Amy’s 2014 Music Highlights

4. Yuguo (羽果) – Sunset Strip (日落大道)

Sorry, I was only able to find three tracks of the album :(

Yuguo has always been one of my favorite independent acts from China, ever since I discovered them circa 2008-2009. Their 2010 EP is still one of my favorites — love it so much, that I got my aunt to bring me a copy from her Shanghai trip — and I’m kinda sad that Sunset Strip might be their last album in a long while. I mean, it took them four years without any release or news despite the 2013 rumors. My favorite song, probably (which is luckily included in the uploaded YouTube clips), is Don’t Wake Me at Dawn (天亮不要叫醒我).

The official way to listen to this is on Xiami, which is the reason Xiami needs to fix its region restriction to, at least, allow its Chinese-based artists to stream music for US listeners (and others). AMIRITE?

3. Marit Larsen – When the Morning Comes

I’ll always have respect for the way Marit Larsen works on albums. She leaves us hanging, waiting… especially for those of us who can’t see her live. Though I didn’t actually loved her last album (as much as I did her debut), I’m pleasantly surprised by how great the album sounds and flows. And it’s also her fourth studio album! I have bad history with #4s, but so glad Marit didn’t have to go through that. xD My favorite tracks have to be… Please, Don’t Fall for Me as well as Consider This. I remember the first time Consider This played, I had to stop working to just absorb the simple melody and lyrics.

You can stream the album on Xiami, but Marit is terrible with distribution. iTunes Norge is still the only one that carries the album. Or maybe you can try Spotify.

To be honest, I don’t want this album to be my first Marit album not in my collection. :(