Hello! Sorry for the lack of updates; this sem has been crazy with the H1N1 outbreak, relentless junior workload and the recent storms. So here's a new layout to... make up for my absence? I've forgotten what it's like to design for web, gah. Inspired by Gregory & the Hawk. Stay safe, everyone!
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Grizzly Bear, I think, is one of the popular indie bands now? Everyone talks about them for some reason - I've only heard a few of their songs and they're pleasant, but I can't make a verdict yet. Anyway I watched their Ready, Able perf at Letterman, and Ed Droste's sincere voice amid the ambient background of string and vocal harmonies drew me in. What ultimately sealed the deal was the violin pizzicato, though. Also, it's probably the first time I've seen an Omnichord in use, so. Heh.
You may now K for Only Human, the ending theme to the 1 Litre of Tears jdrama. That's pretty much all I know him from, but apparently his career started in Korea, before he debuted in Japan. At any rate 525, 600 minutes, as the title blatantly suggests, liberally samples the RENT song seamlessly. It's smooth and feel-good, and uplifting by virtue of being nostalgia-inducing, and... well, Seasons of Love.
Incubus, I think, is a band that needs no introduction; you've probably heard them at some point in your life, as they're widely played, and have been around for a while. They just released a greatest-hits compilation that also packed in unreleased tracks in the second disc. The acoustic version of A Certain Shade of Green fell under the latter, and you know I checked out that disc for that reason, since I'm not exactly a fan.
f(x) is a new Korean girl group. 2/5 of them are Chinese. I haven't heard their original songs, although my friends have taken a liking to them and they've released at least one single. Chocolate Love was recorded alongside SNSD/Girl's Generation for some sort of commercial, and I wholeheartedly prefer this version as it has more sass and a better bounce to it, compared to SNSD's more cottoncandy "retro pop" take.
Earlier in the sem when my workload was stil (barely) manageable enough to shift around for a weekly dose of idle television drama, I picked 痞子英雄 (official English title is Black & White) to fill that spot and did not regret it. Each episode felt like a Hong Kong blockbuster movie, with enough romantic/sexual tension and comedy to soothe over the train-hopping, gun-slinging action. The number of gorgeous but deadly women pleases me, among them one of my favorite fictional females EVER.
At any rate, Mark Zhao (with his tanlines, mm-hmm), who plays half the title character, is supposedly a newcomer but he has completely marked himself as one of the personalities to watch out for (and hopefully redeem the state of Taiwanese drama/acting??? XD). He also lends his... unremarkable vocal talent for the opening theme, which is awesome and (quite literally) captures the car-chase atmosphere that the series promotes. (My favorite part is, of course, the gunshot sound before the refrain.
Instrumental/orchestral version of track above. This one's really hot and intense, edgy and dramatic/emotional in turns.
Another intense instrumental, but with less rock. Lang Lang is a Chinese pianist, and I think this is one of his original works? OR NOT. Most of the stuff I've heard from him are performances of classics, though, so this stands out for being weighted wtih an orchestra and the light hints of a choir.
Speaking of pianists, here's some Yiruma. This is from his new mini-album, with - yeah, you read right - a vocal version of River Flows In You. While this came as a pleasant surprise to me, River Flows In You was probably an obvious choice, what with its flowing repetitiveness and the fact that it may be Yiruma's most famous work (for a reason). The pretty piano arrangement has been watered down so as not to take away from the vocals. It still makes me kind of weepy out of sheer nostalgia, and overall it's lovely
Korean rock isn't something I get to hear a lot, as it's always the guilty-pleasure boyband pop that gets to me first. I quite like what I've heard from Rocket Diary. Their sound is fun and melodic, with strong western influences.
All-star Latino pop, anyone? Although I confess that I'm only familiar with Luis Fonsi and David Bisbal. Soaring, hopeful, romantic and powerful, and definitely worth a try, if only to hear the mix of four distinct but amazing male vocals.