, it became my instant favourite.
Muse - AnimalsI love most of the songs from Muse, but Animals has a instant quality that I fell in love with almost instantly. I guess it is because my another favourite from Bee Gees's haunting song, Holiday, shares the same quality with Animals. The a bit melancholic, synthesised organ sound is a great add-on.
Libera - LacrymosaC'mon, who won't love these little boys?
I like how the composer for this group arrange classical pieces with lyrics to sing with. These boys will be in heaven picking me up, and I have no regrets for that.
Group 2 - Austrian classics Elisabeth - Wenn Ich Tanzen WillFor the past 24 hours, I have probably contributed 100 views to this song. No kidding.
The lyrics was powerful, and so was the singing (and the quality of the voice). It interpreted Empress Sisi very interestingly, that she wanted to be completely free, even from death himself.
The persuasion of Death Uwe, of course, is way too sexy.And yes, it did help a bit with Austria headcanon.
Schubert - Winterreise (Der Leiermann)Just listen to it, this is Austria's default emotionWell.... it is not completely false. Winterreise is my default BGM writing Austria from after post-WWI - post WWII period.
The poems and the melodies are stunning. I really recommend this song cycle for anyone who wants to pick up vocal music.
Vivaldi - L'estro Armonico Concerto No. 8 in A MinorI can always imagine Roderich playing duet violin concerto with other talented human players with a rare smile on his face.
Vivaldi is one of the non-Austrian composer which I have lots of headcanon. xD I should write them all out.
Group 3 - Japanese groups (Anime, Game, Doujin music) Kalafina - StoriaKalafina is known for all the opening / ending songs for anime series. Usually when you see pretty Japanese girl singers, you might think they are just idols... No! Big no!
Listen to this - it is sang live! I can verify because I was at Los Angeles a year ago attending their live concert!
Storia is not related to any anime / manga series, but I still think it is a lovely song with the catchy / joyous introduction.
Sound Horizon - The princess sleeping in a glass coffinAFTER LISTENING TO THE YOTUBE VIDEO, WATCH THEIR LIVE, IT IS AMAZING. YES, THEY ACT OUT ALMOST EVERYTHING. YES, THEY HAVE CLASSICAL GUITAR LIVE www.tudou.com/programs/view/ayNrN90mJdQ/Words fail me. And I recommend all of their songs.
Zektbach - Blind Justice
This song is used for the Beatmania, and has a epic story background. It was... basically about two identical twins (yet one male and one female) were born as prince and princess. The prince led the revolution against his twin sister's kingdom.
Despite of the terrible Engrish, the orchestration with the beat (and pipe organ x harpsichord, f yeah) was absolutely brilliant.
Group 4 - European Symphonic MetalNightwish - The Poet and the Pendulum (Finnish)
I would have put the entire album here
In terms of fav level, this song ties with Taikatalvi, a Finnish lullaby-ish song that I found very inspiring. It sounded like a wise old man lauding the earth in Siberia and guiding you to a new journey. Of course the lyrics are not exactly what I am talking about, but if you are interested in Taikatalvi, link here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qlMP3L0jJcBack to The Poet and the Pendulum.... What I found most appealing is the boy vocal at the very beginning. After an apocalyptic solo, it basically returned to... chaos. xD It is definitely a long song (good 13 minutes), and good stuff is everywhere.
Carolex - A lifetime of war (Swedish)Originally I just wanted a song that sounds like Vikings yelling into my brain so I can focus during work... Then I found this.
Thirty Years War, guys.... Let's play that out, shouldn't we?
The vocal is quite harsh for beginners to stand, but to be honest, the song is surprisingly melodic. I am surprised.
Serenity - The Chevalier (Austria)I would have put the song "My legacy" here, but it lacks of a good MV.... The Chevalier is fine. Sadly, MyEarthDream from another Austrian band (with female vocal), Edenbridge, has no good MV too. I love MED to the point it is my headcanon of an AU- oh wait, I deviated too much.
The lead vocal of Serenity is an
Austrian engineer who basically have this band as a part time job. Mindblown, no?
Although it is Austrian, it affects most of my English canon because, well, the entire album is about English history... Although the synthetic strings are a bit fake, the well composed music compensated the flaw. Easily one of my fav band.
