A New Moon is rising

Well, what can I say? Shining – oh I’m sorry, SPARKLING – vampires aside, New Moon has a pretty good ensemble when it comes to the soundtrack. It’s OK, you aren’t the only one who moan in discomfort and guilt when they announce the tracklist for the soundtrack a few months back. I am sure the entire indie-hood went on an uniamous “Whhhyyyy…???!!!” that day.

Unlike the Twilight soundtrack, this one is more mellow and minus the emo punk music from Linkin Park and Paramore. The resonating and slow Satellite Heart by Anya Marina (who reminds me of Boomkat’s Taryn Manning and MoZella), and the hauntingly quiet and distant Rosyln by Bon Iver and St Vincent, and Editors‘ No Sound but the Wind with Tom Smith’s chilling bass vocals together with the steady strums of the keys that is worth a tear or two.

Other outstanding lyrical tracks include Death Cab for Cutie with their signature Gibbardish track Meet Me On the Equinox, Sea Wolf’s perky and poetic The Violet Hour - “Your lips are nettles / Your tongue is wine / Your laughter’s liquid / But your body’s pine”, and OK Go’s waltz-like Shooting the Moon.

So, let’s just pretend the movie doesn’t exist, or just agree without seeing it that it sucks balls. (But if you still need proof, read here and here and here). And go straight to enjoying the only thing that is good in the package – the music.

Download Editors’ No Sound But The Wind HERE.

Jonsi gives me a hard-on (and i’m not even gay)

I don’t know about you but there are 3 things in life that I simply cannot resist.

1) A Mild Seven fag after 1 week of abstainance, accompanied by cold winds in a foreign land with hot, strong coffee in hand

2) Watching Good Will Hunting and not smile at the part where Robin Williams say, “damn he stole my line” in reference to Matt Damon having to go “see about a girl”

3) Sigur Ros.

If like me, you’re subscribed to Jonsi’s mailing list (fanboy-la), you’d know that Jonsi’s solo album Go is almost in completion. I will republish excerpts of what John Best, Jonsi’s manager has to say about the record.

For years – I mean literally since I’ve known him (10 years now) -
Jonsi has been beavering away in his kitchen, bedroom or living room
making music extra-curricular to Sigur Ros. To be honest we’d kind of
gotten used to these being drawing board propositions only – the
ambient album, the electronic album, the pop album, the acoustic
album, etc. It’s not that we didn’t doubt his work ethic; these things
certainly existed, it’s just that they seemed more conceptual than
real; creation to sate Jonsi’s enormous energy rather than anything
we’d ever have to put on a release schedule. But then last year he
went and finished ‘Riceboy Sleeps’, an album that had existed as a
soundtrack to his and Alex Somer’s artwork far in advance of being an
actual record. And then he started on about the *acoustic* album and
bounced straight off the back of ‘Med sud i eyrum…’ into the studio
(alright, apartment) with Icelander-by-proxy Nico Muhly.

It seemed apparent to us that it would be missing a trick to limit a
bona fide Jonsi solo album to being a small scale acoustic project, so
some subtle cajoling and encouragement to reach beyond his comfort
zone was the order of the day. we shot the breeze about producers and
Peter Katis’s name came up off the back of his work with Fanfarlo and
The National. Jonsi weighed in with drummer Samuli from Mum, who he’d
heard playing with Alex in Nordic art supergroup Kira Kira. Suddenly
the *acoustic* record wasn’t looking so acoustic after all. From then
on it’s been a slow and ineluctable slide towards the full-on, barely
contained, glorious mayhem soon to be available on ‘Go’.

Everything about this record has a seat of the pants feel about it,
its wildly shifted focus, the way nothing (including the album itself)
had a title til about an hour before the news hit the blogs; the fact
that as I type I still have no idea what is going to be on the cover;
or that, even though Jonsi is currently on a plane to New York to
master the record we’ve no clear idea of what order the songs are
going to appear in, or even, in some cases, which versions of songs
are going to be used. It’s edge of the seat, it’s exciting, it’s
infectious. I think we are beginning to sense that maybe Jonsi has
created something super special here. More than that in fact, I think
he has created something really special here. I’m not sure I’ve felt
this excited about a project since the time I first heard Agaetis
Byrjun, right back in 1999. Holy fuck. Are you ready?

You can download Boy Lilkoi, the first single (i think) off the record here. I’ve heard it and damn, mother fucker it is good. Call me biased whatever but the ears do not lie. When I hear good music, the heart and crotch feels it, right through the veins.

Fuck it’s so good i’m getting a hard-on.

I’m finally back guys. Deal with it.

A review: ‘Alter the Ending’ by Dashboard Confessional

Pledge allegiance to jiwangism*, boys and girls, because Chris Carrabba is back.

I didn’t know how much I miss him until I caught his familiar lovesick croon for Belle of the Boulevard playing in One Tree Hill (Why yes, I am still watching that show, for loyalty reasons). Oh, how he recaptured my heart with soothing lines like: “In all your silver rings / And all your silk and things / That song you softly sing is keeping you from breaking”. It’s like an old lover coming back with a romantic line that made you fall for him all over again. Damn these musicians.

Ever since that day I have been waiting impatiently for Alter the Ending to hit the shelves. So much so that I have practically tired out the album even before its release, listening to it on Dashboard Confessional’s MySpace page.

Dusk and Summer got off easy because it has the title track, So Long, So Long and Stolen to keep things afloat, but things sizzled out for me in The Shade of Poison Trees; one kiss does not make a summer, and the one title track, sad to say, did not manage to hold the entire album together.

With Alter the Ending, I feel like there is a direction. A lot of Dashboard’s songs seem to have a flow that is a little too uncomfortable to get used to. Like the need to hit on the brakes just as you were about to accelerate down the lane in tight traffic. Eventually, you get tired and a little hard to breathe that you just want to crash into the car in front of you to get the suspense over with. After only two years since the last, Dashboard’s new album manages to sail through bad roads and reach home in time for dinner.

Notable tracks are Until Morning with its gripping guitar opening and Carrabba’s somewhat cheesy line of “It was the year I crashed my motorbike” and the addictive but short percussion solo after the bridge; Belle of the Boulevard, of course; I Know About You with rhythmic lyrics of infidelities: “When the forest of your weekend hangs like smoke on to your clothes”; and Water and Bridges about regret on a failed relationship.

Not to mention Carrabba’s at its best in acoustic-infused Even Now and Hell On the Throat. When he goes: “When the path I have made from the grass to the grave / I will love you still / And when the sand turns to glass, and all that’s left is the past / I will love you still” – You just melt; because that is what he’s good at, writing lyrics that’ll reach into your heart and kiss you passionately, achingly.

The deluxe edition of Alter The Ending comes with acoustic version of the entire album. Standard acoustic affairs. Nothing really out of the way, as the original version has already done its part when it comes to acoustics. But there are a few that includes strings like Belle of the Boulevard and Water and Bridges.

Here and there, there are almost mirror images of what is from the past, but generally, I am satisfied with this album. In fact, I think it’s the best Carrabba has come up with thus far. And also, might I add he is less whiny in this one, which is a good thing.

Welcome back, Chris Carrabba. You have definitely alter the ending with this one. Ah, cheesy me. Must be all the One Tree Hill I have been watching. Meh.

Download Hell On The Throat HERE.

* Jiwang is the Malay word for ‘emo’, by the way.

See you in December

It’s that time of the year when I go away for reflection, epiphany, inspiration and whatever emo shit you can think of. I’ll be tackling the golden triangle of IndoChina this time around. I’m trying to sneak past the Junta and see if I can bring Aung Yang Suu Kyi home with me. Oh not in that sexual way you may think.

I’ll see you guys in December, everyone’s favourite time of year. Wish me luck. I’ll leave you with my new found obsession. Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard’s personal soundtrack to Kerouc’s Big Sur.

If you need to contact me for whatever gossip, rumours, bitchfits, find me at vernadium@gmail.com.

Till then, be well always.

NME, not a music enemy

This radio station has been playing static for a while now. So, I’m going to turn your dial to a station that is worthy of tuning in to, while we try to get something nice to play on this channel.

I have been listening to this Internet radio by a weekly British magazine called NME Magazine. Known as ‘New Music Express’, it has been a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom by IPC Media since early 1952. And just recently, they have elected their first ever female editor to run the magazine. And in their last issue, they featured rock stars from the past, including essays by current rock musicians talking about their favourite legends, which I thought could be a pretty good read if I can just get my hands on a copy.

The magazine went online in 1996 at NME.com, and more than a decade later in 2008, they launched NME Radio, playing their first ever tune – Knights of Cydonia by Muse.

I guess I like this station because I have always enjoyed British music. Face it, Malaysian radio stations suck balls, and although many may find salvation with BFM Radio, but they can only go so far because they put business first and music not so much. And I do admit that often I find the music a little too mellow; I do like the occasional rock out in my headphones.

With NME Radio, imagine listening to Hitz FM or Fly FM playing again and again mainstream music from Akon, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and the likes, but only with brilliant musicians like Brand New, Kings of Leon, The Smiths and the likes.

I wake up 6ish in the morning and, being 7 hours behind us, NME Radio would just have launched into their overnight indie alternatives slot. I cannot say it keeps me from getting drowsy every morning (Air does not really scream wake up!), but it has its days, and I would say it is a good thing when they play more often than once Jeff Buckley’s Grace and The Verve’s Sonnet, and the occasional Sigur Ros too.

After lunchtime is when a new day begins on the other side of the world, and DJs Sarah Kerr and Jon Hillcock play quite upbeat music to keep you energetic for the rest of the working day. Playlists include U2, Brand New, The Cribs, Oasis, Kasabian, The XX, Radiohead, The Temper Trap and many more.

Also, the DJs don’t hog the airwaves, and talk more than playing music, or have the ads going on and on. That’s definitely a plus point for me.

There are also occasional general news and gig guides hitting the UK. Not that it has anything to do with us over here, but I guess it beats listening to ridiculous politics going on here.

So, if you would like something edgier than Love Story or Single Ladies, log online and click for NME Radio for something new like Underdog, At the Bottom and Islands, or something old but familiar like The Street Has No Name, Roll with it and Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.

Tune in to NME Radio on their website HERE, or follow their tweet (@NMEMagazine) for up to date music news, or if you are in the UK, just grab a weekly copy. And you know, share with us what is the latest song that caught your attention there.

Here comes a regular

Nothing sucks more than being inarticulate and uninspired with words. Fortunately, there is still good music to fill in the silence, right?

Here is what it feels like to be on an ordinary day. A regular. At least to me.

Download The Temper Trap’s Soldier On HERE.

Howl be thy name

As torrents of rain continue to wash the city of its sins, I hide in the folds of a man – Patrick Wolf, to be specific – as he transports me halfway across the world. Like how Sigur Ros would bring me to Iceland, and Death Cab to Seattle, Patrick Wolf brings me to the Irish moors. Mist like past ghosts’ breath chilling the air as they hover over dampened green pastures.

The Bachelor is the first part of Wolf’s initially entitled Battle album, with the second part The Conqueror to be released the year after. Unlike the preceding The Magic Position, this album sees Wolf dwelling in his recently harboured depression, as he takes advantage of his operatic voice to greater heights. Elaborate backup vocals and celtic-infused instrumentations make up the foundation of the album. Though the strings are slightly pitchy and melody may get cheesy, his voice soars, like an ancient Ireland majesty, prowling for a modern-day revolution.

Helping with the uprise is Eliza Carthy in the title track, with her hoarse vocals and busking violin, and Tilda Swinton, reciting as The Voice of Hope in Oblivion, Thickets and Theseus alongside the bow that runs through the violin strings like a boy zipping through the wide countryside.

Wolf too experiments with Electronica in Vulture and Alternative Rock in Battle, both courtesy of Atari Teenage Riot’s Alec Empire, in which the former has been critically acclaimed. His revolution.

Forget about work. Take a day off to avoid the traffic. Hide in your covers and sip on hot cups of tea. Watch the falling rain and listen to this wolf howling leprechaunic lullaby into your ears.

Download Damaris from the album HERE.

Did Yasmin Ahmad plagiarise Matt Damon/Ben Affleck?

If today’s post is a digression from what you’d normally read here, I offer no apologies.

So yesterday I watched Good Will Hunting for the 5th time. If you’ve never watched it, you should minimize this window, launch your torrent and download the film now. Or you could go buy the DVD, whichever works best with your conscience.

Anyway, I discovered something new from my re-watch of the film. No, I’m not gonna go into how fucking brilliant Matt Damon/Ben Affleck’s script is. Nor am I gonna go into how gayly artistic Gus Van Sant’s direction is. Neither am I gonna touch on how powerfully moving Robin William’s performance was.

Instead I’m gonna discuss about an alleged plagiarism that may or may not have occurred.

By now, everyone would have watched the late Yasmin Ahmad’s Beautifully Imperfect ad, made for Singapore’s Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. And yes, everyone would have no problems being in agreement on how moving the ad was. But watching Good Will Hunting last night, I can’t help but think the idea may have been “borrowed” from Damon and Affleck.

Watch this first. Pay attention from 1:40 onwards.

Then watch this.

When I saw that scene last night, I cannot help but connect the dots between the two. Something like Coldplay’s Viva la Vida and Joe Satriani’s If I could fly. I’m not pointing any fingers lest I incur the wrath of Marina Mahathir like Kosmo did, but it really is too close for comfort.

Plagiarism or coincidence? You be the judge.

In the mean time, in tribute to one of the finest films ever made, here’s my song pick of the day – Seattle based rock band, Satchel’s Suffering.

Listen.

Timeless tunes

I was in Carls Jr the other day at about closing time. It was quiet so the crew put on a CD. GnR’s Appetite for Destruction was playing and it wouldn’t be complete to put on that record without blasting the legendary Sweet Child O’ Mine.

So I was thinking, 22 years old, and that record still speaks to souls. If I could ever make a record like that, I’d die a million happy deaths.

So in the spirit of Axl Rose, here’s my favourite cover of the song that we have all grown to love/hate. The blue-eyed vocals of Taken by Trees, does well to delicately channel the emotions that Axl wanted to tell but could never find the voice to do so.

Remember to say the magic word

Since we are all being inarticulate with words lately, I am not going to bore you with my excessive writing. God knows it is just a waste of time and space anyway. You don’t need it.

HERE. Listen to this for a change. It is She & Him’s version of The Smiths’ cover, Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.

May you get what you want out, like Zooey Deschanel here. Just remember to say the magic word.