No Music No Life 06/2007

itunes: Christina Aguilera, Back To Basics (2006)

Sigh this month's CD budget busted again. From the second week of the month, I could not walk into any CD shops wherever I go. What's the point? I hate window shopping. So I have to wait for the next payday before I can start my CD shopping spree again. Really depressing, trying to wean off the kick of buying new CDs for the time being.

Years ago, I have set an unlimited budget for CD spendings and I ended up buying many on impulse, really waste of money. Come to think of it, during schooling days when I have limited cash in hand, every cassettes and CDs that I owned are like gems to me, cos I saved long and hard enough to have them. Not only I know all the songs in each album by heart, I studied the lyrics and the production credits in details too. If my house is on fire, CDs will be the first items that I will bring with me. Haha those were the days....

On the contrary, I dun read lyrics as detail as before now even though I still browse through the production credits. I dun listen as attentively as before and even if it may be an impressive album, I may not be able to know all the songs inside out. In fact, I have now adopted a more macro view towards appreciating a music album. I prefer to listen the sound within, to feel the musical aspiration and to experience heartfelt emotions of its creators. Hence, catchy pop songs which gel into your head endlessly, although some maybe nice as background listening, seldom interests me cos I feel nothing. In short, most people I noticed dun listen to music, they merely hear that's all. That's why I labelled them as music whores who like to be fucked mindlessly and continuously by these audio thrashes. A music album should be appreciated like a piece of painting, full of intensified emotions that appears differently to individuals.

Enough said, the list of CDs that I have bought in Jun 2007:


Goldfrapp, Supernature (2005)
The sound in this album is more simplified and more listenable than the electronic duo debut album "Felt Mountain" which I loved dearly. The terrific lead single from this album, "Ooh La La" impressed me so much that I downloaded the remixes versions on the net. Oops did i say download???!!!! Hehe nevertheless, this is a good entry CD for new fans.


Rufus Wainwright, Release The Stars (2007)
One of my favourite artists, especially of his genre, Chamber Pop. Use of orchestral arrangement or classical type composition in an indie setting. In short, it's like modernised baroque music. His lazy and draggy voice has made his sounds even more special and appealing. This album is executive produced by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys and this is his most pop album to date as compared to his previous works, partcularly the 2 heavy Want 1 & 2.


Zero 7, Simple Things (2001)
Imagine this, I bought this electronic group's 4th album "The Garden", thinking it was good and now I go back to their debut album, which is definitely "best-est" among their releases. I would think this album is like a kind calmer twin sister of Massive Attack's dark "Mezzaine", full of chilled out and subtle tracks. Best to listen when lazing on a couch, over a nice glass of chilled coffee.


柏原芳恵, Lover's Sunset (1989)
My first idol in Jpop and I was only 13 then. Just an ordinary pop album and I bought it over the net because this is the missing piece to complete her discography, also to complete my childhood dreams.


小川範子, どうしてこんなに好きなんだろう (1992)
In fact I dunno why I buy this. First of all, she is not even my Jpop idol. But I have to admit the album is good, even though it has been 10 over years now. Just one of my compulsive buying.


松田聖子, Supreme Sound Portrait (1986)
Gosh, this is definitely a precious buy. I have been hunting this more than a decade. Which is why I do not hesitate to pay full price (3600yen) for a second hand copy. Indeed, this album is very rare. It was released as a orchestral twin version of the Seiko's highly acclaimed album "Supreme" released in 1985. That album contain the works of the 10 best songwriters in Japan at that time. It also earned the album of the year award in the Japanese grammy equivalent music awards in the same year, scoring a full marks of 3600 from the 36 industry panel of judges. Impressive eh?


陳綺貞, 花的姿態演唱會經典實錄 (2007)
This is one of my favourite female singer songwriter in Chinese pop. This limited edition box set consists of a 2CDs version and a DVD version of her concert live-recordings. The CDs are said to have been mastering done by Bernie Grundman, a multi-grammy award winner. Hence that explain why the recordings are superb. I admired her in the sense that she was groomed to be teen idol ever though she penned all the songs in her debut album in 1998. Slowly she outgrown her teen idol image, left her label and go indie by starting out her own label. Her first release "華麗的冒險" under her indie label, Cheerego.com was released in 2005 and won her the best album of the year in 2007 Taiwanese grammy equivalent music awards. It was one of those fastastic albums that never get deleted from my ipod and even now, I'm still listening and get mesmerized by her folky-rock sound and good lyrics.


許哲珮, 许愿盒 (2007)
Another female singer songwriter from Taiwan. Her debut album 6 years ago was impressed enough to earn her an normination as the best new artist in the Taiwanese grammy equivalent music awards. Not quite remember if she won. The second album was delayed 6 years as a result of the contractual dispute with her old label. Nevertheless, she presented a totally exit from her debut album in terms of sounding, although it was not as catchy as her previous one. But it does show her effects in growing mature in her music.

不跳江、吃肉粽，端午随想

itunes: ピチカートファイブ Pizzicato Five, Happy End of the World (1997)

端午节来了。农历五月初五。

我从来对粽子的兴趣不大，但一到了这个时候，就会莫名其妙地非常想吃粽子。而且我指定要妈妈裹的。把粽叶剥开，看见软滑的糯米，发出阵阵的幽香中却带着暖暖的妈妈爱心，再加上一点点的感动，世上绝无仅有喔！所以总觉得妈妈的粽子永远有着神秘的配方，外面再贵再好料的，吃起来总是少了点味道，对吧?

口水就快溃堤啦！一年仅此一次的馋嘴季节，我当然吃的不亦乐乎。管他妈的热量胆固醇！哈哈！！

从电台广播的游戏节目传来的笑话：
主持人：请问屈原当年投的是什么江？
在线听众：有没有暗示？
主持人：有！什么罗江呢？
在线听众：我知道了！是梭罗河江！
主持人：错！给你多一次机会。。。
在线听众：那一定是尼罗河江！！
哈哈！超无知的笨蛋，真丢人现眼！不就是汨罗江吗？？！！

可惜可悲呀！
好一个投江自尽，依然改变不了君主的昏庸
而后人，却无知于您的悲愤，
却笑您的
痴

然而，粽子飘香的季节里，在缅怀前人中，
我是快乐的
我是幸福的
我是自足的

Confession of Self-Inflict Poseur

itunes: Sarah McLachlan, Rarities, B-Sides, And Other Stuff (1996)

I have decided to give Mattew Barney's Drawing Restraint No.9 showing at National Museum tonight a miss, even though I have reserved the tickets in advance a month ago. I anticipated the movie eagerly and the soundtrack by Bjork is pretty cool. It was until I read the bad reviews (well, I'm not impressed/convinced by the good reviews too). One of the worst critics that I have read: it will be a hard time to figure out the perplexing plot.

Excerpts from the film: A Japanese woman delicately wraps a series of relics into beautiful packages. Bjork waits for the boat. Mattew Barney waits for a boat. They board a ship. Bjork takes a bath with some oranges. Barney gets a bad shave. They ended up in very elaborate dresses. They have green tea. They end up falling in love and licking each other. They cut up each other's legs. They turn into whales. The end. There is not even a single dialogue except the green tea session.

Errrrmmmmmm......sounds interesting though, but my heart really turned cold. If it's laborous to understand something like a pair of human lovers turned into whales, perhaps personally I'm not up to this league yet. However, if there are more favourable conditions present, I would not mind spending 2 hours of my life to appreciate this piece of arty 'moving photographs'. I had a long day today, too tired to go thru another round of mental exhaustion and mind boggling. The show is at 9pm and the ordeal is 135mins, definitely past my bedtime. What if I fell asleep during the show or halfway thru I decide to walk out of it? That will be embarrassing and disrespecting to the director. Undeniably it's risks to music-nazi's reputed well being hehe. To be fair, I'm music-nazi, not cinema or arty-nazi.......

Fine fine, I admit......i'm fucking deep poseur this time.

Summertime

itunes: Corinne Bailey Rae, Corinne Bailey Rae (2006)

Summertime and the livin is easy
Fish are jumpin and the cotton is high
Oh your daddys rich and your ma is good lookin
So hush little baby, dont you cry
One of these mornings
Youre goin to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take the sky
But till that morning
Theres a nothin can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin by
- DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin (1935)

This is one of my favourite jazz standards. A couple of simple words, yet able to bring out the laid-back feeling of summer. Here in Singapore, it's not easy to appreciate fully the beauty of summer cos it is hot and humid all year round. Looking at the sky above, clusters of bright white clouds with the solid blue background, seems palpable so much so one can simply reach out, hold it in both hands and feel its existence.....

Childhood Deprival

itunes: Rufus Wainwright, Release The Stars







Look at the toy cars that the kids rode. See how they enjoy themselves. This is my childhood regret and deprival. My parents have never once let me ride on it before, despite of my repetitive requests. I can still remember vividly that the reasons they use. These rides are expensive and not worthwhile, a couple of dollars for a few minutes of ride. As a young boy, the joy of riding an auto mobile toy car is surely alluring, particularly in those days, remote controlled cars are a hell of expensive. These toy cars have huge battery embedded within, come with a accelerator pedal and a steering wheel. You can imagine how fun it can be :OP But nowadays I noticed that the accelerator pedal no longer exists, it's the parents who use the wireless remote controller to manoeuver the car. What a shame!

Have you ever own a die-cast toy cars from Matchbox? Definitely durable and hardy, there is no way for me to ask for another new one, unless it's my dad's year end bonus day or I deliberately rolled and pushed it under some dark narrow corners that my mum has difficulties retrieving. Hehe

Whatever it is, Matchbox toy car is not really my cup of tea, in fact I'm more fascinated with heavy-duty industrial machines like bulldozers, excavators, cranes and tractors. Even now, I never fail to stop and admire whenever I see them. Later years, my dad has once given me a remote controlled bulldozer (not wireless in those days), thrilled of moving it forward and backward, lifting the blade and ripper, especially running it on a patch of sand land. FUN FUN FUN. Unfortunately, the remote control failed after playing awhile and yet I'm still happy to play with it manually. Haha

Sigh, those were the days....

妙言绝句

itunes: Zero 7, Simple Things (2001)

那天在公司和同事商讨如何解决前人所遗留下来的烂摊子，讨论却顿时遇到了一个死角，不知如何继续。我突然有感而发，随口说了这些话：

俗语说：前人种树，后人乘凉。
我说呀：前人种错树，后人晒太阳！

结果，大家听后笑到东歪西倒，频频说妙，绝！
哈哈，没想到我随口所说的话竟然成了妙言绝句！