Moving along and still with the meme (are you sick of this yet? Seriously? If you are, I can always stop). Though today is a good one, since I've been thinking about it a lot lately!
Day 8: 10 songs that inspire you for lolita.
These songs are mostly going to be things that I can listen to when I'm in the car on the way to a meet-up or preparing for a shoot. They're songs that get me moving, get me going, get me excited or just generally pumped up to have a good time. Most of them have nothing to do with lolita at all, but are songs that make me feel good, which is the main reason I wear lolita, too.
Incidentally, they're also the songs on the work-out playlist on my iPod (go figure).
A few songs I wanted to recommend aren't here because I couldn't find YouTube clips for them. If you're interested, look up "White Lolita" by Love Solfegé in particular.
Song Number One:
Kamelot
Poetry for the Poisoned - "The Great Pandemonium"
I would actually include this whole album on my list if I could. The whole thing is an amazing work and hasn't left my CD changer since I got it. I especially love the first two tracks ("The Great Pandemonium" and "If Tomorrow Came") and the final "Poetry for the Poisoned" progression, which is technically four tracks that feed into one another.
Song Number Two:
Epica
Design Your Universe - "Unleashed"
Another album I would include in full if the list allowed. I chose a song that struck me right off the bat from this album, though I also adore "White Waters" and "Martyr of the Free World" as well. Simone has such an alluring voice; I never get tired of listening to her.
Song Number Three:
Yousei Teikoku
Gothic Lolita Doctrine - "Hades: The Bloody Rage"
Again, I'd add a lot of their songs to this list, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of picking just one song. I selected this one because it's the first song that I heard from them and I immediately fell for it. Watching interviews of Yui (the vocalist) are hilarious, by the way. She commands interviewers to call her "empress" and "your majesty", completely dead pan serious. Yui could easily give Mana and Gackt a run for their money in a cheesy-serious contest.
She's also known for wearing lolita and dolly goth to perform, and their albums have included Gothic Lolita Doctrine, Gothic Lolita Propaganda and Gothic Lolita Agitator as titles, so it's not hard to see where I tie her in with the fashion.
Song Number Four:
Lily Allen
It's Not Me, It's You - "The Fear"
I was torn between two songs on this album--this one, "The Fear", and another called "Not Fair". I figure this one, all about morals, materialism and the modern world, probably fit with the theme of lolita better than the song about a two-pump-chump boyfriend. haha
This is the censored version, by the way. I didn't realize it when I found the "official" version on YouTube, but there doesn't appear to be a version on there that isn't slightly modified from the album release.
Song Number Five:
Alestorm
Back Through Time - "Shipwrecked"
Scottish pirate metal, perfect for pirate lolita? I THINK SO! I'd also recommend "Keelhauled" and "Wenches and Mead".
And guess what? I'm going to wear a pirate-inspired lolita outfit with some of my girls next month to a gig with Alestorm and Kamelot in attendance. It's going to be a blast! And possibly involve more drinking than should be allowed in frills.
Also, if you want a good read, check out Peter Alcorn's travel blog. He's the drummer for Alestorm and has a bit of a smart mouth (or keyboard, if you prefer). His stories are pretty great, as are his discussions of wearing costumes on stage, getting smashed with vegans and the magical transportative nature of air travel.
Song Number Six:
Your Favorite Enemies
Final Fantasy Dissidia Soundtrack - "Cosmos"
Yeah, yeah. Videogame music. So sue me.
The video on this one isn't entirely related, since it's just a conglomeration of cutscenes from FF games that aren't Dissidia, so you can ignore it with my blessing. This song is one of those that makes me wish I could sing, because I would totally make this my karaoke jam of choice.
It's gentle and smooth, but rousing at the same time with the marching beats in the background. I enjoy it a lot, obviously.
Song Number Seven:
In This Moment
The Dream - "Forever"
Another band that has an awesome female vocalist but otherwise very heavy tracks; I like contrasts. The fact that Maria, the vocalist, looks like a real "bad girl", wearing a sort of updated version of kinderwhore/Alice in Wonderland gear that amuses the hell out of me, too.
The promotional photos of her are always this strange mix of innocent and thrashed. Normally, I don't go for that look, but somehow it works for her. There are songs where her voice strays in the range of hardcore, which I don't particularly care for, but "Forever" is one of those songs I heard and enjoyed immediately. Maybe it's the lyrics or the tracks backing her vocals, but it's one of those songs that gets stuck in my head and sets me to wanting to spin till my petticoats are stuck in a horizontal position.
Song Number Eight:
Nightwish
Dark Passion Play - "Bye Bye, Beautiful"
When Nightwish first switched over to Annette as their new vocalist, I had no reservations about her. I know a lot of fans complained that she's no Tarja, but that's part of why I love her. The chemistry that she exhibits with the band and her energy are so much more engaging than Tarja's stiff and studied approach.
"Bye Bye, Beautiful" is one of my favorites from the album, for the vast amount of character and flair Annette gets to show off.
Song Number Nine:
Janne Da Arc
Another Story - "Maria no Tsumeato" (マリアの爪痕)
Video quality on this one is pretty shoddy, but the sound quality is way better than the other one I found. So. We're going with this version.
Janne Da Arc has always been a band I really liked, back from my JRock Rawx days. I really enjoy their music and it puts me into a really energetic mood. This is another song that makes me want to get all dressed up and prance around like a lunatic. They have too many other songs that I enjoy for me to list them all, so I'll just say that if you liked this song, you should check them out. "Gekkouka" (月光花) is a good place to start, as are "Lunatic Gate", "Black Jack" and "Red Zone".
Song Number Ten:
L'arc~en~ciel
RAY - "HONEY"
I was a Laruku fangirl, I'll admit it. I even own a black tie with their name embroidered on it (I wore it to PMX when I saw Asuka, as I'd been told she was a fan and I didn't own any Angelic Pretty at the time; I figured I may as well try to make SOMETHING of a good impression while shopping the boutique). The only time I went to Otakon, it was to see them perform life.
For other songs, I've got too many I'd recommend, so just go listen to them all. "Blurry Eyes", "Driver's High" and "HEAVEN'S DRIVE" for classic fun, "Drink It Down" for something a big heavier and darker (as their newer stuff is leaning towards) and possibly "Pretty Girl" or "New World". "Hurry Christmas" is also pretty hilarious, I've got to admit. As are the P'UNK~en~Ciel swap-around songs. They're just, in general, an enjoyable band. Live, they're raunchy, raucous and know how to get their fans going.
"Kasou" (花葬) is another, long-time favorite and actually the first song I ever heard by them. I was originally going to use that song for this post, but, sadly, the only version I could find on YouTube has embedding disabled (argh).
