No Music No Life 08/2007

itunes: Madonna, Confessions On A Dance Floor (2005)

Just come back from a dinner gathering with a couple of my ex-colleagues (2 interesting bachelors and a young lady), we used to be lunch kaki, now become a monthly dinner kaki haha. Like I always believe, there is absolutely unnecessary to suggest to anyone who is moving on to the next job to stay in touch in the future. How many who said that really mean it? Especially those whom I am not even close to, still have the cheek to ask me to keep in touch with them. Haha perhaps in my younger days, I would recipocate with a politically correct reply, but now? F-off man, I rather save my breath for my own breathing instead, I just smile only. Smiling is good, makes me look more pleasant and agreeable. Whatever it is, so I only believe in those who really make it a point to call or message to check out how am I, these are ex-colleagues who turn friends for keep.

I think I'm getting out of point here. It's Friday night, TGIF! Good to have some dance number to groove abit while I update the blog. I really love this album, Madonna is undeniably the Queen of Pop. Forget about her weak lyrics, it's the revamped disco and club non-stop sequencing that makes it so appealing.

The list of CDs that I have bought this month:


Corrinne May, Beautiful Seed (2007)
4th release from this female Singaporean LA-based singer songwriter. I love her enchanting voice and straight-to-your-heart contemporary notes. After all, I still love her debut and I can still remember clearly how her voice send ripples of goose pimples from the headphone on my ears to my toes at the listening station in Gramophone CD shop. Sounds like I found my religion eh? haha


玉置浩二, 惑星【初回生産限定盤】(2007)
Latest release from this veteran Japanese rocker. Really lost count how many albums he has released since he go solo in 1989 after his band 安全地帯 (Anzenchitai) disbanded, I never failed to own a piece of his discography. This album is not as appealing as his previous one in 2006. I bought this from the net, limited edition Japanese pressed that comes with DVD, cost me US$36.00 inclusive of postage.


Chara, The Best Baby Baby Baby XXX (1995)
Because I love her Caramel Milk The Best Of (2000) that I have gotten last month, so I went search her earlier best of compilation on ebay. And this is what I'm got, US$10 inclusive of postage. Good quality used cd and great music!


881, Original Motion Soundtrack (2007)
This is the highlight of the month. Finally I started to believe the powerful influence of a strong soundtrack has on a movie boxoffice. The movie has grossed more than $2 million at this moment, thanks to the soundtrack who not only touched the heart of the heartlanders but also gaining recognition from sophiscated music fan like me (pardon my arrogance, I'm music nazi remember? hee). Although I still feel embarrassed to blast it out loud at home, I still want to own a piece of this great work.

Freak Downpour

itunes: NOT PLAYING

This afternoon's freak heavy downpour has caused a flood at the side road around my office area. The drainage started overflowing and within minutes, the water level increased steadily and eventually, the whole road is submerged. Luckily, my colleagues and I managed to get back to the office before the flowing water took over. Seriously, this is the second flood that I encountered in my whole life, the first one when I was in my secondary school days.



We were joking about the car, guess it can be towed and scrapped after the water subsided.

Comatose Brain

itunes: NOT PLAYING

Brain in comatose state, can produce no shit these 2 weeks.
Everything blocked, that's why fucking bored.

881

itunes: 徳永英明, Vocalist (2005)

Official Website: http://www.zhaowei.com/881/synopsis.html

Despite I have always associated the annual Ghost Festival Getai thingy and Hokkien songs as something cheesy, sleazy and low brow entertainment in Singapore; especially it is a local production which I tend to link it with the poor bad TCS8 (our National TV) soap drama style acting, this time I'm surprised that I have actually paid a full price ticket to catch it in the theatre. First of all, I'm intrigued by the promo trailer, which I find it impressive for such a genre. Ya, I'm right, it turned out to be one of the finest local production after all these years. Hail to the director Royston Tan, who has successful captured the essence of Getai scene culture in Singapore and beyond which take something as low corny as Getai and turn it into high retro art. Impressive!!

I have to admit it does contain the necessary emotion-stirring plot, tear-kerking moments and local favour witty Hokkien jokes (well, these are must-have elements for commercial movies, forgivable I mean). The more important aspects are the soundtrack, the set, the cinematography, the costumes and the colours that help to escalate this film into higher ground as compared to its peers. The most clever part of this movie is the way it was shot. It relates the essence (that is the 'soft' part) of Singapore grassroots living without having to show the physical aspects around it. This is something different from the rest of the local films which would have shown extensively and deliberately right at the audiences' face the 'hardwares' of Singapore living. The casts also play a part in making the movie real. I noticed a couple of actors and actresses are in fact the veterans of the Getai scene here, particularly Liu Ling Ling who played the guardian of the leading actresses, is a Getai emcee for 30 years. Their contributions to this movie would have helped to make it a truly realistic Getai world even though the storyline maybe fictional. These really impressed me most because any audience watching overseas would be able to feel the richness of Singapore livelihood instead of merely 'seeing' it. That's the kind of element I expect would help Singapore films to go internationally.

Check out the soundtrack too. Even though they are all cheesy Hokkien songs, I have to admit I somehow touched by them, maybe because of the movie. Most of them are originally written by the acclaimed Chinese pop local producer, Eric Ng. His blog said that it was out on 8th of August, I went hunting for the CD after the show, but unsuccessful. :O(

GO WATCH IT. Drop all your pre-conceptions you might have on this movie. Just go watch it. For the first time, I'm touched and excited by a local film production. DUN EVER MISSED IT.

Blessed with smarts and power but.....

itunes: 艶華-Enka-, 中森明菜 (2007)

According to the Super Villian Personality Test: I Am

Dr. Doom
Blessed with smarts and power
but burdened by vanity.

Dr. Doom 43%
Juggernaut 36%
Mr. Freeze 32%
Lex Luthor 31%
Apocalypse 31%
Dark Phoenix 29%
Green Goblin 28%
Catwoman 26%
Kingpin 26%
Poison Ivy 25%
Riddler 25%
Magneto 24%
Venom 21%
The Joker 21%
Two-Face 20%
Mystique 12%

No Music No Life 07/2007

itunes: Star, 張惠妹 (2007)

Finally, I can really sit down and spend some time to update my blog. It has been hellish for the past 2 weeks, internal auditors was here and all my routine work has been stalled just to entertain them, practically got to work late almost every night just to complete those urgent and pressing ones. That leaves very little time to complete reading my Harry Potter book cos I dozed off whenever I read a couple of the pages every night. Anyway, I make sure I finish reading the whole book last night so that I can update my blog today.

Anyway, this short list of CDs that I have bought in July 2007 (goodness gracious, no bust of CD budget in July), hmm come to think of it, this is the lowest number of CDs I have bought in a month in years:


Rosemary Clooney, Forever Girl Singer 1928 - 2002 (2007)
I have eyeing this vocalist for a while but never had a chance to sample her songs until recently when i chanced upon it at a listening station in Gramophone CD shop. I just love her voice: clear, pure voice that rich filled with warmth and sincerity.


Joni Mitchell, Taming The Tiger (1998)
Gramphone CD shop has a storewide 20% discount for Citibank credit card holder and I seized this opportunity to add this into my Joni Mitchell's discography collection. Currently, I just need one more ie "Mingus" to complete the collection.

中森明菜, 艶華-Enka-
My favourite Japanese female vocalist is back with her latest re-make album, this time, she covers the famous enka songs in Japan. The re-make is refreshing because the person behind the arrangements is one of my favourite producer in Japan. Akira Senju has not only retained the original ethnic flavour of these enka songs yet injected an additional contemporary feel, which I believe able to attract the younger audience to appreciate of the beauty of enka songs. I'm truly facsinated by her new image. Really amazing.....This price of this CD has taken up 50% of my July CD budget given the ever-strong Yen currency exchange rates.

Chara, Caramel Milk The Best Of (2000)
I always believe the best introductory way to know an artist is to get a copy of his/her best of album and listen. This is what I'm doing now. I have been very curious about this Japanese singer songwriter, Chara's sound. That's why I bought it at US$5.00 from Ebay. I really like her songs but the vocal is abit too kiddy and whiney hehe but that's the trademark of most Japanese female artists anyway hehe