Okay, I grew up in Mexico (a lot of these are going to be from there, if you want more variety feel free to add artists from other nationalities in the notes), so I'm going to put in my best effort to recommend stuff that isn't too common or that you haven’t heard about yet.
Buckle up, I'm about to divide the recs in at least 3 posts. The artist comes first, I mention their accent, and then a song by the artist previously mentioned (the link will be to the version of the song with lyrics, so you can better understand it).
Searching for ballads?
La oreja de Van Gogh
Their lyrics are kind of cheesy sometimes but also kind of catchy. This a group from Spain.
Link to Playa.
Mon Laferte
She has a powerful voice that you could come to like. She was born in Chile. Her songs include some instruments and arrangements you could call more typical in latin american music.
Link to Tu Falta de querer
Natalia Lafourcade
With a more tame vocal style when compared to Mon Laferte, she has more of a rock feel, with bossa nova influences. She was born in Mexico.
Link to Hasta la raíz.
Do you like the indie kind of feel? Yes I know it’s not a genre but it has some specific vibes.
Hello Seahorse
A mexican group with indie rock influences, along with pop. With a lead singer who is a soprane, their songs have been in my mind for days.
Link to Bestia
Zoe
This group is a bit more mainstream, they are a rock pop group, but it has the feel. They are mexican.
Link to Venus.
Camilo séptimo
A mexican band, if you like a chill synth vibe that's more recent, I highly reccomend them.
Link to Miénteme
Los Bunkers
Chilean band, alternative rock pop.
Link to Bailando Solo.
Kchiporros
A band from Paraguay that uses more arrangements typical from Latin America, trumpets, they have rock, cumbia and ska related rhythms.
Link to El Metal.
Do you like trumpets and folkloric Ska?
Well, this post is already pretty big, so please wait until the second post, I will complete the recs soon, so please be patient :).
Not OP-related but Six: The Musical is so freaking gooood oml
Every song is a damn bop (especially Get Down) and I highly recommend listening to it!!! It only has nine songs (10 if you include MegaSix), there are dozens of amazing animatics for it on Youtube, and it's an all-female cast with lots of unique and powerful voices! Hah it really helped me get through the last few days, so make sure to check it out if you want~!
Michelle's 10 Days of Book Recommendations: Day 10
Title: The Hero and the Crown
Author: Robin McKinley
Summary: Aerin is an outcast in her own father’s court, daughter of the foreign woman who, it was rumored, was a witch, and enchanted the king to marry her.
She makes friends with her father’s lame, retired warhorse, Talat, and discovers an old, overlooked, and dangerously imprecise recipe for dragon-fire-proof ointment in a dusty corner of her father’s library. Two years, many canter circles to the left to strengthen Talat’s weak leg, and many burnt twigs (and a few fingers) secretly experimenting with the ointment recipe later, Aerin is present when someone comes from an outlying village to report a marauding dragon to the king. Aerin slips off alone to fetch her horse, her sword, and her fireproof ointment . . .
But modern dragons, while formidable opponents fully capable of killing a human being, are small and accounted vermin. There is no honor in killing dragons. The great dragons are a tale out of ancient history.
That is, until the day that the king is riding out at the head of an army. A weary man on an exhausted horse staggers into the courtyard where the king’s troop is assembled: “The Black Dragon has come . . . Maur, who has not been seen for generations, the last of the great dragons, great as a mountain. Maur has awakened.”
For those who enjoy: Fantasy, adventure
Personal thoughts: It seems slow going at first, but it is really worth it. Also, be sure to check out the sequel The Blue Sword.
Summary: He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again. In this reimagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.
Lisa Klein's Ophelia tells the story of a young woman falling in love, searching for her place in the world, and finding the strength to survive. Sharp and literary, dark and romantic, this dramatic story holds readers in its grip until the final, heartrending scene.
For those you enjoy: Hamlet, Shakespeare
Personal thoughts: An interesting take on Shakespeare's arguably most well known play, Ophelia is an intriguing read from start to finish.
Summary: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
For those you enjoy: Romance, Teen angst.
Number of books: 4 novels, 4 novellas
Titles: Novels: 1) The Selection, 2) The Elite, 3) The One, 4) The Heir (due out May, 2015) Novellas: The Prince, The Guard, The Favorite,and The Queen
Personal thoughts: I read the first book in less than a day and did the same for the other two books. The author does a wonderful job of making you love some characters, while making you despise others.
Summary: A few nights after Jessica Day arrives in Bixby, Oklahoma, she wakes up at midnight to find the entire world frozen, except for her and a few others who call themselves 'midnighters'. Dark things haunt this midnight hour – dark things with a mysterious interest in Jessica. The question is, why?
For those who enjoy: Supernatural, paranormal
Book titles: 1) The Secret Hour, 2) Touching Darkness, 3) Blue Noon
Personal thoughts: Unfortunately, the summary doesn't do this wonderful trilogy justice. It is a great read and full of adventure. There was even talking of turning it into a television series.
Summary: It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever.
For those who enjoy: Steampunk, Historical fiction, AU Historical fiction
Book titles: 1) Leviathan, 2) Behemoth, 3) Goliath
Personal thoughts: This is certainly one of the most unique takes on history I have come across.It is one of my favorite series and is a must read.
Summary: (a prequel series to Peter Pan), Fourteen-year-old Peter is an orphan who doesn't exactly know how old he truly is, just like he doesn't know his last name. So when St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys places him aboard a ship called The Never Land, along with four of his mates, on a trip to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff, where they will be forced to serve as slaves, Peter doesn't know exactly what to think. But when he meets up with fourteen-year-old Molly Aster, a rich passenger, traveling with her governess Mrs. Bumbrake, mysterious things begin happening. For instance, Molly can speak to porpoises, and she's hiding information about the strange trunk located in a holding cell upon The Never Land. Information about the magic, and mystery, that the trunk is holding inside. But when the notorious Black Stache learns about the treasure, the passengers upon The Never Land are in for a lot of trouble. Trouble that leads them all to fight with pirates, and become stranded on a desert islan
For those who enjoyed: Peter Pan
Number of books: 4 (completed)
Titles: 1) Peter & The Starcathers, 2) Peter & The Shadow Thieves, 3) Peter & The Secret of Rundoon, 4) Peter & The Sword of Mercy
Personal thoughts: This is an interest and unique series building up to J.M. Barrie's tale about the boy who never grew up. If you love Peter Pan, I highly recommend it.
