mokioave3

Arcade Fire at the Bridge School Benefit 2011

2011-10-24T05:26:00.003+08:00

Ever since i saw them in Manchester a couple of months back, Arcade Fire have slowly worked their way up the ranks in my list of favourite bands. As good as they are on record, they are a simply band to be experienced live. Last night, they played the first night of Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit concert and it was a cracker of a set.

They played a fully acoustic set of seven songs, tweaking some of them to fit, giving songs like Intervention a softer, emotive feel compared to their usual fist pumping oomph. One of those was Empty Room, and they turned in an absolutely stunning version, slowing it down almost into a country waltz ballad. It was the highlight of the set for me, along with their cover of Helpless, joined by Neil Young himself on stage. Empty Room is at 7:30 on the video above, and Helpless is at 27:00.

43

2011-10-13T09:21:00.002+08:00

I really should dust this off. But first i need some sleep.

Powderfinger

2011-04-24T09:20:00.003+08:00

Powderfinger by Neil Young, by himself on his trusty acoustic. Love how different this feels from band version, feels so much more fragile and heartbreaking. Sure its missing that awesome riff, but this version brings you so much closer to the story Neil's telling, and it feels closer to your heart. And what a story. A story of a young man forced to protect his family, though its not clear from what. A civil war? A police crackdown? But once the 3 minutes are up, you feel like you've been through everything with him, up until he tells you to remember him.

Six to eight

2011-04-10T16:29:00.007+08:00

Your fire makes it all worthwhile

From AFI's The Art of Drowning. The 13 year old version of myself used to rock so hard to this. In fact, AFI might have been the first band i was crazy about. Got me (thinking i was) all punk and stuff. Lucky i didn't go down the goth route too. Maybe i should catch up on some AFI.

Sound and Vision

2011-04-07T18:24:00.006+08:00

From Bowie's classic record Low. It starts with these three snare shots that sound like your mind being cracked open, and what comes next is pure joy. The shimmery guitar, the unbelievably happy bass, and celestial synths that come in. Its contrasted with the agoraphobic lyrics that are in line with his classic Berlin paranoia. Simply one my favourite songs of all time, one of the best i've ever heard.

Think i'll pack it in

2011-04-04T11:01:00.007+08:00

See the lonely boy, out on the weekend, trying to make it pay
Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak and, can't begin to say

Doug Paisley's cover of Neil Young's Out On The Weekend. I was reading an old interview Neil did, and he was talking about how he wrote this song when he was head over heels in love. Its funny, because i've always related the song and specifically the two lines above to a feeling of loneliness.

But after reading what he said, my perspective on the song has changed totally. From my assumption that the "lonely boy" lost the girl he loved and can't imagine being happy again; to a warmer image of him being with her and being so full of joy that he doesn't know how to relate to and can't express it. Funny how words twist.

Straight to video

2011-03-28T17:19:00.005+08:00

You are my centre when i spin away

Dubstep-ish remix of Radiohead's 'Videotape' by XxXy. Fuckin delightful.

We are the robots

2011-03-16T22:01:00.004+08:00

Kraftwerk when they were in Singapore. Not being there is one of my life's greatest regrets.

God only knows

2011-03-16T21:52:00.001+08:00

God only knows what i'd be without you.

Joe Grass's cover of a Beach Boys classic on pedal steel guitar. Amazing.

A lotta love

2011-03-10T03:06:00.002+08:00

So if you're out there waiting
I hope you show up soon

A Case of You

2011-03-09T21:36:00.003+08:00

James Blake's amazing Joni Mitchell cover. His voice reminds me so much of Antony Hegarty, so rich and beautiful.

A house falling in the sea

2011-03-09T21:27:00.004+08:00

Since i've been really stuck in a non-writing and blogging mood for quite awhile, i've decided to just post random videos that i'm feeling at the moment. The wonders of youtube eh.

Radiohead always seem to pull out the best performances for the Jools Holland show. Thom's guitar that comes in midway just kicks me in the teeth everytime. That dissonant punch is kinda missing in other versions, like the Basement one, not that there are any bad versions of this song.

Ps. I do intend to pen my thoughts on the new Radiohead album soon. But as i said, seriously not in the mood to write anything at the moment

Radiohead's new album

2011-02-15T09:19:00.005+08:00

So it's finally here. After more than 3 years of waiting and checking Radiohead's Dead Air Space regularly, the initial shock when i saw the words "Thank You For Waiting" was almost too much. I clicked on it, and it led here. This was no false dawn. LP8 was here!!!1!

Just like i'll always remember the feeling when i read the post announcing In Rainbows, i won't forget the moment i saw this. I was alone at a bench in school, just as well so nobody could see me go nuts. I think i even did a double fist pump. Then Gwen called to spaz. And i called HP and made her realise we have a chance to see them tour when we're on exchange!!

They've released it much the same way as they did for 2007's In Rainbows, totally quiet and unexpected and totally causing a worldwide internet meltdown. This time there's no 'pay what you want', but that wasn't the most important thing about the In Rainbows release anyway. The most important thing is that on Saturday (when the mp3s arrive after you pre-order the album), everyone in the world, fans, media, critics, bloggers, torrenters etc, all get to hear the album at the same time. No advance copies, no leaks. Everyone gets to hear it at the same time, and react at the same time. That collective experience online just can't be found anywhere else. And just like 07's Discbox, they're releasing it with a special physical version with unique Stanley Donwood artwork and packaging. This time its called a 'Newspaper' album.

The artwork looks like the darkest its been since, well maybe Hail to the Thief. That combined with the slightly creepy title, and i'm anticipating a foreboding, dark album. Which would be surprising after In Rainbows. About the title, the "King of Limbs" seemed odd initially, but i'm warming to it. It's slightly grotesque and sinister on one hand, and on the other it might be referring to a 1000 year old oak tree in England (scroll down to the middle), which is now kind of obvious, with all the trees and twisted branches in the artwork.

But regardless of everything else, its the music that counts. Unlike previous albums, there haven't been any tours where the band tested the songs live. Although Thom did play new songs on his solo shows, we still don't know how they sound like with the full band behind them. This might be the least "prepared" i've been for a new Radiohead album, and i'm fucking excited about that! There are murmurs going around that the album will be 8 tracks long, and it's killing me thinking about which 8 are going to be on there. New ones like Give Up The Ghost or The Present Tense? Remake of an unreleased classic a la Nude? The long awaited Burn The Witch? I can't fuckin wait for Saturday.

Obviously this is the biggest news for me of the year, maybe since Aphex Twin coming to Singapore. Got me out of my blogs hiatus for abit. Oh i know my top ten 2010 gigs list failed quite miserably, i do intend to get them up in backlog though. But for now, my plan is to abstain from any Radiohead until Saturday. 2011 can't get any better.

Nine

2010-12-24T12:48:00.003+08:00

#9: Broken Social Scene (Esplanade, 27 Jul 2010)
I had pretty high expectations for my first ever Broken Social Scene show, and Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning and company didn't disappoint. What i thought was great about the set was how diverse it was, probably reflecting the varied styles of their latest album, Forgiveness Rock Record, which they mostly covered that night. Broken Social Scene are generally known for their crazy diversity and range live though, so maybe it was the album that reflected that.

Either way, this was a great gig. They opened with probably my favourite song off FRR, World Sick. And it works as a great opener, starting off understated, everyone feeling their way in almost like in a jam, before it builds and builds and finally creeps up into a full blown stadium rocker. The set picked up speed with songs like Texico Bitches and Forced to Love, surely some of the catchiest stuff they've ever written. What maybe hit me was how much fun the gig was, Drew and Canning were in a great mood and hamming it up to the crowd.

But it was in the quieter moments where they really shone as a band. Songs like Lover's Spit, Sweetest Kill, Anthems. Lover's Spit, in particular, was a thing of beauty. Starting with just Kevin Drew on the keys and some heavy reverb on his voice, the band slowly joined in one by one, on some really subtle harmonica, sax and trumpet, as they brought it to a breathtaking and heart-breaking climax. "Love the one you're with, ladies and gentlemen." It was something special.

I think this gig convinced me that the way to hear Broken Social Scene is live. One of the best live bands around.

From the set: Lover's Spit

Ten

2010-12-23T12:49:00.003+08:00

#10: Cat Power (Esplanade, 13 Jan 2010)
What can i say about Chan Marshall? My first impressions live were: stunningly beautiful. Amazing voice. Eccentric, which i liked. Right from the moment she came on stage you could tell she never wants to be the centre of attention, and throughout the gig she often sang either with her back to us or prancing around the dark skirts of the stage. And yet this was just part of her charm.

The mood of that night seemed to suit the performance to a tee, or at least the beginning of the set; dark, slow and a little sleepy. The funereal pace of some of the songs and the way she seemed bent on changing the melodies of her own tunes and her many covers (which ranged from Joni Mitchell to James Brown that night) made it hard to follow at times. Of course, her voice is a thing of beauty. Deep and soothing, yet so bluesy and with a rasp; the folk and soul songs she was singing had her unmistakable mark on them.

The 'hits' of course were great. Metal Heart, Where Is My Love, Sea of Love and so on. And she ended the night with roses for anyone lucky enough to be in the first couple of rows. Overall a charming night.

From the set: Sea of Love

My Top Ten Gigs of 2010!

2010-12-23T12:06:00.004+08:00

I can't believe a year has passed since, well last year. Its been quite a year eh? A couple of times this week i've begun the process of 'looking back' on everything 2010, but i keep stopping myself, thinking "this is gonna take awhile".

Maybe looking back on just music in 2010 would be easier. Then i looked at the amount of (amazing) music that was released this year and thought, maybe not. So to ease my compulsion of having some kind of year end list to sum this crazy year up, i've given myself the hopefully easier task of remembering the best live shows i've been to this year.

2010 was an overwhelmingly crazy year for gigs in Singapore. I don't know if i wasn't paying attention before, but the sheer number of good acts that came here seemed to explode from the previous years. I didn't complain (even if my wallet did). Hopefully this list will entertain anyone reading as much as it does for me.

Stay tuned!

Club bangers vol. 2.2

2010-11-27T13:26:00.002+08:00

A playlist of some of my favourite dubstep/techno/electro/videogamepop/IDM/neotranceaciddeathcore tracks. Well there really isn't any neotranceaciddeathcore in there cause thats just weird. Exams have been driving me out of my mind, can't wait til they end in 50 hours time.

1. Moderat - A New Error
2. Autechre - Basscadet
3. Joker & Ginz - Re-Up
4. 16 Bit - Toxic
5. Ikonika - Sahara Michael
6. Darkstar - Aidy's Girl's a Computer
7. Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
8. Joker - Digidesign
9. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Turbo Dreams
10. Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine
11. Modeselektor - The White Flash
12. Burial - Raver

The Flaming Lips @ Marina Bay Sands

2010-11-12T20:33:00.003+08:00

Okay i know i don't usually post about gigs. I always intend to but i get really lazy trying to put into words what a show was like. I guess i still intend to write about all the shows i've seen this year, maybe during the holidays. But what i have to say now is that last night i was part of probably the craziest, weirdest, most awesomely fun gig i've ever been to!

The Flaming Lips blew my mind last night. In the most amazing, trippy, crazy way possible. With confetti cannons, balloons, a giant hamster ball, giant hands shooting lasers, fucking awesome singalongs, Wayne Coyne riding a bear, ridiculously cool light show etc etc.

We had to wait til about 10 before they came on because the Raveonettes had a full set before them. They weren't bad, some catchy stuff considering it was my first time hearing them. Abit too loud though. Maybe it was because we were right in front of the stage, or maybe the acoustics of the closed up hall, but i thought the sound of the expo hall wasn't that good.

It didn't really matter when the Lips came on though. Right from the start they got the crowd whipped up, as the band members each came through a 'space hole' thingy in the centre of the light screen, down a ramp and onto the stage. I have to mention the light show, they have this giant, semi-circle light screen as a backdrop and the lights are ridiculously bright and the colours are totally mental. So much so that Wayne Coyne had to give the crowd a serious warning at the start about bad reactions to the strobe lights.

Next, the leadman Coyne made his grand entrance in a giant hamster space ball and he traversed the whole audience, propped up on our hands. Crowd went hysterical. And to kick it off the band launched straight into Worm Mountain from their latest album Embryonic. The confetti cannons exploded and balloons were everywhere, the energy in the hall was just incredible. The show continued with more Embryonic songs. Maybe the one regret about this concert was not having given more time to their latest album, such that i wasn't as familiar with their new songs which made up most of their set. But i don't think it affected my enjoyment at all.

Alot of the songs off Embryonic are much heavier, more complex stuff but the way the band carried them off was just insane. The band was amazing, the way they created and sustained this crazy energy throughout. Of course Wayne was the main man of the night. I've never seen a more charismatic frontman live before. Instantly likable with his kooky grin and just unbelievably crazy, he ran the show from start to end. But if Wayne was the heart of the show, maybe Steven Drozd is the brain. He ran the show music wise, playing everything from his spacey keyboards to this awesome 12 string double-body Gibson SG, to singing harmonies.

And all the crazy stuff they come up with. Let's see. I've already mentioned the space ball. Halfway into the first song Wayne strode atop a costumed bear and sang the rest of the song there. Midway through the set he got out two giant hands that shot green lasers out onto the disco ball above the stage, which was fucking cool. He sung a couple of songs from a distorted loudspeaker. He brought out a psychedelic gong for Pompeii Am Gotterdamerang which lit up whenever he struck it. The list goes on and on.

And the songs! Holy crap, i've never had that much fun singing along at a show. Like during I Can Be A Frog, where Wayne got the whole crowd harmonizing with silly animal noises. Or singing "vaa-aaa-aaa-seline!" on She Don't Use Jelly. In The Morning of the Magicians was, well, magical. Wayne introduced it as a song about love, and how we can give love to everything in our lives, from music to insects, or even people.

My two favourite moments would probably have to be Yoshimi and Do You Realize?? though. Yoshimi was great, exactly how i had anticipated it to be, the whole hall singing along with Wayne. Do You Realize?? took everything to another level as the Lips closed out their show with an insane bang. A little acapella singalong to start, then the keyboards with that sweet synth line, before the drums and guitars kicked it off as the whole place seemed to explode in a combination of joy and confetti. And then the whole crowd singing these words in unison:

Do you realize
That happiness makes you cry
Do you realize
That everyone you know someday will die
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes
Let them know you realize
That life goes fast
Its hard to make a good thing last
You realize the sun don't go down
Its just an illusion caused by the world
Spinning round

I think i can say that was the happiest and most emotional moment for me in at least a few months. I just wanted to give everyone around me a big hug (I didn't). When it was all over we stood around taking confetti photos and gig treasure hunting (Nilah got a drumstick and HP got a pick, i got.. alot of confetti), tired but happy.

Looking back, the Flaming Lips were my tenth live show i've seen this year, and i don't know if they were the best, but in terms of just pure, raw excitement and joy and just crazy-ass fun, i think it would top the list.

Here's a video of the start of the whole show, linked from ariddesert87 on youtube:

Probably just dreaming

2010-09-08T00:10:00.006+08:00

I think i'm in love
Probably just horny

I think i'm your friend
Probably just lonely

I think i can fly
Probably just falling

I think i'm the life and soul
Probably just snorting

I think i'm alive
Probably just breathing

----

I think Jason Pierce was truly inspired when he wrote "I Think I'm In Love" for Spiritualized's 1997 space rock opus Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space. He was probably just high on something though. In fact, he and the band probably were for the whole album, because the album is like one gigantic, amazing acid trip. It staggers and swirls from addiction to withdrawal, from love to loss, from isolation to ecstacy, from the blissful heartache of the title track straight into the thundering roar of "Come Together". Its fast becoming one of my favourite albums of all time.

"I Think I'm In Love" itself sounds like what one would expect to feel while shooting up, or getting high (or whatever you want to call taking drugs). The first couple of minutes gaze around dreamily, before the song kicks into gear and you can almost see the bright colors moving in a kaleidoscope. And then come the confused (or enlightened?) lyrics at the start of this post. Reality of life, or drug induced babble?

Spiritualized - I Think I'm In Love (mp3 / video)

I Am a Bird Now

2010-08-12T18:45:00.005+08:00

I've been listening to alot of Antony and the Johnsons recently, its some of the most affecting, dramatic, weird yet plainly beautiful music i've ever heard. I decided to dive straight into their supposed magnum opus, 2005's I Am a Bird Now, and while it struck me initially as a difficult album (as all rewarding albums generally are), what got me straight away was Antony's voice. That voice that every critic mentions when they review an album of his.

And it's worthy of the praise. His is probably one of the most unique voices in music ever, Nina Simone-esque in its depth and drama, capable of soaring through multiple octaves yet with a trembling vibrato the High Priestess of Soul herself would be proud of. Its so honest and yet with this aura of ambivalence and androgyny, it always evokes the image of some weeping Greek goddess stricken by tragedy in my mind.

With that voice, he could be singing about bubble tea and still sound painfully beautiful. Of course, his lyrics are about much deeper and weirder stuff. From breast amputation to gender change, he does sing about some strange stuff. But its all part of this album's draw and mystique. You can tell these themes of transformation, relationships and loss are real and personal to him. Right up until the climactic closer, Bird Guhl, where he finally takes flight as he sings "I'm a bird girl and bird girls go to heaven, i'm a bird girl and bird girls can fly", probably leaving everything behind.

Yet for all the drawn out themes and emotion of the rest of the record, its the opener, Hope There's Someone, that seems to get me the most. Probably the song that a casual listener will most relate to, its simple lyrics of a fear of loss and loneliness are pretty affecting. Antony sounds at his most heartbreaking here, behind a piano. But the gorgeous chords suddenly turn menacing as the song climaxes ominously midway through.

The band is not just Antony himself of course. The rest of the band play more than just supporting roles, creating arrangements that complete Antony's stories, some stark and some ornate. The strings make for some especially pretty moments on the album.

On a whole, despite being difficult and tedious at times, this is a stunning album if you put in enough effort. Essential.

Hope There's Someone mp3 / video

Thom Yorke @ The Big Chill Festival

2010-08-12T18:21:00.006+08:00

display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 149px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Obu3goyldqA/TGPLoMKHumI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/neO-xdAmu2o/s400/thombigchill1.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504467060895758946" />Thom Yorke did another rare solo set at The Big Chill festival the past weekend. He's done a couple of them in the past year and i really like these solo sets. You get to hear songs, both Radiohead and from the Eraser, stripped down, Thom's voice up front (and his voice was bang on form for this one). You get to see him all friendly with the crowd, having a great time.

And i love the way he's been using the loop pedal. Like how he creates multiple tracks to harmonize with himself on the gorgeous new one Give Up The Ghost. Or how he builds a haunting climax on The Gloaming (never thought he'd play this one solo). I've embedded a video of The Gloaming below.

Setlist:
The Eraser
The Clock
Harrowdown Hill
I Might Be Wrong
The Gloaming
Reckoner
Black Swan
Planet Telex
Give Up The Ghost
Cymbal Rush
Everything In Its Right Place
Airbag

Sharkfin Blues

2010-07-11T23:21:00.005+08:00

Standing on the deck watching my shadow stretch
The sun pours my shadow upon the deck
The waters licking round my ankles now
There ain't no sunshine way way down

I see the sharks out in the water like slicks of ink
Well, there's one there bigger than a submarine
As he circles I look him in his eye
I see Jonah in his belly by the campfire light

See the albatross up in the windy lofts
He gets to beating his wings while he sleeps it off
I hear the jettisoned cries from his dreams unkind
Gets to whippin' my ears like a riding crop

The captain once as able as a fink dandy
He's now laid up in the galley like a dried out mink
He's laying dying of thirst and he says or I think
Well, we're gonna be alone from here on in

Well you are all my brothers, and you have been kind
But what were you expecting to find?
Now your eyes turn inwards, countenance turns blank
And I'm floating away on a barrel of pain
It looks like nothing but the sea and sky remain

A harpoon's shaft is short and wide
A grappling hook's is cracked and dry
I said, why don't you get down in the sea
Turn the water red like you want to be?

Cause if I cry another tear Lord I'll be turned to dust
No the sharks won't get me but they don't feel loss
Just keep one eye on the horizon man, you best not blink
They're coming fin by fin until the whole boat sinks

----

Poetry in a song if there ever was. Gareth Liddiard take a bow.

The Drones - Sharkfin Blues (mp3 / video)

A Reading From Dr Seuss

2010-06-08T11:56:00.008+08:00

Just some tunes i've been feeling. Haven't really felt like writing anything lately, haven't felt like doing anything at all in fact. Sometimes i think i'm the nowhere man John and Paul were talking about.

The Beatles - Nowhere Man
The quintessential Beatles three part harmony. Love it.

Spoon - Don't You Evah
This song is made by the funky bassline. I like how simple and efficient the whole song is, it's the way it is with most Spoon songs, everything has an exact role and there's nothing superfluous about it.

Shugo Tokumaru - La La Radio
Everytime i listen to Shugo's album Exit, i like it even more. It's so chock full of melodies and amazing little musical details that i find something new everytime. For example, i honestly can't count how many instruments he's playing in La La Radio. It starts slow and builds up to this gorgeous breakdown.

Nina Simone - Feeling Good
What a voice the High Priestess of Soul had. Equally compelling and emotional as it was dark and dramatic, it holds you in a bind and doesn't let you go.

R.E.M. - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
One of, if not the, happiest R.E.M. songs. Interestingly on arguably their saddest album, Automatic For The People. I can't put my finger on exactly why this song feels so uplifting. Could be the irresistably catchy hook, or those strings. Could be the slightly silly lyrics, or the way Michael Stipe sings them, like he never had a care in the world. That chuckle at the start of the third chorus is one of my favourite Stipe moments ever.

James Devane - Rhubarb (Aphex Twin cover)
Classical guitar cover of Aphex Twin's poignant ambient piece. Someone put it together with this video, and it's just perfect. A video about nothing and everything all at once. I really like it anyway.

Miracle Legion - Paradise
Rocking track from the late 80's. Miracle Legion were often compared to early "college rock radio" era R.E.M. and i can guess why from the jangly guitars in this one, though they're probably not that similar. I find Mark Mulcahy's lyrics to be strangely moving, they have this tinge of sentiment and nostalgia which i'm not sure i understand but i certainly get.

Akron/Family - Franny/You're Human
Really beautiful closer to their first album that i can really empathise with. "Please Lord give me strength, to be nobody, cause i am not my thoughts." They repeat this over and over like a prayer, set to a lilting melody and really pretty harmonies.

Eternal sunshine floating in space

2010-05-22T01:55:00.007+08:00

One of my favourite movies of all time with one of my favourite songs of all time. One day i hope to dance to this with someone i love.

All i want in life's a little bit of love
to take the pain away
getting stronger each today
a giant step each day

Wise man say
only fools rush in
only fools rush in
but i can't help falling
falling in love with you

I will love you til i die
and i will love you all the time
so please put your sweet hand in mine
and float in space and drift in time

All my time until i die
we'll float in space just you and i

Jay Chou - 跨時代

2010-05-20T21:15:00.008+08:00

So, Jay Chou released his new record yesterday, his 10th studio album since 2000. That's one every year, flying off the shelves into fanboy/girls' homes and KTVs everywhere. Sometimes i find this Mandopop tradition of an album a year abit much, but then again i find myself getting excited with news of Jay's release every year, so i'm not really complaining. Jay's built up quite a catalogue this 10 years, now that i think about it it's quite amazing how he manages to write so many good new songs in such a short time. And there are good songs on this album. Some forgettable ones too though.

The good: the trademark gems are all there. The requisite epic piano ballad, 說了再見. The super-catchy R&B track, 自導自演, which as hum says, harkens back to his Fantasy days. But my favourite at the moment is probably the '中国风' song, 雨下一整晚, with its plaintive vocal and lush instrumentation. At about 2:10, when the orchestra kicks into gear, its awesome on a pair of good headphones. Might be one of my favourite instrumental moments on a Jay song. I really like how happy track 5, 好久不見, is too.

The bad(ish): there are still some Jay cliches i could do without. Like the 'hip hop' song (嘻哈空姐), the 'playful' song (免費教學錄影帶), the 'fantasy-themed rock' song (title track, with surprisingly catchy auto-tune). It won't be a Jay Chou album without these, he always seems to want to squeeze as many different styles into one album, but he ends up seeming like he's playing to these formulaic cliches.

Sometimes i (or the pretentious indie geek in me) wish he'd come out with a more cohesive album, rather than just a collection of singles, and break the 'Mandopop' norm. But then again it really doesn't affect my enjoyment of this album, or any of his others, on a whole. As with the other albums, i always come to enjoy the 'cliche' songs in the end anyway, after a few more listens.

My first impression is probably that while this isn't his best album, it's still a good one overall and can definitely stand up to his previous work. Jay's set himself some pretty high standards, and maybe sometimes he's a victim of that. If he wanted to shut the critics up, like the lead single, 超人不會飛 says, then i think the album as whole achieves that. Can't wait for his concert in July!

周杰倫 - 說了再見
周杰倫 - 自導自演
周杰倫 - 雨下一整晚
周杰倫 - 好久不見

A pot full of secrets to be told

2010-04-08T08:17:00.009+08:00

Promise me son, not to do the things i've done
Walk away from trouble
Say you love me, say you love me
Let's just say you love me

Atoms for Peace (ie Thom Yorke's Eraser band) kicked off their US tour with two shows at the Roseland Ballroom the past couple of nights. Thom pulled this gorgeous cover out for the second night.

Earlier on the first night, he played another new song. At first i thought it sounded really similar to the other new stuff like The Present Tense for example, (and Thom admits it too, "If you noticed i've only got one trick on the guitar now, i'll stop when it gets boring") but its really growing on me.. another pretty vocal melody that he's come up with.

Thom Yorke @ Cambridge Corn Exchange, 25 Feb

2010-02-26T06:55:00.009+08:00

Okay i have school in 3 hours and i really need to go to bed, but i can't stop looking at the tweet updates for Thom's gig going on right now! Amazing setlist so far, 3 new songs and plenty of weird surprises (I Froze Up! Airbag acoustic!) I can't wait to hear whatever Mouse Dog Bird sounds like. There has to be a taper at this, please.

1. The Clock
2. The Eraser
3. Weird Fishes
4. NEW - Daily Mail/A Pig's Ear
5. Pyramid Song
6. Harrowdown Hill
7. Lotus Flower
8. NEW - Give Up The Ghost (Loving this so much now, melody is so Neil Young)
9. These Are My Twisted Words (Amazing seeing the guitar part condensed on one acoustic guitar. Genius)
10. I Froze Up (So pretty!)
11. Like Spinning Plates
12. Black Swan
13. Cymbal Rush

14. Videotape
15. NEW - Mouse Dog Bird
16. Reckoner (in this video, Thom talks about how Mouse Dog Bird is inspired by children's writer Judith Kerr)

17. Airbag
18. Atoms For Peace
19. True Love Waits (Just perfect.)

EDIT: youtube links up for new songs and some others, thanks to atease and other tapers. It's only just hitting me, what an amazing gig this was. Not like i forgot, but these videos remind of what a genius this man is. Case in point: the guitar parts on Airbag, Twisted Words; the vocal melodies on Lotus Flower, Give Up The Ghost; the loops, backing vocals etc etc. What i wouldn't give to see him live. And the list of potential songs for Radiohead LP8 grows. Feels like 2006 all over again, listening to the new songs live, waiting for the new album. Unbelievably excited.

320kbps mp3 recording thanks to a taper at MT

Videotape

2010-02-04T23:14:00.007+08:00

There are some songs that can be listened to everyday. Then there are those that can't, but some of these can hit you hard when you least expect it. I think Videotape belongs in the latter. I was just watching this and i thought, everything about this is perfect. The cyclical-ish melody (which i really thought i'd gotten bored of), the way Thom's voice cracks a little, that step-up/step-down part that starts at 1:45 of the video. And the way i remember listening to this on the plane to Australia with my family in 2006 just before i enlisted, staring out the window at the clouds as Thom goes, "When i'm at the pearly gates, this'll be on my videotape".

It's like this song marked that feeling and that part of my life and stored it in a box in my head, and i can open it up whenever i hear this. There are many different versions of this song, besides this one there was the 2006 live one with the amazing, over the top guitar build up, and of course the one on In Rainbows which is even more austere but i love for the drum loops that sound like a video recorder running out of tape, which in the context of the song is one of the saddest things i've ever heard. Anyway, someone posted an amazing remix on MT that seems to combine all three versions plus the ambient washes of Mk1, it is truly awesome. Download here.

Anyway, i've been meaning to blog about the gigs i saw in January but school has been kinda crazy (again). Hopefully i can once i finish my 108289 pages of readings!

One

2010-01-11T00:57:00.006+08:00

And my number one song released in 2009..

#1: Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear
2009 was Grizzly Bear's year. The year they went from being a band to watch to being full blown stars in their own right. The year they released Veckatimest, my album of the year. The year Jonny Greenwood called them his favourite band in the world.

Two Weeks was the point where it all clicked into place. It was the watershed moment when everything came together just right and materialized into 4 minutes of sheer perfection on tape. The first backing vocals had me hooked at hello. I couldn't stop playing it. At least for a couple of weeks (hah). But what makes it even more special is that it was a part of one of the most beautiful albums i've heard in a while, in Veckatimest.

----
And with that, the list is done, and a new year has started, well belatedly. Sadly that means i'm off to school in 8 hours and the only music i'll be listening to soon are the monday blues. But i'm looking forward to another good year in music, starting with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Esplanade this tuesday! Happy (late) new year everyone :)

Two

2010-01-11T00:13:00.003+08:00

#2: These Are My Twisted Words by Radiohead
Any new Radiohead-related material is always huge news for me. So when i read about this track being leaked (i think i was in a lecture) i plugged in my headphones immediately. And it was awesome. The great thing about this song was that i wasn't exactly sure it was a Radiohead song until Thom's voice comes in more than halfway through. It's so different from anything they've done recently. It's dark, dissonant, almost Krautrock-ish. Favourite part: when that bass-ish guitar part kicks in about 1:40.

Listening to this just makes me unbelievably excited about the new album they're supposed to be recording and releasing this year. Between this sound and some of the different new tracks Thom's done live, i really don't know how the new album will sound like. Which is why they're so awesome. 2010 will be a good year.

Three

2010-01-10T23:25:00.002+08:00

#3: My Girls by Animal Collective
Animal Collective have always been too 'experimental' or 'challenging' for me to listen to (ie i couldn't be bothered!) But this year i finally started getting into them. And this song is probably the main reason why. Give it a few listens to get going and it will shimmer its way through your ears and start swimming around your brain with its shiny, summery loops and unbelievably catchy harmonies.

It starts out simple enough but they keep adding layer after layer until it becomes a cacophony of pure bliss. While the lyrics about a father wanting to provide for his family are meaningful enough on their own, Panda Bear and Avey Tare make it sound like it's the most natural and joyfully ecstatic thing a man could ever want to do. And it probably is too.

Four

2010-01-10T22:51:00.002+08:00

#4: I Am The Supercargo by The Drones
Okay teeechnically this is a 2008 song, but.. it was only released in Australia that year and was released everywhere else in 2009! I had a good reason to circumvent my countdown rule though. When i looked at my list, i realised there weren't any epic, rocking moments on it.

I Am The Supercargo was what this list needed. It sums up everything i love about The Drones: that riff, the screeching feedback, that monster breakdown, Gareth Liddiard's crazed delivery. But most of all, it is Liddiard's lyrics; words that carry as much weight as any modern poet's.

Five

2010-01-06T21:49:00.004+08:00

#5: Crystalised by The xx
If you believe the hype around the online community, The xx were the best new band 2009 produced. And while many self-appointed internet critics (myself included) throw hyperbole around way too easily, there's plenty of evidence to back up that claim. Their debut album xx was unlike any other this year. Sparse and airy yet so intimate and melodic, it is an album that grows on you slowly, drawing you in.

Crystalised does exactly that. The guitars and bass slide around each other, appearing and disappearing, embracing and then pushing each other away. Kinda like the two lovers in the song.

Six

2010-01-06T21:16:00.003+08:00

#6: Walkabout by Atlas Sound feat. Noah Lennox
I started listening to the band Deerhunter this year, through their amazing 2008 album Microcastle, fascinated by their shoegazy and generally dark music. So when i heard this track by Atlas Sound, the solo project of lead singer Bradford Cox, i was surprised as it was one of the happiest songs i've heard in awhile, with that chimy loop and those sweet harmonies.

It might have been down to the influence of Animal Collective's Lennox, but it's not just the music that's uplifting. For someone who always seemed to be writing lyrics from dark places in his life, Walkabout sounded like Cox leaving these places. "Forget the things you left behind, through looking back you may go blind", a particularly pretty line.

Ps. Well obviously my plan to finish this countdown by the new year failed spectacularly, the past week or so has been crazy. Mostly good-crazy though. Hopefully i'll be done by the start of school next week, :(

Seven

2009-12-31T03:03:00.007+08:00

#7: Rusty Nails by Moderat
I didn't catch many gigs this year, but the few i did were fantastic. My favourite one was Moderat (David Byrne a close second!). I really didn't know what to expect but they blew my mind. Firstly, it was an awesome experience: meeting my fellow RDR groupies for the first time haha in some middle of nowhere warehouse in Tanjong Pagar, feeling out of our depth in the middle of all those happening rave party people, managing to stand right in front of the stage, meeting Modeselektor after the show! And their set itself was incredible. Highlight of the night (and their album too) was Rusty Nails for me.

Combining a sick Modeselektor beat and Apparat's ambient keyboards and hazy vocal, it manages to be downright catchy yet dreamily beautiful at the same time. The way it sucks you in just before the hook is my favourite part.

Eight

2009-12-31T02:36:00.002+08:00

#8: Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It's Blitz! was one of the albums of the year for me. Track after track, they were all good, catchy songs and filled with awesome moments. But the first track and lead single stood out, not just with its jagged synths and irresistable hook, but because it laid down a marker for the rest of the album. An album as danceable as it was rocking. Zero didn't so much announce their intentions as smack you in the face and commanded your skinny butt to get moving. I don't expect to use my seat much when i see them in 2 weeks!

Nine

2009-12-29T04:47:00.003+08:00

#9: Everyone Is Guilty by Akron/Family
Akron/Family are a band that always throw me off whenever i listen to them. I find myself consistently thinking "WTF?", and that's a good thing. And this song is a perfect example, it's almost like their party manifesto.

It covers alot of ground, from that groovy riff at the start, prog rock-ish beat, their familiar chanting and harmonies, to a fucking awesome guitar solo at the breakdown, a brass section, strings at the end etc. It's almost like a microcosm of Akron/Family as a band, so many different things together that shouldn't work on paper, but just do. So different, so weird but so, so awesome.

The best part is how when your face has just been melted to bits by the solo, the song just segues back effortlessly into that groove like nothing happened.

Ten

2009-12-25T00:33:00.002+08:00

#10: Boy Lilikoi by Jónsi
I can't help but be happy when i hear this song. It just has it, this childlike and innocent, yet awe-inspiringly joyful quality about it. When the song starts climaxing, the strings swell, the flutes dance around like butterflies and the drums pound like your heart exploding with joy. Amazing.

The arrangement is beautiful. And the lyrics are deceivingly good as well, there's a childish naivety to it, as Jónsi implores the 'lilikoi boy' (and the listener presumably) to run free and embrace nature and life. "We all grow old, use your life / The world goes and flutters by".. It's like a child cutely giving advice to an adult.. you can't help but listen.

Also, Merry Christmas everyone :)

Eleven

2009-12-23T12:15:00.003+08:00

#11: Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke
Ever since The Eraser, Thom Yorke has almost patented his own signature electronic sound: stark, syncopated rhythms, understated but catchy melodies, and the whole dark, brooding atmosphere thing. From the moment the beat comes in on Hearing Damage, you can tell for sure that it's a Thom Yorke-Nigel Godrich song. But what i really love about this track is Thom's vocal. He sings in that low, deep rasp that he's used alot more in recent years, and his voice is right up front instead of being wrapped up in the electronics, making the song much more direct and affecting.

And of course Thom has that ability to turn the simplest, most harmless lyrics into something so much more. Here, he makes the seemingly typical love song line "You can do no wrong, in my eyes" sound eerily intimate and haunting. My other favourite line: "They say you're getting better, but you don't feel any better". This song being on New Moon probably made that movie a little more bearable too. Well, okay maybe not.

Twelve

2009-12-20T17:09:00.002+08:00

#12: Fitz & The Dizzyspells by Andrew Bird
When i think of Andrew Bird, i think of an insanely creative, wonderfully weird, whistling musical mad scientist (that's probably too small a pigeonhole for him though) But sometimes i forget how good a songwriter he is underneath all that. If you stripped down Fitz to just him and an acoustic guitar, i'd bet it would sound as good.

And i can't help but have a smile plastered on my face whenever i hear this song. Dizzy with joy. The whistles alone have made this my happy place song for quite some time. Counting down the days to his gig at the esplanade!

Thirteen

2009-12-19T16:08:00.003+08:00

#13: Foreground by Grizzly Bear
One of the most beautiful closers to an album i've ever heard. What I love about this song is that on an album as meticulously detailed as Veckatimest, with its layered harmonies and baroque arrangements, Grizzly Bear chose to end off with a song as stark as this. Centred around Ed Droste’s vocal, which is accompanied by beautifully simple piano and bass clarinet parts, Foreground distilled and showcased what is probably the band’s best gift – that distinct knack for a melody. And that choir part at the end might just have been the perfect way to close an album as divinely good as this was.

Fourteen

2009-12-19T15:36:00.002+08:00

#14: Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
I think this song in itself encapsulates how and why Lady Gaga has well and truly conquered the pop world. Impossibly catchy, great production, bizarre and dramatic, but most importantly it is unabashedly different from anything the charts have ever seen. She knows what she's doing, and she knows exactly how to push her audience's buttons. But screw all that. It is an awesome track purely because after i heard it for the first time, i was going 'ohohohohhhhohoh caught in a...' and really, how could anyone not?

Fifteen

2009-12-18T01:49:00.006+08:00

#15: I Know by Beak>
I Know was the first song to come out of Portishead's Geoff Barrow's side project, and after about 5 listens, it hit me. It was brilliant. There was plenty of buzz online about it, and one blog described it as sounding like it was made with vintage medical equipment. I thought that was particularly apt. A stuttering beat and that intermittent keyboard pulse conjure the image of a life support machine whirring into action, sustaining some kind of irregular heartbeat in its user. The keyboard pulse actually gets stronger but then it stops abruptly at 2:38, giving way to a sequence of steady synth drones. Almost like the patient crashes and flatlines. And the distant, spacey vocals call out to him as he floats somewhere. This track blew my mind, but it did it subtly and slowly.

Sixteen

2009-12-17T17:09:00.004+08:00

#16: Light A Candle by Neil Young
My favourite evergreen rockstar released his 33rd solo album, Fork In The Road in April, and continued to show why there really isn't anyone like him in rock and roll today, touring and blowing audiences to bits, including that legendary Glastonbury set in June.

And while his new album was full of dirty riffs and awesome jams, and sharp, funny as hell lyrics, my favourite track was the quietest one on it, this folksy little ditty that carried quite a different type of punch. It showed his other trademark, a contemplative and melancholy Neil singing in that trademark voice, that while probably not as pretty as it was 40 years ago on After The Gold Rush, is still as haunting as ever.

And the lyrics! Beautiful and yet so apt for the times. "Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle for where we're going / There's something ahead worth looking for.. It's a chance to give new meaning to every move we make" It's almost like he wrote it for the Copenhagen climate change summit going on right now.

Seventeen

2009-12-16T23:13:00.007+08:00

#17: An Lian (Secret Love) by David Tao
This is not just a token Mandopop song on my list, even though i did feel like i should include one seeing as i listen to it at least as much as many other genres, and how alot of my year was spent in Party World singing karaoke ;) The song itself deserves a mention though. While it isn't anything groundbreaking musically, it is Tao Zhe at his heartfelt and vulnerable best, singing about an unrequited love. It gives me this indescribable emotion, which is the same with the best Chinese songs, of this sentimental nostalgia towards that feeling of helpless infatuation we all knew so well in our teenage years, and even now maybe. All with a melody that hangs in your head, making you want to sing along.

Eighteen

2009-12-16T22:44:00.002+08:00

#18: Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It's Blitz! was actually my first Yeahs album, so when i got to their other stuff i was surprised when some of the songs weren't as slickly produced, and not as catchy and danceable as on their latest work. Catchy and danceable sums up Heads Will Roll quite well, those synths, that beat and a Karen O in truly spectacular form combine to work up a giddy, demented sweat on the dancefloor. Can't wait to see them in January!

Nineteen

2009-12-16T14:23:00.002+08:00

#19: Empire State Of Mind by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
It's not often Hova gets overshadowed on his own track, but while his verses here aren't bad, it is Alicia Keys' glorious hook that makes this track what it is. Majestic and uplifting, yet emotional and somewhat yearning at the same time. And the music backs her up equally well, fitting in with Jay-Z's Sinatra thing. That first 5 seconds that build up before the hook, real sweet.

Twenty

2009-12-16T13:49:00.005+08:00

#20: 1901 by Phoenix
French rockers Phoenix hit gold with this one, it's one of those hooks that stays in your mind for days after it hits you, whether you like it or not. It's a catchy, carefree, shiny 3 minutes of pop goodness. What more could you want? The indie rock 'bubblegum' hit of the year.

My Top Twenty Tracks of 2009!

2009-12-16T03:48:00.003+08:00

The holiday season is upon us, and we are about to see the back of another year but somehow things feel barely different from twelve months back, and i don't feel very festive at all. That said, i am enjoying this time of the year very much, spending time with my friends, playing with my new ebow(!), eating, lazing around doing nothing at all etc etc. But for want of something more productive to do, and seeing how i love year end lists (even though they mostly mean squat), i present to you.. Mokio's totally interesting, and unpretentious, top twenty songs of 2009!!

Before i jinx myself even more, i guess i should include a disclaimer that this probably isn't the most accurate review of the year in music, just my favourite twenty songs that happened to be released this year. In fact, looking back i haven't listened to too much new music at all this year, between work in the first half of the year and school in the second, been too busy/lazy to keep totally up to date and listen to new records.. but regardless, here's a countdown of my top twenty songs this year. Man the year has passed quickly hasn't it!

Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi

2009-12-05T00:50:00.002+08:00

Apart from Sigur Rós, Jónsi has been doing plenty of solo stuff recently. He released the beautiful Riceboy Sleeps with partner Alex Somers in July, and it looks like he's recording a new solo album due sometime next year. Called Go, he's apparently been working on it with composer Nico Muhly who's done stuff with Grizzly Bear and Antony and the Johnsons, and words been going around that it'll be mainly an acoustic record with plenty of 'strings, woodwinds, brass and double bass'.

He's just put up the song 'Boy Lilikoi' for download on his website for free, and it's a beautiful, summer-y song. The instrumentation and arrangment does remind me of Sigur Rós's latest album, acoustic instruments and Jónsi's voice very much upfront, accompanied by pretty strings. The woodwinds are a great surprise, very catchy. In fact the arrangement sounds even more lush than that record, plenty of things going on, more than i can catch at one go! And it has that mid-song swell that adorns many a Sigur Rós song.

Bodes well for his solo record. On a side note, my exams ended today! songboh

After the gold rush

2009-11-20T19:04:00.003+08:00

well i was lying in a burnt out basement
with a full moon in my eyes
i was thinking about replacement
when the sun burst through the sky
there was a band playing in my head
and i felt like getting high
thinking about what my friend had said
i was hoping it was a lie

well i dreamed i saw the silver spaceship flying
in the yellow haze of the sun
there were children crying
and colours flying
all around the chosen one
all in a dream, all in a dream
the loading had begun
flying mother nature's silver seed
to a new home in the sun

neil young - after the gold rush

the most perfect lyrics in the history of lyrics i think. can't wait for exams to be over :(

no longer to be free

2009-11-17T04:43:00.005+08:00

i have a dream
no longer to be free
its so cold i don't believe
here she comes now
slowly unravels
our love
in our ball of yarn
take me with you
theres a way out (?)

cant sleep.
not my words but theirs.

deerhunter - agoraphobia
slowdive - here she comes
bjork - unravel
thom yorke - reckoner (jonathan ross show)
radiohead - go slowly
aphex twin - avril 14th

Cat and Bird

2009-11-09T10:52:00.002+08:00

Ok i kinda just wanted an excuse to post a picture of Cat Power here. But anyway, she's coming to Singapore next January. And so is one Andrew Bird. The first couple of months of next year are gonna be real busy for live music heads (not to mention my poor wallet), plenty of interesting acts to see, finally! 2010'll be a great year for gigs here if this list is anything to go by:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Esplanade Concert Hall, 12 Jan
Cat Power at Esplanade Concert Hall, 13 Jan
Green Day at Indoor Stadium, 14 Jan
Patrick Watson at Esplanade Recital Studio, 19 Jan
Andrew Bird at Esplanade Concert Hall, 26 Jan
Muse at Indoor Stadium, 3 Feb

Tickets for Green Day and Patrick Watson are on sale now. Tix for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cat Power and Bird go on sale this thursday, 12 nov (sign up for a Mosaic Friends membership for a $10 discount for Cat Power and Bird!) No news for Muse yet, will update soon.

'Can't wait' is an understatement. Green Day is going to be awesome, already got my pit tickets with hum and hock! Not a big fan of the Yeahs but they should be fun too. Cat Power and Andrew Bird though, as live shows go, are probably going to be very different and i'm really excited.

I'd imagine Cat Power's being really intimate, her deep, smoky voice lulling the audience with her pretty songs interspersed with a couple of the covers she's known for. And i wanna see how Bird recreates his crazy creativity on his records live in person, loop pedal and everything.

Cat Power - Metal Heart
Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left

Beak> - I Know

2009-10-24T03:47:00.003+08:00

Portishead's Geoff Barrow's new side band, BEAK>, has released its debut album. It can be streamed in its entirety on the band's site, and you can buy it from there too. I haven't listened to it all, but the one sampler track i got, 'I Know', has been on repeat recently and it's got me very interested.

On first listen my thoughts were 'meh' and 'Portishead - Beth = :('. But i've realised for awhile now how rare it is for a good song to hit you on the first few listens. The song's built around a stuttering beat a la Arpeggi while synths slide around each other, and the distant, indecipherable vocals add a nice touch. The feel of the song, dark, raw and droning with an awesome beat, reminds me of Can somewhat. Onto my seventh straight repeat, it's really hypnotic. Need to listen to the whole album soon.

BEAK> - I Know /

Flaming Lips to cover Dark Side of the Moon

2009-10-17T01:52:00.006+08:00

The Flaming Lips are set to release a full album cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Can't wait to see what kind of crazy slant they put on one of my favourite records. The Lips are definitely a band i need to get more into.

EDIT: here's a video of them playing 'Eclipse' in a radio session (second link on the list, plenty of other cool sessions) Nice, but pretty straightforward i think. I'd like to see them do their own interpretations on the other songs.

On another note, January 2010 is going to be an awesome month! Got tickets to see Green Day with hum and hock :) and Andrew Bird and Cat Power are coming as well! 26 and 13 Jan respectively, tickets both go on sale 12 november on sistic. Can't wait.

Thom Yorke 'Rehearsal' @ Echoplex 2/10

2009-10-03T18:19:00.004+08:00

Holy new songs overload batman! My brain is melting with awesomeness. Here's the setlist from Thom Yorke's rehearsal gig that just finished a couple of hours ago.. i've never been more thankful for the internet before, this is what whoever invented it meant it for surely.

Setlist
The Eraser
Analyse
The Clock
Black Swan
Skip Divided
Atoms For Peace
And It Rained All Night
Harrowdown Hill (video) (i JIMPed)
Cymbal Rush

Open The Floodgates (NEW) (video) (so, so beautiful!)
Lotus Flower (NEW) (video)
Skirting On The Surface (NEW) (video) (Thom is writing some killer melodies these days)
Judge Jury and Executioner (NEW)

Paperbag Writer (video) (sexy as hell!!)
The Hollow Earth
Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses (video)

I'm still searching for the new boots and videos popping up all over, but from that Harrowdown Hill video, it's almost exactly as i imagined it (see previous post) and so much more! Watching Flea slap that bass besides Thom is just surreal. And those beats.. CRAZY.

Thom Yorke and Flea

2009-10-03T01:40:00.003+08:00

Is a combination i would never have thought possible. But you never know with Thom.. if you've been living under a rock for the past week (or you're not a radiohead fan, hur) Thom Yorke has formed a new band 'for fun' to play his solo stuff live and perhaps some new songs, made up of Flea, Mauro Refosco, Joey Waronker and Nigel Godrich himself.. and they're playing 3 shows over the next three days in LA. At first, like many, i was like WTF. But after convincing myself quite persuasively that this wouldn't have any bearing on Radiohead, i am actually pretty fucking excited and interested. I mean, imagine a full band Harrowdown Hill, with Flea on bass, Waronker and Refosco with two live drumsets, Nigel with some loops.. crazy.

Refosco has been quoted as saying they'll play the whole Eraser record, and some new songs. New new? or recently released new. Either way someone HAS to tape this. PLEASE. Updates to follow.

Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

2009-09-22T10:46:00.004+08:00

I just got my free download of Thom Yorke's new EP along with the news my vinyl has been sent, can't wait to get it in a months time, bah. I'd been putting off listening to the leaks the past few days just so i could listen to proper 320kbps versions and i was really excited but honestly on first listens i thought 'meh'. Well maybe my laptop speakers weren't doing the songs justice but i'd been reading alot of comments about how Thom 'killed old Reckoner' etc etc and i feared the worst when it sounded like he had just thrown on some Eraser-esque beats and production and called it a day. But i put on my headphones and listened more times and suddenly i could hear so many things going on at the same time. The song's really growing on me quickly.

The guitar riff from the old Reckoner has morphed into a wicked bassline, and a groovy section replaces the old chorus. Thom's also found an awesome beat thats really catchy, the electronic clicks go well with the stuttering snares. And i love the synths that come in at the end, some people call it cheesy and i can see why but i really like it, sounds all super nintendo videogame-y, awesome. I kind of wish he kept the bassline going strong through out, it sorta blends in after awhile.

On first play, the second song 'The Hollow Earth' seemed like b-side material. But now it's really starting to grow on me too, the vocal melody is really sweet and catchy, the bass drives the song (again i wish the drums didn't cover it so much) and those beats especially at the end, very catchy again. I like Thom's random muttering too, reminds me of the old Reckoner. The song ends abit abruptly though.

Thom Yorke just played a song live webcast over the internet for the Age of Stupid global premiere, but i can't seem to get any live streams to work. He said he was going to play Reckoner, just wonder if its the old or new one. (EDIT: heres the video)

Also, Thom's contribution to the New Moon soundtrack has been announced as a new track called "Hearing Damage". The movie may be dodgy but the people in charge of the soundtrack sure did their job well! Thom Yorke, Bon Iver, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Grizzly Bear and more.. hmm at least now the teeny bopper vampire flick now has something going for it in my books besides Kristen Stewart!

Beethoven - Archduke Trio

2009-09-16T03:35:00.002+08:00

So, i know when it comes to composers Beethoven is a relatively 'safe' and un-hip choice, but i was looking for something new to get into and i remembered reading about the Archduke piano trio in Murakami's Kafka On The Shore. That's one of my favourite books of all time, not that i've read many, but the piece plays quite a big part in it.

A certain devil may care type character sort of unexpectedly finds his emotions and spirit opening up after listening to it a few times. He finds himself in a coffee shop thinking about his life and his purpose in it and he hears it on the radio and it just hits him. After he loses his friend he had been journeying with, he puts on the piece and starts crying uncontrollably. I think the author describes it in the book as music that has the power to change people inside.

I remembered all this while i was browsing through CDs and the friendly guy at HMV helped me pick out a recording of this by the Beaux Arts Trio. I popped it in at home and while there was no immediate spiritual enlightenment, i really liked it straight away, or at least pretty quickly compared to other classical works that take tens of listens to click. It has a beauty, in sort of subtle way that creeps up on you slowly but really stirs you and gets you. I mean, and i can't say this without sounding pretentious, i think when you listen to this 'properly', you can't help feeling abit emotional and all thinking-about-your-life, just like in the book.

My favourite out of the four movements so far is still the first one which is in the video above, that little figure that starts on the piano at about 1:49, and repeats.. really sweet.

New Thom Yorke EP?

2009-08-29T14:47:00.000+08:00

The good news just keeps coming doesn't it?

SEE HERE

A new-old Reckoner? And another brand new track? Can't wait.

As for now, back to my soul-crushingly boring assignment due tonight.

These Are My Twisted Words

2009-08-19T00:00:00.004+08:00

So after all the hoo-haa about a supposed new EP and everything (you can read the full story at green plastic) Jonny announced the free download of Radiohead's new song "These Are My Twisted Words" on Dead Air Space (he even added a link to mininova! a first?). I think besides all the talk about who leaked it last week, and whether this is a new release model of singles from them or whatever, we can and should all be grateful that we've got (another) proper new song from them, for free, and it being frickin amazing song to boot.

It's definitely a good time to be a Radiohead fan, we've had 4 new tracks, if you include Thom's Miracle Legion cover, in a few weeks! Plus Jonny mentions more material they're in the process of recording and/or practising for the shows coming up. What blows my mind about Twisted Words is how it sounds nothing like what they've done recently, ie from In Rainbows. Ok, it's got that arpeggi guitar thing going on, but it has a dark, rough, droning feel and that krautrock beat.

School's been crazy too, anyway.

Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

2009-08-05T22:12:00.003+08:00

Radiohead have just released a brand new song, Harry Patch (In Memory Of), for download on WASTE, at a price of one pound (which goes to charity). It is a fitting tribute to Harry Patch, the last World War I veteran in the UK, who recently passed at the age of 111. The lyrics are taken from the words of Harry Patch himself when he gave an interview in 2005.

"i am the only one that got through
the others died where ever they fell
it was an ambush
they came up from all sides
give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
i've seen devils coming up from the ground
i've seen hell upon this earth
the next will be chemical but they will never learn"

The words are so stark and they must be some of the most powerful Thom has ever sung. The message can't be mistaken. The song itself is basically just Thom's voice set against strings arranged by Jonny, which are really beautiful, grand and ceremonial and which remind me a little of Jonny's film scores, and the song on a whole is a simple yet fittingly emotional tribute. To be honest, this sounds nothing like Radiohead have done before, at least in terms of the arrangement. A song with no rhythm section isn't something you'd expect after In Rainbows. And the strings approach something classical sounding, which may have been what Thom was talking about in a recent interview, when he discussed the chance of them doing classical stuff in the near future. However, i see this song more as a one off tribute, and i don't think it should point the way to Radiohead's next 'sound'.. right? (You never know with them.)

According to Thom's blog post, Jonny and him were inspired after hearing that interview with Harry Patch on Radio4 and they recorded the song in an abbey, a few weeks before his death. I sometimes like to believe in fate and things being 'meant to be', and maybe they were meant to record this song before he passed, and now as they release it the memory of Harry Patch and his anti-war message will be honoured by even more people.

Anyway, it is still only slowly hitting me that Radiohead have released a new song.. I'm kinda burned out by school (yeah its only been orientation week but) but coming home and turning on the computer, to see a new song is always brilliant.

MODERAT

2009-07-26T03:34:00.005+08:00

I just got back from Moderat live and my ears are still buzzing. Much thanks to HP for the invite haha.

The setting was pretty curious, an empty warehouse turned into a club for a night, cool lasers and everything. And Moderat simply blew everyone away. We were right in front of them, right beside the large ass speakers so we could hear every bass thump, every snare and every beat. It was awesome.

Moderat is a combination of Modeselektor and Apparat, and i hadn't had much of their material to listen to yet except a couple of songs, but even the songs i didn't recognize were brilliant. I loved their breakdowns and the way they cut back seamlessly, and i thought Apparat's guitar work was cool too. The highlights for me were the opener, A New Error, and Rusty Nails as well, really catchy stuff!

And yeah the light show was freaking cool. After the set we went to the side to try to get pictures and they were totally brilliant, Szary was really friendly. I can't believe i took a picture with Modeselektor. But yeah apparently Szary said they'd consider coming back to Singapore to play as Modeselektor. (!)

I can't really think straight with this buzzing in my ear so i'll leave it at that. Pictures to follow.

EDIT: Pictures are up here. I still can't believe i shook Modeselektor's hands. Gernot and Szary were brilliant. Videos up on youtube by ariddesert87.

A New Error

Rusty Nails

Thom Yorke at the Latitude Festival 19 July

2009-07-21T15:39:00.006+08:00

So Thom played his first solo set in years, under the afternoon sun in Suffolk, and what a set. He played some Eraser songs, using a sampler to create some super cool loops, some Radiohead songs solo, debuted achingly beautiful new song The Present Tense, and almost debuted another ('Give up ghost' was written on the original setlist)

I am still waiting for a complete mp3 bootleg of this. BBC was supposed to play his full set (at 3am Singapore time!) and i listened til 5 together with my fellow RDR groupies haha only for them to play 2 songs, Harrowdown Hill and True Love Waits (soundboard recordings for these two found here) Hopefully someone gets the soundboard for the full set out. There are some great videos out on youtube already though. Click the songs for the links.

Setlist:

The Eraser
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi(abit choppy but worth the watch for when everyone starts singing Ed's harmony part and how Thom reacts)
Atoms For Peace
Harrowdown Hill
Follow Me Around
Everything In Its Right Place
The Present Tense (this is slowly hitting me)
Cymbal Rush
Black Swan (Thom's loops are brilliant here, including one he creates by singing into his guitar)
Videotape

There There
True Love Waits

Edit: the mp3s are up thanks to an awesome ateaser.

All For The Best

2009-07-18T15:28:00.004+08:00

A couple of weeks back i posted about the Mark Mulcahy tribute album coming out, and this week Stereogum premiered Thom Yorke's cover of "All For The Best".

It's a great track, it's a proper cover and Thom puts his own spin on it. The distorted guitars that kick in halfway were a really nice surprise. It reminds of The Eraser alot obviously, but not only because of the production but also the way Thom sings it, kinda laid back and relaxed but still tinged with emotion. Very Atoms for Peace or Cymbal Rush etc. And his brother Andy sings backing!

Well i had a listen to the original by Miracle Legion (Mark Mulcahy's band) after i heard Thom's cover and i have to say the original is even better, it is such a beautiful song. The lyrics are just beautiful and Mark Mulcahy sings them so heartrendingly:

One day the storm will roll away
and soon you'll see
You're far away from home but never far away from me
and that's all for the best

I love the rocking guitar and harmonica solos as well, very uniquely done. I shall be checking out more Miracle Legion. Oh here's the original anyway.

Mario Paint Composer = awesomee

2009-07-09T22:08:00.003+08:00

Again, i'm always late on these kinda internet trend things, but this is just too cool to not post. There are hundreds of these on youtube and i think alot are genius versions, great songs turned into SNES video game music (which is obviously the greatest music genre). Mario Paint should be a genre itself anyway. You can try it yourself here.

The Beatles - Penny Lane (by mannacicade)

Michael Jackson - Thriller (by geoffnet1) (of course!)

Radiohead - Paranoid Android (by adolfobaez)

----

School's about to start for me again, and i feel like i'm entering or more like i'm already waddling about in a transitional stage of my life again. Days are hurtling by like they were never there. Well i've done some productive stuff i guess: learnt a couple of songs on the keyboards, finally finishing Kafka On The Shore and starting The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, trying in vain to read up some school related stuff; but sometimes its like i've been busy with nothing at all.

I realise though, that my life in general (and other people too, maybe) always feels like it's in a transitional state, moving on from one thing to another, always starting and then stopping. Its probably inevitable that i'll feel like that sometimes, but i'm so, so afraid that when say, 10 years have passed, that i'll feel like they never did.

What i think i'm trying to say is that i know the train has to leave this station and get to the next, but i have to make it go a little slower so i can watch stuff go by better. I guess i'm just reminding myself to appreciate the important things better and not take them for granted. Things like time with my family, talking to my friends, a sunset, rain etc etc.

But yeah, Mario Paint rocks.

Aphex Twin - Rhubarb

2009-07-03T10:08:00.003+08:00

Everytime i listen to this i can feel it seeping under my skin, into my veins. If i close my eyes i can see colours washing over me, and an orange sunset in the distance.

I personally think this is one of the most beautiful things ever put to tape. It is a song written delicately and simply, but which carries such poignant beauty. And the album on a whole, Selected Ambient Works Volume II, is just amazing. Its lucid sounds can go from terrifyingly cold to unbelievably beautiful. When i started listening to its tracks they were often in the background of my mind, seemingly not making an impression, but now it seems they have slowly but surely bled and flowed into my consciousness, gripping my mind. I think with this record, Richard D James (aka Aphex Twin) confirmed his status as not only the world's premier electronic musician, but also one of the modern composers of our time.

This is the only video i could find of Rhubarb, the track's a little shorter, but it has a homemade video which does match the mood of the song somewhat.

Neil Young at Glastonbury 26 Jun 2009

2009-06-29T02:38:00.007+08:00

So the legend that is Neil Young finally graced the legendary Pyramid stage at Glastonbury this past week. And after reading countless shellshocked attempts at describing the spectacle by reviewers and forumers, i think its safe to say it was worth the wait.

Apparently the energy was ridiculous, the setlist was crazy with plenty of Neil classics and amazing extended jam outs and Neil was just himself, ie fucking awesome. And he played A Day In The Life for the encore! Yes, as if the set wasn't crazy enough. At the end of the video he breaks every string on his guitar Old Black, shouts the melody into the mike and hits Old Black with the stand, then walks over and plays a few notes on the xylophone before walking off nonchalantly to end the concert; classic Neil. Here's Rockin In The Free World , the only other decent quality video i could find so far, check out part 2 of it for countless additional jams and choruses. Beat Surrender has 5 audio rip mp3s from the BBC highlights.

I would have given a big toe or a thumb to have been at this gig, seriously. To see Neil come on and explode straight into Hey Hey, My My. And the lyrics were probably never more apt, a day after the King of Pop's passing (It's better to burn out, than to fade away) To see Neil do that harmonica solo on Heart of Gold. To see the whole band blow the audience's brains to bits jamming to Down By The River. To see him own a Beatles' song like no one has ever done before, on the encore. If Neil Young isn't rock and roll i don't know who is. Okay i really really need a bootleg of this.

Tracklist:
Hey Hey, My My
Mansion On The Hill
Are You Ready for the Country?
Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Spirit Road
Words
Cinnamon Girl
Mother Earth
The Needle and The Damage Done
Comes A Time
Unknown Legend
Heart of Gold
Down By The River
Get Behind The Wheel
Rockin In The Free World
A Day In The Life

AND, the very next day Neil played at the Hard Rock Calling Festival at Hyde Park, with a similarly awesome set, with a few differences. Just a couple of songs he swopped here and there. Oh.. and Paul McCartney joined him on stage for A Day In The Life. Unreal.

Mark Mulcahy Tribute Album

2009-06-26T22:54:00.003+08:00

On September 29, Shout! Factory releases Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, a collection of covers contributed by his fellow musicians to help one of their own out. Mulcahy fronted the band Miracle Legion in the 80s, before forming the band Polaris which provided the music for the TV series The Adventures of Pete & Pete. However, his wife died unfortunately last year, leaving him with his three year old twin daughters. I guess this album will be aimed at helping give him the resources to take care of them and to continue making the music he loves.. which is actually pretty heartwarming.

Heading the tribute covers is a mouthwatering list of musical luminaries: Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Frank Black, The National and a certain band called Unbelievable Truth, headed by none other than Thom's younger brother Andy. Full tracklist here.

Neil Finn Supergroup - The Sun Came Out

2009-06-26T22:39:00.002+08:00

At the end of last year, Neil Finn and friends got together in New Zealand to record the follow up to 2001's 7 Worlds Collide, the original supergroup charity album that Finn assembled. Music royalty like Johnny Marr, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway and many more contributed to the album, which will be called The Sun Came Out. It comes out August 10, and will be to the benefit of Oxfam International. Tracklist here.

Very excited for this, not least to hear Phil's vocal and songwriting debut on the track 'The Ties That Bind Us'! I'm not sure if this is the same song posted on youtube awhile back (Phil announces the song as Family-something) but i'd expect something similar, something pastoral and floaty with Phil's beautiful voice haha. I remember seeing some interview with the other musicians being very impressed with Phil's songwriting too.

RIP Michael Jackson :(

2009-06-26T22:22:00.003+08:00

I'm sure a million blogs and facebook statuses over the world wide web are saying everything that needs to be said so i shan't say much i guess. Except that he'll always be a pop music legend, no matter what. The only album of his i own is Thriller, but what an album. One of the best records of all time surely. Not only because of the way it influenced pop music, but also just the sheer brilliance he shows on it. RIP Jacko.

There Will Be Blood

2009-06-11T16:01:00.002+08:00

Okay i've finally watched this after two years of wanting to. And though it wasn't the easiest show or the most entertaining or whatever (and you know this is coming), i can now say i appreciate what an amazing piece of art it is. It is equal amounts ferocity, brilliance, shock and awe, but also it is unrelentingly human in its portrayal of one man's journey into madness and nothingness. The performances are so morbidly good you can't take your eyes off most of the cast, the cinematography is beautiful, Jonny Greenwood's score (the reason i wanted to watch in the first place) is as key to the tone and delivery of the movie as any other part. But i think the best part of the show is how Daniel Day Lewis allows you too see through his character's cynical, mad, and tortured eyes.

There's alot of conflict in the story, between Daniel Plainview and his rivals (especially Eli played by an electric Paul Dano), him and his son etc, but the one that fascinated the most was within Plainview himself. I could see a sort of tortured, lonely vulnerability about him, especially in the way he took in and confided in the fake Henry, how he described his contempt for everyone and everything, it was like he was conscious of it but could do nothing to stop himself hurtling towards the anger and hate inside him. Like how he spites and disowns his son in a drunken rage at the end, and of course that last scene, with his final words, "I'm finished.."

I thought the show did drag on in a couple of places, but the few stunning, epic scenes and the relationship between Eli and Daniel Plainview more than make up for it. I can't believe i'm two years late on this.

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP!

Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest

2009-05-18T22:41:00.003+08:00

I must say i've been really surprised with Grizzly Bear's new album Veckatimest, which officially comes out next week, although many a copy has been floating around the internet. Though i'd seen and heard all this hype about it, i'd secretly doubted whether it would click for me. You see, i've been listening to their previous album Yellow House on and off for ages, and it never clicked. Yeah it was really pretty in parts and sounded very different, however nothing from the songs grabbed at me at all. I classed it as a 'grower' but after awhile i think i just gave up.

Then came Veckatimest. After reading one glowing review too many, and seeing all the hype (ie them supporting Radiohead on tour and Jonny calling them his favourite band), i decided to give it a listen. Opener 'Southern Point' sounded jazzy and pretty, but i immediately went back to my Yellow House doubts. Then.. came 'Two Weeks'. It hit me like a wave of relief, with its beautiful harmonies, amazing instrumentation and that hook! I think i'm not exaggerating when I say it's one of the best songs of 2009 so far.

It sets the tone for the rest of this gorgeous record, and it gave me the patience to listen abit more carefully. And i heard something special pop out of each track at me, subtly pulling me in with all the amazing little details. Really beautiful. I can't wait to get a copy. And i also can't wait to get back to the Yellow House.

grizzly bear - two weeks

----

On an unrelated note, my vote for best youtube video of the century:

Sonic Youth - The Eternal

2009-05-02T00:51:00.004+08:00

New Sonic Youth out June the 9th. Excited? I am. At least after hearing their performance of 'What We Know' on Later.

And an old favourite, just for the fun of it:
sonic youth - kool thing

What do you want me to do

2009-04-19T22:58:00.006+08:00

work has been getting abit crazy these days, haven't had much time to come on here but that said i'm stopping work in a couple of weeks. finally unemployed again! anyway this is just a short post with some tunes i'm really feeling at the moment. peace outside!

spiritualized - ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space
akron/family - creatures
crosby, stills, nash & young - teach your children
depeche mode - just can't get enough
grateful dead - box of rain
captain beefheart & his magic band - abba zaba
neil young - my my, hey hey
kings of leon - wasted time

Neil Young - Fork In The Road

2009-03-29T11:34:00.002+08:00

Okay, I can't believe i missed the news that theres going to be a new Neil Young album out. It's out April 7, it's called Fork In The Road. Even if i haven't been completely obsessed with his recent work (as i've been with his earlier work), i'm still very excited for this. Apparently alot of the album is inspired by Neil's newly upgraded Lincoln Continental convertible, which was made to run completely independent of fuel by a Jonathan Goodwin (Johnny Magic of the album it seems)

There are 5 videos of new songs on his website here, most are youtube style solo videos though, the one for the single Fork In The Road is hilarious, i've never really seen this side of Neil. The song itself is abit different to what i'm used to of him, but has an instantly catchy riff thats repeated with Neil matter-of-factly quipping some lashingly funny lyrics about the state of the American economy, with a straight face too mind you. For example, 'There's a bailout coming but it's not for me, it's for all those creeps watching tickers on TV. There's a bailout coming but it's not for you, it's for all those creeps hiding what they do.' Well said, Neil, well said. 'Johnny Magic' is quite catchy as well, and 'Light a Candle' seems pretty and abit more like what I'm used to. 'Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle for where we're goin' Beautiful. Can't wait for this album.

1. When Worlds Collide
2. Fuel Line
3. Singing a Song
4. Johnny Magic
5. Cough Up The Bucks
6. Get Behind The Wheel
7. Off The Road
8. Hit The Road
9. Light A Candle
10. Fork In The Road

Radiohead live in Mexico

2009-03-16T14:20:00.004+08:00

Radiohead have started their South American tour in Mexico just a couple of hours ago. No new songs though, like some of us had hoped. Here's the setlist:

15 Step
Airbag
There There
All I Need
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
The National Anthem
Faust Arp
No Surprises
Jigsaw
Lucky
Reckoner
Optimistic
Idioteque
Fake Plastic Trees
Bodysnatchers

Videotape
Paranoid Android
House of Cards
My Iron Lung
Street Spirit

Pyramid Song
Just
Everything In Its Right Place

In other news, they're planning a summer tour, and some studio time (!!).

Night 2 Setlist (what a set):

15 Step
There There
The National Anthem
All I Need
Kid A
Karma Police
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Talk Show Host
Videotape
You And Whose Army
Jigsaw
Idioteque
Climbing Up The Walls
Exit Music
Bodysnatchers

How To Disappear Completely
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
The Bends
Everything In Its Right Place

Like Spinning Plates
Reckoner
Creep

Radiohead - Street spirit (Live at le reservoir) /

Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free

2009-03-08T11:44:00.002+08:00

These two weeks have been busy as heck at work but i've managed to squeeze in a couple of listens to the new Akron/Family album that leaked last month. At first i was completely thrown off but i was expecting that as its been the case with any Akak album i've listened to. As always the record seemed all over the place at first, varying from simple folky melodies and chanting to weird loops and rocking freakouts. But there are differences in their sound from Love Is Simple, some distinct and some a little subtler. Of course, Ryan Vanderhoof's departure has made them a trio, but there has also been a notable shift in the sound of some of the songs to a more produced, dare i say more 'progressive' sound. For example the opener Everyone Is Guilty still has their trademark sounds, energy and group vocals but from the start the rhythm runs on in a way different from any other Akron/Family song i've heard before. There's definitely a new, different vibe from them, but it's awesoommmeeee.

The thing i love most about them is probably that they sound like nothing else, and they seldom sound like they're repeating themselves either. And that they often come up with moments of such happiness that you feel like running out of the house and dancing in the rain. Like in They Will Appear which starts out with a quiet, simple melody being repeated before turning into a joyous, rocking celebration with them chanting the line 'they will appear, behold' over and over. It feels perfectly natural yet so unique and strange at the same time. Like how the horns explode in Sun Will Shine, or in the folky beauty of River and Set 'Em Free, or the weirdness of Creatures. And a perfect closer in Last Year too.

This album is definitely a grower and i've got a feeling it'll continue to grow on me. The album's so rich and dense with detail and variety that i'm looking forward to hearing something new with every listen.

Akron/Family - River /

Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free leaked?

2009-02-20T11:37:00.002+08:00

Apparently Akron/Family's new album has leaked three months early?!! I'm dying to go home (i'm at work :| )and check this out.. will report back. Its going to be awesome going by these videos of them on youtube performing new songs.

Radiohead do 15 Step at the Grammys

2009-02-12T16:11:00.004+08:00

So, Radiohead (well just Thom and Jonny, which i did guess by the way, sort of) performed 15 Step at the Grammys, backed by the USC Trojan marching band. And while it wasn't their best performance ever, it was a breath of fresh air and heads and shoulders above the dull ones that night (maybe besides the New Orleans tribute from Lil Wayne, "My whole city underwater, some people still floatin' / And they wonder why black people still votin'", and the so-pregnant-it-looked-like-a-baby-could-fall-out-at-anytime M.I.A.)

I think the whole idea behind 15 Step with a marching band was awesome. In theory, those huge ass drum beats and the horn sections playing that epic bass line should have sounded amazing. However i think the sound production didn't do them any favours, i couldn't really make out the horns on first listen. Anyhow there were still great moments, like Thom's "oooooooooooooo" and then the drums rushing in at the start of the second verse, and the ending with "you reel me out then you cut the... STRINNGGG!! (HORNS)" And it was funny seeing the whole band almost squirm when the camera panned to them during the Album of the year nominations (which they didn't win, though they did win the Alternative one, none of which really matters though)

The damage done

2009-02-09T01:00:00.005+08:00

Just some of my favourite videos on youtube:

I know what this song is supposed to be about, but the lyrics are so devastatingly written it can mean anything to me sometimes. Uh, yeah..

Bob Dylan goes abit crazy and off key in this video, but its still amazing. The first 5 seconds of the song, that snare shot.. amazing.

Talking Heads live in Rome with the King Crimson guitarist Belew, freaking awesome. 1:30, when the actual song starts and that rhythm hits, it's like going into a fit. An awesome fit.

Dire Straits Live Aid

Radiohead to perform at the Grammys

2009-01-27T09:55:00.006+08:00

Radiohead have been confirmed to perform at the Grammys on February 8, along with other acts like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and Carrie Underwood.

It'll be interesting to see if they do a 'live' performance broadcast from the UK (like they did on Conan) because their Mexico tour doesn't start for another few weeks and they don't like shifting their gear across continents on planes, but they'll probably be present seeing as they've got 5 nominations including Album of the Year. Either way the Grammys will be abit more interesting for me this year then. As for what song they'll do, House of Cards is nominated so it'd be a good shout, but i'd probably prefer something like Reckoner or Arpeggi. Or Nude maybe. Or maybe they'd ditch their gear and do an acoustic performance with just Thom and Jonny? Haha i don't know but that would be an awesome surprise.

Mogwai live at the Esplanade

2009-01-23T23:40:00.003+08:00

Mogwai live wasn't so much an audiogasm, but audio-S&M if you get what i mean. The teeth shattering volume, bursts of sonic assault and the sheer wall of sound pounded my ears but it was sweet pain for my eardrums. Shoegazy guitar textures and distortion, LOUD but brilliant rhythms, gorgeous reverb, build-and-release song structures that crescendoed in ways that can only be described as 'holy crap'..

I've only listened to Hawk so i didn't recognize alot of the songs (apparently they played alot of old stuff) but it didn't really matter. Their songs are so well crafted, the textures mesmerizing and the impact so great that i was taking it all in. The reverb from the three guitars often felt like it could just swallow me up, it was almost tangible. It's hard to describe but there's such a sense of volume and weight to their sound that if i closed my eyes i didn't just hear it but i almost could feel it. Okay enough pretentious talk.

My favourite part of Mogwai is probably their rhythm section though. Martin Bulloch was AMAZING on the drums. Together with basslines that literally shook me, his pounding rhythms formed the backbone of their lengthy instrumentals and was responsible for the whole dark, foreboding, almost menacing feeling to alot of their songs. There were tender moments too, like the only song they played with vocals.

I have to mention the lights as well, great light show. And i guess the Esplanade concert hall was a good setting for Mogwai's sound. Crowd was good and lively too. All in all if i needed to describe this show in one word it would be 'epic'. (but obviously i didn't need to)

Anyway the picture above was the only nice one i took, the ugly ones are here.

Akron/Family LP update

2009-01-22T10:13:00.002+08:00

Akron/Family just posted an update on their myspace page, saying their new album will be called Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, and will be arriving May 5, 2009. And they'll be doing a run of their amazing, crazy, intimate live shows in celebration. Read more here.

Akron/Family - Phenomena /

Ps i am suffering from David Byrne withdrawal symptoms.

David Byrne live in Suntec Exhibition Hall

2009-01-21T23:51:00.012+08:00

What a gig.

My mom and I haven't enjoyed ourselves like that in awhile, everything about this show was just so enjoyable. The crowd really got into the show, the atmosphere was great, the dancing, and the music! The crazy bongo beats, Byrne, the rhythm section driving everything, and the songs themselves are so amazing. The only complaint i have is that it felt like it ended far too soon (and thats after almost 2 hours and 3 encores!)

David Byrne must be the most likable peformer i've ever seen. I love his understated, sort of kooky sense of humour, his little mannerisms, his hilariously cool swivel of the hips as he plays an unforgettable riff on his guitar. The couple of times he spoke to the crowd he made us laugh without making a joke, he even put on a tutu for one of the encores! And he never missed a step on his vocals, switching from the gospel crooning of his newer work to the more frantic stuff of some Talking Heads songs with ease. His guitar work was top notch as well, the funk and the groove he plays with is quite brilliant. Not to mention he wrote all these songs too..

The band were great too. At first the set up seemed pretty simple, besides Byrne there was a lefty bassist (who really was amazing), keyboards, drums and backup singers. But at the second song, the band exploded into life, exchanging instruments, in came the bongos and maracas, and the dancers, everyone was going wild and this carried on through the show. The dancing was pretty cool too, there were three dancers carrying out some weirdass choreography (probably Byrne's work) to most songs, and when Byrne joined in it was hilarious! Reminded me of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks though haha.

Most of the songs played were from his and Brian Eno's latest album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, and while i did certainly enjoy it before, there's nothing like some live performance magic to really open the songs up and make them 'click'. It's been on repeat since i've reached home from Suntec and my gosh are there good songs on there, Strange Overtones, My Big Nurse, Everything That Happens etc etc.

But my favourites of the night were definitely the songs from my favourite Heads album Remain In Light. Houses In Motion is one funky ass song, but it was Crosseyed and Painless that really kicked the whole show into awesomeness midway through the set. Once that red light hit the audience and that brilliant, frantic rhythm came in almost everyone screamed, stood up and started grooving. I kid you not there was this 70 year old chinese man sitting just beside me who jumped right out of his seat and started dancing leaving his wife and others looking on in amusement. He was a definite Talking Heads fan too (not just someone who won tickets on gold 90 haha ;), i heard him singing along to the lyrics and everything.

Setlist:
Strange Overtones (What an opener! Catchiest track of his new album imo)
I Zimbra (thanks to the commenter for pointing this out)
One Fine Day
Help Me Somebody
Houses In Motion
My Big Nurse (nice little break, love the lyrics on this one)
My Big Hands
Heaven
The River
Poor Boy
Crosseyed and Painless (AWESOME)
Life Is Long
Once in a Lifetime
Life During Wartime (THIS AIN'T NO PARTY, THIS AIN'T NO DISCO!)
I Feel My Stuff

Encores:
Take Me To The River
The Great Curve
Air
Burning Down The House (Rocking end to the 2nd encore, before Byrne emerged to a rare 3rd encore with..)
Everything That Happens (Floaty and pastoral, beautiful way to end it off)

Everything that happens did happen today, and it happened to plaster a smile on face throughout the whole show, and it should stay on my face for awhile (at least until i trudge into the office in 6 hours time!) Brilliant concert. Photos here (not very good ones though) (EDIT: correct setlist now up and videos now, thx to ariddesert87)

An exciting week ahead..

2009-01-19T16:53:00.002+08:00

Think of all the work i could get done in the office! Right. The reason i'm getting all jumpy is that this week i'm finally getting a chance to see a good live show (two in fact!) here in sunny Singapore.

First it's David Byrne on wednesday at Suntec, i can't wait to see him perform live, especially songs from the Heads. Then my friday night audiogasm (hopefully) will come in the form of Mogwai at the Esplanade. I've heard and read very good things about their live show so i am genuinely excited. Haven't been a big fan of theirs but hopefully i will be after friday!

Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud /

How to disappear completely and never be found

2009-01-08T23:23:00.004+08:00

I think this is the most perfect thing i've ever heard. Thom Yorke, a guitar and six Ondes Martenots.

This is from their live concert for French TV channel Canal+ which was to promote Kid A and Amnesiac, and which is still one of the most amazing, intimate, mind-blowing live shows i've ever seen (albeit on youtube). You can watch it on this youtube playlist.

I only own my mind

2008-12-28T23:16:00.002+08:00

"The ocean is full because everyone's crying
The full moon is looking for friends at hightide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
I only know my mind"

I've been in a very Pearl Jam-kinda mood. I almost forgot how they're one of my favourite bands, and one of my first too. Apparently they'll be recording a new one in 2009, another reason to look forward to the new year then.

Pearl Jam - I Am Mine /
Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter /

Christmas

2008-12-21T16:28:00.005+08:00

I think it's a beautiful thing how people all over get this communal, festive feeling when Christmas approaches. I know some cynics will say its not really there, others will say its just the commercialisation or whatever, but the thought that maybe the festive season brings even a 1% increase in people's positive feelings towards one another (love, friendship etc etc) means its good, doesn't it. Maybe.

Well i made a Christmas playlist for download because i was feeling festive, its probably not what you would expect from a festive playlist but these songs either have a sense of lulling melancholy or they just give me an unbridled joy listening to them. If anyone does listen to this, you have to listen in order haha. I split the playlist as such, the first half representing a melancholy, contemplative end to the year and the second presents a beautiful, love-filled Christmas and a new year. Merry Christmas.

1. The Rip - Portishead
2. Corpus Christi Carol - Jeff Buckley
3. It's Raining Today - Scott Walker
4. Let Down - Christopher O'Riley
5. Melatonin - Radiohead
6. Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith
7. Romeo And Juliet - Dire Straits
8. Copenhagen - Scott Walker
9. Honey And The Moon - Joseph Arthur
10. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys

Mokioave's Christmas Playlist /

Mogwai update

2008-12-21T16:09:00.003+08:00

They ARE coming to Singapore (thanks to that commenter), details here. Tickets only go on sale on Boxing day though..

Talking about tickets, we have two good tickets to David Byrne on 21 January (!!), thanks to Hock and Alyssa Milano haha :)

The Drones - Havilah

2008-12-08T01:14:00.004+08:00

One of the albums of 2008.

Just some reasons to support my statement above:
- the most intense, consistent and powerful album i've heard this year
- the SONGS
- some of the greatest guitar riffs and melodies (eg The Minotaur, I Am The Supercargo)
- Gareth Liddiard's crazed Australian/Cockney-esque delivery
- they find a great balance between this more mature, produced sound, and a raw feel on the songs
- some softer acoustic numbers (Careful As You Go, and the jangly Your Acting's Like The End Of The World, a great closer) showing a lesser seen side of The Drones, pacing the album well with the epic songs
- a sense of gravity about the songs and the record on a whole and some of the issues they bring up

But i think most of all, what hits me about this album are the lyrics. Poetic at times, darkly funny too but most of the time they are just devastatingly written.

'So don't go casting no dispersions in the street,
because the half the world that starves,
will know the half you're in
does not deserve to eat.'
- Oh My

'You wanna make good with a cannibal?
You gotta show him how to freeze a priest'
- I Am The Supercargo

'I am in Rome, and I'm going to the games
I see the gulf and it's going to bore my name into the
Green green grass
The catwalks of the past
My head is like an oven
as I rest it in my hands'
- The Minotaur

The Drones - I Am The Supercargo /

The Minotaur video:

David Byrne / Battles in Singapore

2008-12-08T00:16:00.003+08:00

Prayers really do get answered. I know i was ranting about having no good concerts to go see, and apparently someone powerful was reading because there are already two or three lined up in the new year that i can't wait for!

Firstly, David Byrne of Talking Heads fame will be performing with his band at the Suntec Convention Centre, 21 January. Apparently, he'll be performing songs from his many collaborations with musical genius Brian Eno, which started with their 1981 collaboration My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts and their latest record Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, both of which i'm still wrapping my head around. I'm really excited to hear some Talking Heads songs though, been listening to Remain In Light (one of 3 Heads albums produced by Eno) recently and it is brilliant, funky, groovy and very affecting.

Talking Heads - Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) /

Secondly, abit more obscure (which means cheaper tix :) American band Battles are playing at the Esplanade March 18. I liked what i heard of their 2007 debut full length Mirrored, although it takes awhile to 'understand' them, patience with their complicated experiments of songs pays off, with their hard hitting rhythms and shifting tempo changes, often layered guitar work and the occasional killer riff. Atlas is one of my favourite songs from them, their drummer's really great. I'll probably have to get more listens in if i'm going to see them though.

Battles - Atlas (Radio Edit) /

Lastly, i could've sworn i saw an ad saying Mogwai were playing here on January 23. However apparently i got all excited for nothing as i can't find anything online about it, and Mogwai's website don't list the show. They are however playing Taiwan and then Hong Kong the week before the 23rd, so who knows. I'll keep my eye on this.

Akron/Family in the studio!

2008-11-25T09:25:00.002+08:00

Exciting news: Akron/Family are back in the studio recording a new album.

I loved their self-titled album and Love Is Simple too, the first a beautifully crafted debut with sentimental folky moments, great layered soundscapes as well as some rocking climaxes, the latter a crazy eclectic mix with everything from pretty harmonies to wild jam outs and epic tribal bongo beats. All of their work is basically bounded by this intangible feeling and the fact they're so crazy and diverse. Can't wait to hear their new work.

Akron/Family - Phenomena /

They have a crazy live show too, amazing energy, singalongs and clapping etc etc. You really get a sense of what the band's about. This is Ed Is A Portal.

Scott Walker - Scott 3

2008-11-19T14:58:00.005+08:00

I am more than amazed by Scott Walker's voice. It is this deep and compelling baritone that's hard to describe well, although something like 'Frank Sinatra's voice but much sadder and darker' would perhaps begin to. It isn't a voice i'm used to and it's a little unsettling but as i listen to Scott 3, his third solo album released in 1969, it draws me into his own little world. And its a weird and wonderful world.

From the first track 'It's Raining Today' (you know how i love songs about rain), the lush orchestral arrangement, accompanied by an unsettling drone, together with Walker's reading of his lonely poem, set a scene of a rainy/snowy, kind of twisted winter-wonderland type picture. This theme is continued in the next track 'Copenhagen' where Walker professes his love as Christmas-y bells ring.

The rest of the album continues in this vein, his lyrics telling stories of different individuals that are weird, fascinating and endearing all the same. '30 Century Man' breaks the prevailing mood for awhile though, standing out in the middle with its acoustic guitar and a lack of strings, one of the best songs on the record too. When this was released, Scott Walker's songwriting was brandished as experimental and radical but listening to it now you can almost hear how ahead of his time he was. All in all, a beautiful record.

Scott 3
1. It's Raining Today
2. Copenhagen
3. Rosemary
4. Big Louise
5. We Came Through
6. Butterfly
7. Two Ragged Soldiers
8. 30 Century Man
9. Winter Night
10. Two Weeks Since You've Gone
11. Sons Of
12. Funeral Tango
13. If You Go Away

Scott Walker - Copenhagen /

R.E.M. - Man On The Moon

2008-11-14T00:58:00.005+08:00

This was already one of my favourite R.E.M. songs of all time, even before i read a post on Pop Songs 07-08, which is by the way surely one of the best blogs ever, the writer gives insights into every R.E.M. song sans Accelerate.

He writes, "It's a celebration of belief in the face of absurdity, and embracing faith even when you think you know better" which is something i really identify with, and an idea that when reconciled with the song just makes it even more special to me. Some of my favourite Stipe lyrics ever too, there are no others i know of that can combine such humour and acid-tongued prolificacy with such depth. In writing about his agnostic protagonist, the comedian Andy Kaufman, Stipe doesn't lay out a story for the listener as much as present a much more conflicted view of belief. This conflict of ideas or whatever is kind of a metaphor that appeals to me because for me believing in someone or something is never straight forward but ridden with the highs and lows of real faith and doubt, sometimes at the same time too.

"Here's a truck stop instead of St Peters, yeah yeah yeah yeah
Mr Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling, yeah yeah yeah yeah
So Andy did ya hear about this one, tell me are we locked in the punch?
Hey Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey baby, are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon
If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool"

R.E.M. - Man on the moon / Its amazing live too.

Speaking of live, and on an unrelated note, will some good bands come and play live in Singapore please! Looking around the closest are the Manics coming down, but i'm not really a fan, although beggars can't be choosers (in more ways than one, i think i'm too broke to see them anyway, $95 ?!) (this is in no offence to local musicians, though i am definitely not in enough of the know to er, know who to watch and what not. Someone please recommend me some proper 'local' music)

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue

2008-10-31T16:54:00.004+08:00

If you're already a jazz fan, i'm guessing you know this album pretty well. If you're like me however, a newcomer trying to understand and appreciate jazz, this is definitely the album for you. I got the album about a month ago, and it's taken abit of time but the record has grown on me.

Some figures put this as the best selling jazz record of all time, and it isn't hard to see why. Critics called it revolutionary, some call it the definitive jazz album, and amongst the greatest of any genre. I love how the compositions seem to have a subtle, fixed structure while you hear the musicians improvise and venture out into different directions before returning together. I also like how there are certain motifs that seem to repeat in different parts, gives the songs almost a haunting feeling, for need of a better word.

However above any technical stuff, this is special because of its feel, its sound and the sense of discovery as you listen, for me anyway.

Kind Of Blue:

1. So What
2. Freddie Freeloader
3. Blue In Green
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches
6. Flamenco Sketches (Alternate Take)

Miles Davis - So What /

Stream of consciousness

2008-10-26T18:26:00.002+08:00

"You are not your thoughts but the awareness of your thoughts." I don't know who said this but i very much identify with it. Thinking about my thoughts is something i like to do, although i sometimes get caught up in it and over analyse. However the idea that the human mind can rationalise and simultaneously accept and reject different thoughts is one that certainly appeals to me. I also like the idea that in this way our minds are microcosms of our society in that as an ideal collective mind we are able to accept good ideas among men yet at the same time filter out fundamentally wrong mentalities.

I guess the opposite of over analysing ones thoughts would be to allow them to flow continuously, in a 'stream of consciousness'. I found that stream of consciousness writing is very, very interesting. I was trying it the other day and was very surprised at the results. I took a pen and just started recording in point form what i thinking, one after another, and didn't give a second thought to what i was thinking, and writing down. When i was done, i was really surprised at what i had thought in 10 minutes, but even more how much i had thought!

I found myself writing down some ideas that i've thought or emotions that i've felt but never really been able (or wanted) to put into complete words. I guess it brings forth some of the mind's fragmentary thoughts that are caught in the backdrift sometimes, things that we normally wouldn't bring out if we were talking to other people or so. I think it could even throw up some solutions to problems that we wouldn't 'think' of otherwise, or at least it could help us 'catch' that stray thought in our mind and develop it fully.

Either way, thinking about my thoughts and recording them is kind of an important thing to me, it almost approaches compulsion sometimes. I've decided to use this blog to record some of them from now on i guess. But of course, "Actions maketh the man, not his thoughts" (again i don't know who said this)

Radiohead Ether Festival 2005

2008-10-26T17:32:00.003+08:00

In 2005, Thom and Jonny (on the Ondes) performed a new song with the Nazareth Orchestra during the Ether Festival in London. This song was called "Arpeggi".

The song has changed much since then, appearing on In Rainbows with a new half title and structure, but retains that beautiful feeling of water rippling and bubbling and overflowing. This Ether Festival version offers something very different from the album version (and the 2006 tour version as well which was more guitar driven), its both orchestral and yet sparse at the same time. Listen for the strings rising during "I follow to the edge of the earth, and fall off / Everybody leaves, if they get the chance" The exact same part that Ed does the harmony on the album, which might be my favourite part of the record.

They also did the Hail To The Thief b side "Where Bluebirds Fly" featuring female vocalist Lubna Salame.

Radiohead - Arpeggi (Ether Festival) / Where Bluebirds Fly

I am a miner

2008-10-16T21:45:00.002+08:00

I've recently developed something of a Neil Young obsession. I've been listening to him for some time now, but recently there are just many, many more days where i go 'Man, i need to listen to some After The Gold Rush' or something. Somedays i feel like people just don't hear an album as special as After The Gold Rush nowadays, very little modern records come close in my opinion. The sound, the emotion, Neil's voice and the registers he reaches, the harmonies etc etc.

Then i go and listen to On The Beach and am blown away.. i know it's supposedly a "sad" album but it brings me great joy just listening. Absolutely gorgeous album, some of the most beautiful guitar tones ever. The other day i was listening to See The Sky About To Rain and i looked at the sky and the dark clouds were gathering. Corny, but magically so. "See the sky about to rain, broken clouds and rain. Locomotive, pull the train, whistle blowing through my brain"

And i haven't even got into his more recent works yet.

Neil Young - Only Love Can Break Your Heart / See The Sky About To Rain

Cowgirl In The Sand

Harvest Moon

Heart of Gold

Radiohead in Japan

2008-10-09T00:45:00.003+08:00

Radiohead's just about completed their Japan shows and that wraps up the 2008 tour for them. But i'm sure there were collective WTFs going around the world when everyone saw the Japan setlists.. fans from America, Europe and yes, Singapore were going 'i really should have saved up for that ticket to Japan'. They seem to save the really amazing setlists and little rare concert gems until Japan. Just look at this setlist from last night in tokyo:

15 Step
Airbag
Just
All I Need
Kid A
Reckoner
Talk Show Host
In Limbo
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Wolf at the Door
Faust Arp
Bulletproof
Jigsaw Falling into Place
Optimistic
Nude
Bodysnatchers

You and Whose Army
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
The One I Love/Everything in its Right Place

Cymbal Rush
There There
Blow Out

Freaking Blow Out as a closer! And they ended with How To Disappear on the 5th as well.. amazing. Heres the video for Blow Out (the jam at the end, speechless) and Fog, which hasn't appeared since Thom played it in France for the first time. He actually plays Cymbal Rush but apparently screws up and starts with Fog.. lucky Japanese people.