Suede Underwhelms

The concert started only 5 minutes late. I think the anticipation build-up from typical hrs of waiting never really got to a high point. Nonetheless, good for pregnant people because we can't sit/stand for very long.

The stage was pretty boring. Just curtains and lights. No special effects or swanky projection. Brett Anderson made no effort to connect with the audience, he just went from one song to the next and to the next.

For the whole night we were waiting for Can't Get Enough which never came, and they skipped Beautiful One too! The setlist was incredibly short, only 15 songs as compared to 18-19 in Taiwan and Singapore, and the concert was over by 840pm! Very unhappening.

Piano Lesson 4

To date the most complicated song i've learnt is Jingle Bells. I was told last week to bring the sheet music for something that i'd like to learn. So Mountain Man and I spent days brainstorming the first song we should jam together. Turns out there are 3 main piano bands out there. Coldplay, Keane and The Frays. I downloaded some samples and i think coldplay is a little more familiar.

But for today's lesson i forgot to print out the sheet music! My piano teacher is Chinese so she doesn't know Coldplay. I ended up learning 至少还有你 by Sandy Lam, the ONLY chinese song i can think off the top of my head. elgh... Why didn't i say Jay Chou or Stephanie Sun (not that i know that many songs from them too).

I'm eternally envious of people who can play by ear. It's an ultimate goal i'd like to achieve... I had this classmate in secondary school who could play absolutely anything we asked, her fingers float like feathers over the keys and i used to just stare in awe.

PS: If you know any good sheet music download sites or if you have any good sheet music, please email me!

Tot loves CAKE

Honestly since moving to China i've been kinda behind when it comes to music. It's due to a combination of an overall lack of inspiration to listen to new stuff, as well as being isolated to the english speaking world.

Last weekend we went out to a pub and they had an electronic jukebox with a great selection of bands we like- oldies but goodies. Cake was one of them. Their Fashion Nugget album was the top of my playlist in junior college. I first liked their remakes of I Will Survive and Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, but then i slowly grew to love their originals.

Here's Mountain Boy rocking to Cake's Daria. This boy has the groove.

Lady GaGa "covered"

Chris Daughtry did a cover of Lady Gaga's Poker Face.

Love it! Reminds me of Travis' cover of Hit Me Baby One More Time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqT4VnnEU0M
Embedding not allowed, but it's worth watching!

Wht's ur break-up song?

Disclaimer: Parental Guidance required.

In my days of playing the field, i've had the pleasure of going through a few break-ups. Some were painful, some provided relief, some u just wanna bury and hope it'll never surface again for as long as you live.

The best thing about breaking up are break-up songs of course. I've marvelled at how songwriters can so cleverly capture all of those confusing feelings into 1 song. There's one for the cheaters , lost love, getting out of a rut, unrequited feelings... They mark a particular era in our lives. I'd blast whatever my break-up song is on repeat and transfer all of my residual sadness, anger and whtever self-pity i have left for myself into the song. When i'm done, i'll never listen to the song again until time makes it funny instead of sad.

Here's my all time favourite list, in no particular order, it all depends on how u're feeling at that moment. That's if u ever need tips. The list actually got longer and longer when i wrote it, i'm sure it doesn't cover everything but it's a start.

1. Grace is Gone- Dave Mathews Band - For when u're wallowing and not able to let go of the person you love.
2. The Space Between- Dave Mathews Band- For the one who is longing and hopeful for the other party to try again. Perfect for the kind of relationship that breaks up and patches up.
3. Jerk- Kim Stockwood- This one is straight-up from an angry female singer.
4. Transatlanticism- Death Cab for Cutie- About love that has grown apart. Good for relationship ruts.
5. Love is Here- Starsailor- Classic unrequitted love.
6. Stay by my side- Jimmy Eat World (this is not a song but an EP of 5 songs)- quite negative lyrics. only for the strong hearted. but good music i think.
7. The Freshman- The Vervepipe- If u're depressed or if the other party has suicidal tendencies.
8. Mr Brightside- the Killers- for those who were cheated on.
9. Jagged Little Pill- Alanis Morissette- okay the entire album is the epitome of teen "i hate U" break-ups.

Mountain Man's additions.

1. A Case of You- Joni Mitchell- Signifies undying love for someone whom u know is clearly no good for you.
2. River- Joni Mitchell- Crying over spilt milk, especially if u've been a bad partner and u wanna escape.
3. Blackstar- Radiohead-lost love.
4. I'm so lonesome i could cry- Hank williams- okay this is if u're really really drama.
5. Return to Sender- Mojave 3- It's quite typical for a guy to want to get back with a girl after he dumps her, so this song is for the girl who wants strength in rejecting the guy's advances.

And of course, we must credit Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks as the number 1 romantic break-up album. Written by Bob Dylan when he went through separation with his 1st wife Sara. Wht smoother way to break up with ur wife than to dedicate an entire album to her right?

Would love to hear what ur epic break-up song is too. We will wallow and cry and finally(hopefully) laugh about it together.

Depeche Mode

Did i mention that Depeche Mode is my All-Time-Favourite band? It's not the ahlian in me talking, i simply love them. We go way back...

When i was 13, they came to Singapore on the Devotional Tour. I didn't go. I didn't know them yet. My girlfriend CALSY (initials only) went and fell totally in love with DM (especially their then drummer Alan Wilder). So she got us all influenced (crazed) for DM. We'd spend afternoons at her house repeating the Faith And Devotion laser disc (or was it video tape), over and over. We'd even record our horrible singing voices, u know very typical teenage stuff.

After the Devotional Tour (1994) the band experienced their darkest moments, Alan Wilder left, Dave Gahan almost ODed... And they started making shite experimental music and came up with 2 horriblest DM albums imo (Ultra and Exciter). Dave went on to a solo career which never was...

11 years later, the band now down to 3 members (Dave, Martin and Andy) made a comeback i never imagined. Playing the Angel was launched in 2005, and they were back to their old sounds, part troubled by religious issues, love issues, divorces... Just the way i like em.

Before i continue, i've always had this fear in my heart that one day, when depeche mode and i were actually in the same country and they were going to perform, i may be in labour and i'd miss their concert. So if Mohammed won't go to the mountain (at the right time), i decided that i shd bring the mountain to Mohammed. I wasn't gonna let this chance of a lifetime pass me by, besides i may not have another 11 years. So i flew to London to visit my friend, we took a bus to Manchester and caught the Playing the Angel concert live. My life was complete.

This the evidence of my being there. I was sooooooooooo far away. If i were to come across a depeche mode concert again, i'd go in a heartbeat. And i'd freaking pay for front row.

This year, they launched a new album Sounds of the Universe. It's a double CD. The new stuff is all great. Old school just the way i like it. But the real treat is disc 2. It contains demo tapes of all the past non-mainstream favourites. Namely Clean, Sweetest Perfection, Walking in My Shoes- mostly from the Violator which arguably is my favourite album.

So if u intend to get into Depeche Mode, here's a quick discography;

Speak & Spell (1981)
A Broken Frame (1982)
Construction Time Again (1983)
Some Great Reward (1984)
Black Celebration (1986)
Music for the Masses (1987)
Violator (1990)
Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)
Ultra (1997)
Exciter (2001)
Playing the Angel (2005)
Sounds of the Universe (2009)

Not surprisingly, Mountain Man is a pre-Music for the Masses fan, I am a post.

One other CD i'd recommend is a tribute album to DM. Interesting covers by Smashing Pumpkins, Dishwalla, Veruca Salt... But my fav cover is The Locust's version of Master and Servant.

Rockabye lullaby

This is SO PERFECT for T. At least it's more up our alley than nursery rhymes and mozart music. Now i don't have to be so worried about not knowing the full lyrics to Mary Had a Little Lamb and Eensy Weency Spider.

The Rockabye Baby series offer baby renditions of lengendary rock music all the way back from the 70s. There's the Beatles, Bob Marley, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, U2, Nirvanna....it's so impressive! And the CD sleeves are soooo cute!

Here's the original U2 Best of...
This is the Rockabye Baby version! *squeal*

The samples are pretty good!

Rockabye Baby! Favorites

This is so great that i got mountain man on a shopping spree. he wanted to buy 5 albums at one go... We're still deciding which albums to get, but we want everything right now!

PS: i've started a "baby shopping" label for the things i buy for T.

FIRE- Daniel Lanois

Still on music. I've only just discovered Daniel Lanois recently. If u're not familiar with him, he is an oldie in the industry, produced some of the finest music with U2, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, and the list continues...He also occasionally sings, plays and writes.

So this is FIRE. Featured in House Season 5, the scene where Cuddy agonised over her failed adoption.


My angel I promised her we'd be dressed in a cloud
Standing on pillars on fire singing out loud
Shot from truth and love, not darknessWith the moon under your feet
Where birth goes on and rides terror
My shine will be complete

With your fire your fire
My tremolo
You're my fire

Every so softly it grows when you don't wear your armor
Crushing the burden and confusion sour
Trembling high on every leaf
Raining light down on your belief
Oh my angel unburdened by the race
I'll go down burning in your embrace

On fire, on fire
My tremolo
You're my fire

Don't take away my shine
My shine is all I have
My heat, my love, my beauty and my glad
It worries me sometimes that I want love
And live a life of sad

My tremolo
Sweet baby, my fire
My desire, fire

Black Betty

One of those songs tht make me wanna get off my fat butt, head bang, jump around, shake the bam ba-lam sweat off my hair like a mad dog... Totally inappropriate things to do while pregnant btw.

Spiderbait's version is my favourite.

Get well soon Dave!

My all time favourite frontman (i mean it, i love him more than Thom Yorke) David Gahan has fallen ill! He's been rushed to a greek hospital and being treated at the moment. *cross fingers* I hope he is fine!! Never Let Me Down Dave, it's not just a Question of Lust, I have a Strange Love for you. I hope i'm not just a Fly on the Windscreen to you.. Be Dreaming of Me if you're ever in a coma.

Note to Mountain Man: PLEASE PLEASE let me name the 2nd boy David. Please please please.....

Note to all: Dave named his daughter Stella. He actually likes my name. We have a connection!!! I thought it'd be a sweet gesture to reciprocate.

Killers having fun

I'm a fan of covers, and i'm a fan of the Killers...

Radiohead...(Updated)

Waiting since 330pm... (concert supposed to start at 630pm, but it didn't till 730pm). I have NEVER EVER EVER waited this long (in the sun) for a concert before. Heck i've never queued for anything for more than 1 hr in my life! By the end of the concert, i really felt like collapsing from hunger and the hours of standing. But if it has to be for anything, it's gotta be radiohead.

This is a band that both mountain man and i love. OK Computer is TOP 5 on our album list, no maybe top 3. It's more than 10 years old, but we still listen to it. I believe we're both more of the pre-electro radiohead fans- Pablo Honey, the Bends, KidA, OK...

The band didn't give in to the mainstream demands (didn't play Creep, or High and Dry) and kinda stuck with their current electro phase, which i guess is less accessible. Nonetheless, we were satisfied by some of our favourite oldies - Mountain man finally got to hear No Surprises live (instead of his alarm every morning).

PS: alot of japanese put us to shame, they can memorise the lyrics from In Rainbow. amazing...


It was a beautiful day...







At 730pm, the concert begins. Fans went crazee... During the songs i didn't know, i was trigger happy. Snap snap snap snap...





















Thom appears...



Thom wants to Free Tibet.



The stage was made up of these light tubes emitting different colours during the performance.








930pm... we were knackered...



Can't remember most of the line-up cos he did most of the new stuff. But i found this online... http://www.greenplastic.com/.





Our "to-watch" list is almost complete.

WOOhooo.....

If Mountain Man ain't what he is...

..he'd be a rockstar drummer. Les just got a new toy this week. No this is not PlayStation Rock Band. it's a Yamaha Electric Drum set. He's been talking about getting one for the longest time.

I'll reveal some of Les' most endearing stories. When he was much younger, he was given a choice between buying a bed and a drumset cos there was simply no space in his room. He chose the latter. So he slept on the floor for close to 10 years just so he could play drums.

He was part of a 3 piece band called the Apostles. They were 3 catholic boys who came together to make rock music (one of them called himself the Pope). They wrote their own stuff and covered Led Zepplin. He likes to say , "3 piece bands have to be tight OK! How many 3 piece bands can u name?" He tells me that they were popular within the malay community, they used to go up to him to shake his hand. *shrug*.

Each of the apostles soon went their separate ways, and all that remains are these stories that Les loves to recount.

I'm glad that now Les can do more than tell stories. FOr the first time in years of us being together, i saw him play the drums.

here's another pic.

Verve fans rejoice...

With lyrics...


The Verve Lyrics
Love Is Noise Lyrics

I may be late in announcing this, but Verve finally released new single! Les will be happy. We almost went to summersonic to catch them (other performances include: Prodigy, DCFC!!!, Paul weller, Band of horses...) but figured we need to save ourselves for Radiohead in Osaka.

Back to this single. It doesn't have the grandeur of Bitter Sweet Symphony, nor the poignance of Drugs Don't Work... But les says good songs are not meant to be liked at the first hear. I'm looking forward to get the CD!

Little Boxes - DCFC

I've been reading reviews of DCFC's concert in Singapore. Still feeling sore about not attending it.
But it reminded me of Weeds- this Showtime TV series i've been catching on DVD about a widowed mom who sells weed to support her family.


Okay i'm not as big a fan of the show as i am of the opening sequence which features a catchy song called "Little Boxes". The song is a little anti-marxism in my opinion, originally performed by Malvina Reynolds in 1962.

Lyrics:
1.
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

2.
And the people in the houses
All go to the university,
And they all get put in boxes,Little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

(there are 2 more verses to this song)

Here's the original intro... It's quite folky.




Now the interesting part is... In 2nd/3rd season, intro of Little Boxes is covered by various artists including DCFC, Billy Bob, The Shins, Persephone's Bees, Linkin Park... I thought they made interesting interpretations of the song, and it's quite creative isn't it!


Here's DCFC's Version. I lit up the moment i heard Ben Gibbard's voice, i was so sure it was him and i was right!

Narrow Stairs

Death Cab for Cutie falls under a league of bands that i am quite crazy over. I follow album to album (since Transatlanticism) and it's the kind that i will go back and rediscover.

I am in love with Ben Gibbard's soothing ethereal voice quality. Their songs either deliver on the melody, or powerful lyrics, or a beautiful use of metaphors that'll make a sad song romantic, or all of the above... They have range so fans don't get bored, but in every album they give you the familarity that makes us recognise them...

I will possess your heart is the first single released from their latest album Narrow Stairs.
If you have time watch this, it's the original video, 8 minutes long.


If you don't have time, then listen to this 4 minute version.


AND, they will be performing on August 12 in Esplanade. So go get your tickets if you love em. Enjoy...

Moldy Peaches- Nothing Came Out

If you've had a crush on some guy when you were 12, this song will remind you of what it was like. Sorta like Radiohead's Creep, only not creepy. The recording sounds very unpolished, but the melody and lyrics are lovely.



Just because I don't say anything
Doesn't mean I don't like you
I open my mouth and I try and I try
But no words came out

Without 40 ounces of social skills
I'm just an ass in the crack of humanity
I'm just a huge manatee
A huge manatee

And besides, you're probably holding hands
With some skinny, pretty girl
That likes to talk about bands
And all I want to do is ride bikes with you
And stay up late and watch cartoons

DuckTales, Shirt-Tails, TaleSpin, Sailor MoonGI Joe, Robotech, Ron Jeremy, Shmoo

I want to watch cartoons with you
Josie and the Pussycats and Scooby-Doo
I want you to watch cartoons with me
He-man, Voltron, and Hong Kong Phooey

I tried to ask you to your face
But no words came out
Put on my hood and walked away

That doesn't mean I don't like you
And besides you're probably holding hands
With some skinny pretty girl
That likes to talk about bands
And all I want to do is ride bikes with you
And stay up late and maybe spoon

Just because I don't say anything
Doesn't mean I don't like you, noI opened my mouth and I tried and I tried
And besides, you're probably holding hands
With some skinny pretty girl
That likes to talk about bands
And all I want to do is ride bikes with you
And stay up late and watch cartoons
I'm just your average Thundercats ho!

Spice Girls Return! YESH!

I really can't wait to hear more from the famous 5. All of them have evolved from their personas then (Posh, Ginger, Scary, Sporty, Baby), to 5 very different individuals today. Yet you still feel the bond that binds them together. Its something special that is quite difficult to explain, girls just have a different friendship from men. And i believe that's what make them different from a Take That or a Backstreet Boy's comeback.

And this is their latest video called Friendship Never Ends. I don't get why Ginger and MelB are swishing around flexing in their Bras. But man... u ain't a spice girl if u don't show some skin.





Advertisers are already milking it. This is a really funny tesco ad. i love celeb commercials.



I know lester will not approve but WHO CARES... i love spice girls.

Gimme More Britney

For those who missed britney's performance at the VMAs, here's a replay...

Can i just say that for the lacklusture reviews she got for her performance, i would still watch this video at least twice, that's more than what i would with anyone else. I wouln't even bother if Rihanna or Beyonce did a fantastic opening... Everybody wants to watch Britney. Live with it critics...She has reached that critical mass in fans that she'll never be a failure.

Sarah Silverman also took advantage of Britney's situation and took a below-the-belt jab, made a totally unclassy joke about her two sons being "the cutest mistakes". I hope her joke met with lukewarm laughter, nobody shd think its funny.

Give Britney a chance. She's only 25 for goodness sake.