No Music No Life 06/2008

itunes: Russell Watson, The Voice (2000)

I'm in the mood for classicals this morning, so Russell Watson comes to my mind. Hmmm well he is not exactly the hardcore opera vocalist but just genre crossover like Sarah Brightman. Sometimes it's good to listen to opera once in a while but most of the time it just irks me because they always sounded so dramatic, even for those pop music remakes hehe. However, there is always one song that strike a chord in me, it's the remake of Queen's "Who Wants To Live Forever". Really must check this out.

The list of CDs that I have bought in Jun 08:


Alanis Morissette, Flavours Of Entanglement (2008)
The sentiments that I have for Alanis, whenever she releases a new album, I would ask myself, should I even bother to sample and buy it? Eventually I would. With the legacy of Jagged Little Pill and Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie have left behind, the follow-ups albums I would say weren't solid and striking but still rocks. But this new one amaze old fans like me, yes indeed, Alanis is back. The most important thing is without this album, I would never have realised that she has grown to be older, wiser and tamer which triggered me to revisit the in-between albums that are considered as plateau works to me. The producer Guy Sigsworth (Bjork, Madonna) has made her songs more edgy and dancey which somehow make this album sweet and tasty. Old and have-beens fans, dun miss this!


Coldplay, Viva Lavida (2008)
Another comeback kid. The bland and disappointing previous album "X&Y" and Chris Martin's close association with Hollywood somehow washed away my confidence of Coldplay's creativity effect to produce another legendary "Parachute". This album amazed me a lot as Coldplay moves into a new frontier with great new sounds. Good job!


Kelly Rowland, Ms Kelly Deluxe Edition
I'm not a fan of Kelly Rowland except the singles from her last album are good. I didnt buy the original release of this album after sample it in the CD store. This is nearly a whole new album in its entirety, with only a few tracks left intact from the original release. This album sounded more lively than its predecessor, particularly I love the song "Daylight".


Sigur Rós, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (2008)
I brought back a lot of feelings for Iceland after spending 2 weeks there in May. This album came out just in time for me to indulge myself in the essence of Iceland. I came to know Sigur Rós when reading Q music magazine who raved a lot on this band. Indeed, I like their sounds but the pushing effect to buy the CD is not there yet until their third album "()". This new album reflects the sunny side of Sigur Rós, less ethereal than the previous 3. I would recommend this is the album to listen to for starters and then move back to listen the first 3. Looks like I have to re-visit their early release again. If Bjork is the Queen of Iceland, Sigur Rós is the King of Iceland.


鈴木雅之, Martini II (1995)
This is the second best of album from this Japanese singer songwriter. He is ugly and talented and I like his music. Oops what a word to describe. Believe me, he is still in the music scene and strong. I have just bought a new single of his and should be arriving soon from Japan.

Silly Censorship Board

itunes: Sigur Rós, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (2008)

Take a look at the picture below. I took this shot at HMV Citylink.

The actual cover

Did you notice the white label on the Sigur Rós CD that says "Unsuitable For The Young"? What kind of fuck is this? Come on, this is a decent rock album and how can it ended up labelled as unsuitable for the young? Goodness gracious, first of all, it cant be the lyrics issue becos most of the songs are in Icelandic and I believe only a handful of the population here may understand the language. So if it is not because of the content then it must be the cover picture. And I believe so because the bloody white label was pasted on the area where it covered all the asses. This is simply ridicuous, on one hand we are promoting sex education to the kids and on the other, taking a big step back by cautioning consumers on an ass picture? Sometimes I really dun understand the minds of those folks sitting in the censorship. If you have a definite rulings of censorship to follow, why isnt the painted woman with a pair of bare breast on the cover of Coldplay's Viva Lavida CD not covered at all? What exactly are you trying to achieve? Why are there so many double standards here? Really pissed me off.

Coldplay's Viva Lavida cover

No Music No Life 05/2008

itunes: Jason Mraz, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (2008)

I guess this is the lowest number of CDs that I have bought in any month. Well, I was in the wild in Iceland for 2 weeks, and the other 2 weeks I was working like a dog, hence not much time for CD shopping.

Anyway, the list of CDs that I have bought in May 08:


Martina Topley Bird, The Blue God (2008)
Saw this album at Heathrow Airport T3 HMV in the waiting lounge. I was excited about this especially when Martina's 2003 debut, Quixotic is such a darling to me. I have not listened to it yet, I wondered how she will sound after exiting Tricky.


Jason Mraz, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (2008)
Frankly speaking, I'm not a fan of Jason Mraz except a couple of songs that I like from his 2002 album, Waiting For My Rocket To Come. Surprisingly I fell in love with this one instantly after sampling it at the CD shop. This is a sunny and easy album to listen to.


Sarah McLachlan, Rarities, B-Sides, and Other Stuff 2 (2008)
I like the part 1 very much, so I buy this too. As simple as that.

No Music No Life 04/2008

itunes: Jason Mraz, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (2008)

Looks like I have a lot to catch up with my updates.
The list of CDs that I purchased in the month of April:


Madonna, Hard Candy (2008)
At last, the wait is over, soon the playing of the CD is over too. Seriously speaking, I asked myself if I have too high expectations of Madonna of re-inventing herself whenever a new album is out. First of all, I must say that this is a departure from her amazing Confession On The Dancefloor, which fits into the old saying that no 2 Madonna albums are the same. However, what puzzled me is it seems Hard Candy is built on the sounds of Timbaland and Pharrell Williams, so much so it resembles the sounds in Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake's recent albums (which are produced by Timbaland too). Is Madonna running out of music ideas or is she merely fulfilling her last album commitments with Warner? Although it is not as bland as the American Life, Hard Candy demonstrated the weariness of Madonna's music ambition and it remained as one of the Madonna's lifeless album.


Deluxe Limited Edition


Standard Edition

Mariah Carey, E=MC2 (2008)
In comparison to her previous hit The Emancipation Of Mimi, I would prefer Mimi to this despite Mariah did tone down her vocal gymnastics in her singing and more hip hop influenced. That's why Charmbracelet irritate me a lot with the usage of her vocal gymnastics to the max. In fact, as a long time fan, I'm glad to see her progress in the realm of music, moving out of the comfort zone of the things she has been doing. After all, nothing beats her Butterfly album, which remains as her most edgiest production to date. Nevertheless, from this album, one can still find a couple of surprises, like track "Migrate" and "For The Record"


Chara, Union (2007)
After the 2 best albums that I have bought last year, I have found her 2007 release on ebay, still cheaper than buying full price on the net, just US$9.99! She is one of the Japanese singer songwriter that comes with wild earthy look and yet distinctive voice like the soft whimpering of a child. Making music that is innocent and mature, clean and dirty. Sounds contrasting and that's what I like about her sounds.


宇多田ヒカル, Heart Station (2008)
I have been a fan of this young singer songwriter and producer since her debut in 1999 at the age of 16. I think I let her credentials do the recommendations: Utada's first official Japanese album First Love became the best-selling album of all time in Japan with over 7.65 million copies sold to date in Japan alone (10.056 million worldwide to date). Her next 3 Japanese albums being rank in the Top 10 all-time best-selling albums in Japan ranking (#1, #4, #8). She has 2 No.1 singles from her English album Exodus (2004) on US Billboard's Dance Chart. In 2007, her single "Flavor Of Life" reached #2 in worldwide digital download single sales with over 7.2 million downloads (the only non-American artist to hold such a distinction), and she sold a total of 12 million digital ringtones and songs in that same year, making her the first artist ever to have this many digital sales in a year's time.


上戸彩, Best Of Ueto Aya Single Collection (2006)
Seriously, I bought the CD mainly because she is cute, that's all. There is nothing to comment on her forgettable dancey tracks. Well, men are visual creatures isnt it? So that should justify everything. Haha


小林幸子,小林幸子全曲集　恋桜 (2007)
I must say I buy this CD not out of a cute cover (that's for sure). As much as I'm superficial at times, I'm deep within as well. Yes, I'm interested in Japanese Enka as well and this gorious lady here is one of the prominent veteran in the Enka world, at least 40 years in business. How can I possibly NOT buying her CD right?


王若琳, Start From Here (2008)
This singer songwriter is promoted to be the Norah Jones of Taiwan. This debut album comes in 2 discs, in English and Mandarin respectively. Most of the songs are composed by her. She did a cover of Billy Joel's New York State Of Mind. It's a good to hear the female version of this good song. This album is good for late night listening.......

方大同, 未来 (2007)
Soul boy singer songwriter from Hong Kong. Bought his 3rd album for the first time last month, this month I picked up his latest 4th album. The enchantment continues....


黃建為, Over The Way (2006)
This is a undiscovered gem. An indie folk singer songwriter from Taiwan, who surprises with his winning of best new artist in the Taiwan's Grammy equivalent music awards last year. It's good to listen something that is so acoustic and earthy such that the sounds are generated from the woods. However, as raw as the sounds can be, his so-so vocal blends in well as a whole.

So I'm back

itunes: Pizzicato Five, Big Hits & Jetlags: 1991-1995 (1995)

Well, it has been more than 2 months since I last blog. Time really flies like an arrow and within a second of eyeblink, it's already July. Half of the 2008 has come and gone without realising it.

It has been a good 2 months. The biggest happening is that I have finally realised the long time Lat 65° N Dream, a full 2 weeks of pollution-free nature on Iceland in mid May. Since my last blog in Apr, I have been spending most of the time at work, targetting to complete the annual audit, clearing the urgent outstanding matters and handing some routine duties to the co-workers. It's really a mad rush. I worked all the way up to the final minute at 7pm, rushed home, had dinner and showered, final check on the luggage before rushing off to the airport to catch the 11pm flight to London. My boss even sms-ed ms regarding work on my way to airport. It was not until when the plane took off, my mood was finally tuned to a vacation mode when I saw on the screen at the back of the seat in front of me that I'm really out of Singapore, heading towards London for the next 13 hours. Yup, that marked the beginning of the trip of my lifetime.

It was another mad rush when I returned to work late May. From the stacks of documents sitting on my table pending for my approval, there are plenty of emails to reply; and countless meetings to attend. And the torturing jet lag that didnt go away only after 2 weeks. I kept dozing off at work especially in the afternoon, no matter how early I turned in the night before. The post holiday blues stepped in too, it seems my life is spinning aimlessly and I missed Iceland terribly. I have met people who first visited Iceland, fell in love with that piece of land, and decided to stay on for good. I kept asking myself, why cant I do the same too?

Well well well dramas aside, things are much settled now and I'm back to the routines. I have started working on the new travel blog on Iceland, selecting photos out of the 3000 that I have taken during the trip and documenting the events before my poor memories faded away hehe :OP Guess it will take quite some time to complete. Till then, stay tuned for the beautiful Icelandic landscapes.

Just add a couple of cools tracks on the player that sink into my brain recently. Check em out. I'm back and will return real soon.....(as if anyone cares at all.......haha)

Bloody Shark Fin Soups

itunes: E=MC2, Mariah Carey (2008)

Sherman's Lagoon comic strip in Sunday's Times today raised the concern on the threats of sharks caused by over-fishing and over-consumption of shark products and by wasteful practices such as finning and needless bycatch. I have quitted eating shark fin after seeing the disturbing pictures of shark finning (there are some below) a couple of years ago. Since then, I have advocating the facts to the people I know over meals, especially when there are shark fin soup being served. I just dun understand why everyone keep giving this silly excuse, "eating once or twice is fine since it merely sacrifice a couple of sharks only." A statement of short-sightness, I would say. Killing stops when demand stops, just look at the magnitude of demand and supply. There is a common sight I noticed. There are assholes who agreed and particpated with my advocate discussion and yet still slurping the bowl of sharks' fin soup. KILLERS! STOP EATING THE BLOODY SHARK FIN NOW!

Why shark conservation? Source: Ocean Conservancy

1. Sharks aren't so fierce
Sharks are in deep trouble. Like many other ocean fish, we're taking too many out of the ocean. Although they seem tough, sharks are among the most vulnerable animals in our oceans. Most species grow very slowly and have few young. Their populations cannot take much fishing before they start to decline. In fact, many shark species are now considered threatened with extinction. Several populations have dropped by 80% or more; some need 100 years or more to rebuild to healthy levels.

2. Sharks are important
Most sharks are at the top of the food chain. They prey on weak and wounded animals and keep the other populations healthy and in check. Scientists warn that losing too many sharks will disrupt the balance of life in the oceans, causing problems for other species and probably ourselves.

3. Sharks are in demand
Interest in sharks for food and sport is growing. Shark meat, such as that from the dogfish shark, is popular is some countries, but not as valuable as cod or tuna. The priciest parts of most sharks are their fins, used to make a traditional Asian delicacy known as shark fin soup. The high price of fins together with the lower value meat too often leads to “finning” the act of cutting of a shark's fins and tossing the rest of the body away at sea. Shark finning has been banned in many oceans, but rules need to be stronger to make sure it is stopped for good.

4. Sharks are under-protected
Although their fins are worth a lot of money, sharks are still not the favorite catch of most fishermen. Many people still fear sharks; they aren't convinced we need to protect them at all. That adds up to sharks rarely getting as much attention as other fish by the people setting fishing rules. Too often, shark catch limits are set too high and come too late to avoid damage to the population. The U.S. is proposing measures to allow overfished shark populations in the Atlantic to recover. There are still no limits on the amount of sharks taken from international waters (outside 200 miles from shore), even though many shark species swim far out into the ocean.

Reports on sharks from Wildaid:


8 Steps to a Bowl of Shark Fin Soup

The End of the Line

Shark Finning

BEFORE YOUR MOUTH AND HANDS CONTINUES TO BE STAINED BY MORE BLOOD, STOP THE ACT NOW!!

Touch My Body

itunes: Touch My Body, Mariah Carey (2008)

Mariah has done it again! This song is almost an anthem to me this period, simply cant get it out of my head. It's fun, cute, sexy and sweet: "If there's a camera up in here Then it's gonna leave with me When I do, If there's a camera up in here Then I'd best not catch this flick On YouTube"