Under Byen
Under Byen, which translates to "under the city," is a band from Denmark. Their sound is hypnotic and drifts into a dreamy stratosphere, simply beautiful. Watch and listen to the animated video and download "Tindrer."
Buy: iTunes
Genre: Experimental
Artist: Under Byen
Song: Tindrer
Album: Siamesisk
MySpace: Under Byen
Video: Plantage
Lupe Fiasco and Matthew Santos
There's something very confident and interesting here, a lot of melody "rapped" inside this package. Download "Superstar."
Buy: Amazon.com
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap/Folk
Artists: Lupe Fiasco and Matthew Santos
Song: Superstar
Album: The Cool
MySpace: Lupe Fiasco
MySpace: Matthew Santos
Game: The Coolest Game
Ennio Morricone
This collection of 50 movie themes encompasses the magnitude of Ennio Morricone's body of work. Morricone is truly a "composer's composer." So easily recognized in the US for "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" and "Cinema Paradiso," this collection will have you searching for all the movies that go with these compositions. This is an important record to own with so much history and so much greatness. Download the full album.
Buy: iTunes
Genre: Soundtrack
Artist: Ennio Morricone
Song: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Album: 50 Movie Theme Hits: Gold Edition
YouTube: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Concert
Sonic Youth
When we picture Sonic Youth, there's an explosion of sound, energy and abandon. The band was founded in 1981 and is still relevant today. Rather Ripped contains a most hauntingly beautiful and unexpected track. Get "Turquoise Boy."
Buy: iTunes
Genre: Rock
Artist: Sonic Youth
Song: Turquoise Boy
Album: Rather Ripped
YouTube: Turquoise Boy
Renata Tebaldi
One of the sensational voices of the 20th century, Renata's performance of "Un Bel Di, Vedremo" shows her vocal quality and seemingly effortless performance. For those who are just starting to experience opera, this is a great introduction. Download it.
Buy: iTunes
Genre: Opera
Artist: Renata Tebaldi
Title: Madama Butterfly, Opera Act 2: Un Bel Di, Vedremo
Album: Grandi Voci: Renata Tebaldi
Composed by: Giacomo Puccini
Conducted by: Tullio Serafin
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin's recording of "Trouble in Mind" has a lot of charm. It's as if you are in the room with her. You can clearly hear someone typing in the background. A classic song sung by the late Janis Joplin. Download "Trouble in Mind."
Buy: Amazon.com
Genre: Classic Rock
Artist: Janis Joplin
Song: Trouble In Mind
Album: 18 Essential Songs
YouTube: Janis Joplin / Dick Cavett Interview