Kaapin

Kring, Ridge and I in an unguarded moment

Kring, Bordge, Ridge and I went out for the EP and Video Launching of the band Kaapin. It was such a small world. it turns out that Kring and Euge were friends with one of the band members. Also Kristof recommended us with this band. Such a coincidence, but it proved to be a nice event.

CDO-based band launched in Cebu

If you like some ambient music, probably you'll like them. As what their description says:

"An acquired taste. An experimental indie electronic duo from the Philippines."

A rare gem Discovered

Something I have in mind for a while.

Romance + Passion

Aachan has been thinking about it.

Valentines day is ending soon and welcome to my second Valentine post lol. Since, the previous post has a non-romantic content, I decided to make the obligatory romantic post...of sorts. XD

You're My Fuckin' Valentine!

Aachan wonders what day is it today.

Alas! The day has come. Happy Valentines day, everyone. And for this day, I chose BUCK- TICK's "My Fuckin' Valentine" as song of the day. Though others might disagree and prefer ROMANCE as the song of the day. 

NOTE: Pardon my FRENCH in this post...as my rock persona takes in place.

November Gimmick

PAK and OHA

So, life happens. I had been kinda absent for blogging, since a lot of stuff came up. To compensate for the lack of  updates, here are the highlights:

Cosmos - a year older

Thoughts:

So, I've turned a year older again. Honestly, my birthday this year was sad yet peaceful. I went to work, like always and tried to cheer myself up. I did receive a present from my boss. I had dinner with my parents afterwards and went home. My birthday isn't special. To think hours before my birthday, I was crying. Like others at my age, I am at crossroads. Feeling lost is not uncommon. 

Birthday song:

My birthday song for today is COSMOS by Buck-Tick. COSMOS was composed by the enigmatic composer, Imai Hisashi and the lyrics were written by the dark poet, Sakurai Atsushi. Released back in 1998, COSMOS is a symbolic song and a hymn of hope. Whenever I listen to it, I feel peaceful.

Video:

In 1998, BT went through another set of sad events. Their long time friend, Hide of X-Japan, suddenly died. It must have been painful for them. Also, it was a year after Sakurai Atsushi (vocals) resumed to work after he cheated death. Even the staff at that time granted his death wish to return to Tokyo after already visiting two countries just to get into a hospital. You can still see his weakened state in this film. Despite the events that occurred, the band was able to produce music that everyone can relate to.  Perhaps, it was a trigger for them to write about the life and universal love. 

The video above is a footage of 'Sweet Strange Live'. This performance, perhaps was one of the most memorable footage of COSMOS. The SSL was known to be not the smoothest live performance they produced. The performance was interrupted twice, surprisingly. At the second interruption, Sakurai somewhat was implying Hide's spirit was visiting them, who at that time just recently passed away. In the middle of the live, Imai's guitar seemed to have malfunctioned. In return, Sakurai sang COSMOS in a Capella. Truly, a rare treat.

My Cameo Lover~

credit to:  banzaiyears

Just read the "Love Me" book and it did complete the puzzle of how the hell five weird guys were able to make one of Jrock industry's legendary band. Well, it's more of a positive read (or cool read with all their blood, sweat and tears written in that book) and I AM MUCH happy about it. Really. I was able to read bits and pieces of the LOVE ME chapters before, especially on Hide and Aachan's penned biographies. They were still at my age that time, so their stories are really fresh. BUT when I say positive, it means that it can be a motivating read. Sometimes, interviews get the whole gist about how depressing someone's life is back then. So positive read is good, because their stories really aren't as positive as they were written. And I am talking about Sakurai Atsushi's story.

When I read Aachan's interview back in 2005, he was able to reveal more about his story than his written biography. This is my second time reading a life of a popular Jrocker (first was Gackt's...out of curiosity) and it actually surprised me how...depressing it was. His poems in his book, "Yasou" didn't help either. All I have to say is that this person has a lot of scars. He did emphasize that all that he wanted was to be loved.  He went through so much that it can make readers be depressed as well. I am glad he is happily married now for the second time (hopefully).

Since, I was listening to my playlist today, I decided to listen to my fave artists to avoid the depressing feeling. I really loved this single, "Cameo Lover" from Kimbra, ever since I've heard it from last year. I think, it was on replay since the start of the year. lol 

Oh, how I wish I would be his lover (or his wife lol), but a Cameo Lover would be okay. lol I'll the leave loving part up to his wife (go girl~). This song surprisingly fits him. Here's a lyric video:

The lines, "Let go of your mother and turn to your brother. Not a long gone lover's noose. Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking is leaving pieces behind you" eerily fits his life story. He did admit that he has to let his mother go, but still he continues to write songs about her to comfort himself. His brother , probably, is one of the most amazing people around him that loves him so much, even though he was kinda harsh before. Aachan did confirm that his brother is the only person in the world that he can trust with his life. And the line with the two arms tangled with ladies? It hit bull's eye.

Well, now that I've heard of this song again, I doubt it will be forgotten for the next few days. It painted a different story to me now. So, this song would be like a message to people like Aachan, people with scars and tell them to open up their hearts and to let us pull them out from their black holes. ^^

August Rush

August basically is a hectic month AND also a moth full of holidays. Nothing much happened this month, but I have to say, "Happy Fiesta Kagay-anons~"

T-5 Concert

Well, out of whim, I went to the T-5 concert to watch Ubandub, Rico Blanco, Kamikazee, wolfgang and Parokya ni Edgar live in SM Megamall. To think that I have a class by 9am tomorrow. I'm such a bad child. Whoa.

Free Tickets~

Outside the venue

Took a photo of the stage but, it's too shiny. lol

Here's a little video on the fireworks when Wolfgang sang "Hudas":

Hyde on Favorite Male Vocalist

“逹：好きな男性の声だったりとか、この人の声が凄いすきなんだよなぁ～とかって、あんまりないんですか？
H：ヴォーカリストの声？　いや、そんなの山ほどいるよぉ。　あげたらキリがないよ。
逹：へー。
H：ね？　古くからいくとやっぱり「ガスタンク」とかね？
逹：はいはいはい。
H：「DEAD　END」とかもそうだしね。　バクチクの桜井さんも好きだし。”

—	6月24日　JACK　IN　THE　RADIO　VAMPS最終回　 - 壺の内

My Christmas Playlist 2011

Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs:

• Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson – “Winter Song”
• Brandi Carlile – “The Heartache Can Wait”
• Lenka – “All My Bells Are Ringing”
• KT Tunstall – “Sleigh Ride”
• Alice Smith – “Silver Bells”
• Nicole Atkins – “Blue Christmas”
• Fiona Apple – “Frosty The Snowman”
• Meiko – “Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song)”
• Holly Conlan – “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
• Katy Perry – “White Christmas”
• Colbie Caillat – “Mistletoe”
• Priscilla Ahn – “Silent Night”
• Kate Havnevik – “Winter Wonderland”
• Catherine Feeny – “Christmas Song”
• Hotel Café Medley – Auld Lang Syne (Charity Medley)

This year have been very eventful. This year have been full of smiles and tears, accomplishments and failures, love and broken hearts. As the year ends, let it be a good memory than a bitter one.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Favorite Pick:

Angela Aki: a mother and turning enka

Good news for Angela~! Jpop star Angela and her (music director) husband revealed just a day after Angela's birthday that they are expecting their first child. It is due this February, but she still pushes through her annual performance in the Nippon Budokan. The new hair is a good change, but somehow I miss her messy yet classy hairdo. lol

Anyway, I'm happy for her~!

AND a new single from Angela. It is a cover of Ishikawa Sayuri (enka singer), "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki." When I first heard her song, I was screaming "ENKA". This may be a change for Jpop lovers out their who adored Angela's covers. But this enka cover is really GOOD, and I'm afraid, it can only be appreciated by people who likes enka (like me). 

I love Ishikawa Sayuri's vocal prowess and a cover can be a hit or miss for any Jpop artist who dares to cover her songs. Well, this cover really proves Angela's good voice control. Enka is known for its very complex voice techniques and for Angela Aki to pull it off in a classy way (with her piano), it is really an achievement. Her soothing voice mixed with Enka gives the song a more personal emotional impact. Most Enka song gives very heavy emotional content (most of the time lamenting) and the mixes can be sometime very dated. A new approach on enka can be a good change ever since Sakamoto Fuyumi's hit in the 2000's , "Tada Kimi ni Koishiteru" (despite the decline of enka industry). It's enka with a contemporary beat and sound. It somehow reminds me of Maki Hino's enka with piano accompaniments. I actually want Angela to cover more enka songs since she might attract younger audience for enka.

Remember, this is from someone who love both Angela and Enka. :)

Sayuri Ishikawa:

Angela Aki:

Oh, My Land!

Gorgeous and classy, that's Nanna for you. Known as "Oh Land", Nanna is a talented singer-songwriter from Denmark. She was born into an historically rich and music-oriented family with a theater organist as a father and an opera singer as her mother, which contributed a lot in her music. With her physique and beauty, one could have mistaken her for a model rather than a musician and this is because of her previous passion: ballet. Before she would have been known as Oh Land, Nanna was a promising ballerina. Because of a serious back injury, Nanna had ended her career as a ballerina. That was one of the saddest events of her life, but not long after, music became her savior. She made her bedroom her studio and music her playground. Now, Nanna has made her dreams come true.

D.A.I. Chikai

Van and Ryo of Do As Infinity

I'm glad I woke up at 12 midnight today. Do As Infinity or D.A.I. have been my favorite mainstream pop group. To think of it, I'm not even into mainstream Jpop. Ever since Do As Infinity's hiatus last 2005, it really made me sad. Their reunion last 2009 really made me happy and after that, I've subscribed to Avex Channel. They have released 2 albums since then and released a couple of singles. Though, Van and Ryo are the ones who continued D.A.I., I still miss Dai Nagao. Their sound after their reunion is still similar, however its more edgy and upbeat. I still love their music. 

Today, Avex officially released their new video, Chikai. Strictly speaking, this was just released 30 minutes ago that's why I'm glad to see the news. Hahaha Enjoy~

One Ok Rock's RE:MAKE

One Ok Rock before Alex left.

After the release of Answer is Near last February, a new Double A-side Single Re:Make/NO SCARED is to be released this coming July 20. For an avid Jrock listener, I'm happy that I subscribed to Asketch. Here is the 30-second preview they uploaded three days ago. I'm excited for this new single. :D

Colorful Videos

These are two of the recent videos released this year from Brooke and Ingrid. These videos are my recent favorites, because of their color themes. Yes, they are both modern folk songs. :D

Parachute

Ingrid Michealson

Ain't she lovely? Ingrid Michealson is an Indie Folk singer-songwriter from New York, USA. She was born from artistic parents: her father is a composer and her mother is a sculptor. She became known through Grey's Anatomy since the series have used many of her songs in some of its episodes. Like Angela Aki, Ingrid's most notable feature is her eyeglasses which suits her well, btw. 

There is a particular song that I like that was just recently released. Through knowing the song, I actually was able to identify what I prefer when it comes to music from today's mainstream industry.

Music and Mission

Brooke Fraser

There are many people asking why didn't she become a model. She's tall (over 6ft), pretty and stylish. However, Brooke Fraser already chose her career path and she chose to be come a musician. This pretty singer-songwriter hails from New Zealand. Before she was known as a Musician, she was a writer and became the editor of Soul Purpose, a youth Christian magazine. After three years of service, she pursued her music career. At the age of 19, she became one of New Zealand's most celebrated recording artist with her album "What To Do With Daylight." She also have collaborations with Hillsong United from time to time by singing and writing songs. After three years, she released her follow-up album, "Albertine" which became one of her most life-changing experiences. Before the release of her album, Brooke went to Rwanda, Africa for an immersion which let her see the world in a new light.

Going Folk on Music

I have very varied taste on music. I like classical music, trip hop, rock, metal, anti-folk, new wave and so on and so forth.  However, I have grown a dislike on pop music, especially today. I do not hate pop entirely however, I just do not like how the music industry's way of presenting pop music. Somehow, I mostly see pretty faces, but no talent. It seems like image is more important than the music they produce. I rarely see artists with talent that's why I am so picky when I choose pop artists. And...auto-tune...

One of the reasons why I do not listen to pop music nowadays is because of the digitally-enhanced voices on I hear. Most singers have their voice digitally enhanced to sound more pleasing. Through this, many artists can mask their lack of vocal quality and can only be good in studio music. It is one of the aspects of the progression of technology which I do not really like. So instead of listening to mainstream music, I stepped back and looked for artists in the indie and folk music industry.

Modern Folk Artists

Brooke Fraser: Folk Rock and Contemporary Christian Artist

Because of this, I found myself looking checking modern folk music artists like Ingrid Michaelson and Brooke Fraser. Ingrid Michaelson is an indie artist who I discovered accidentally, when I randomly downloaded her song in LJ. Her indie folk songs are fun and upbeat which brings a very contemporary sound. This kind of style is very apparent in her song "Be OK" which I like.

Brooke Fraser, on the other hand was introduced to me by my mother. The first time I heard of her was when she performed "Age to Age" with the Hillsong United. I loved her voice immediately. Brooke is the one who introduced me to Folk Rock which is more upbeat and playful. Her voice blends well with her sound and she really got some fun videos. One of my favorites from her songs is "Something in the Water" which has very prominent folk elements with a touch of rock.

Japanese Folk Music

Atari Kousuke: Folk Jpop Artist

What I like about the Japanese music industry is that their sound is very varied and somewhat edgey. I have been a fan of lots of their musicians, because of their uniqueness and individualism. Still, I do not go for their mainstream music. Because of this, I was reintroduced to Japanese Folk Music.

Honestly, when I heard a Japanese folk song before, I cringe. It is not likable at first. One example of this is Sakura Taisen's 2nd ending theme. I think the Ryukoka style of singing kinda disturbs me since in my young ears, it sounds like a drunk person singing...somewhat. However, as I listened to the song more often, I grew a liking to it. Not long after that, it became one of my favorites. That was ten years ago.

In 2005, when I watched Samurai Champloo, an insert song caught my attention. It was a song sang by Ikue Asazaki which conveys strong feelings of longing and sadness. I was wondering why I was moved by a weirdly sang song. I never thought that such music could be so vivid in expressing such emotions despite not understanding the lyrics. From then on, the Ryukoka way of singing became one of my favorite vocal techniques.

Not long after, I discovered a rare gem amidst all Miku Hatsune songs in youtube lol. A Jpop artist who sings in  Ryukoka style caught my attention, Atari Kousuke. He has Jpop melodies in his songs, however his voice pays tribute to his roots by singing it more like a Japanese folk song. This kind of fusion made me interested in listening to his music. His songs are like lullabies...they make me sleep.

These Japanese folk songs then made me appreciate Enka than before...which later became one of my favorite genre of music.

When I think about it, these folk songs are songs that are not auto-tuned or digitally manipulated. These artists make their own music, play their own music and sing their own music to the rawest sound possible. No digital enhancements and you can clearly hear their voices and message well. Their images are not also manufactured not like most of our artists today. Most of the time, their image emerge naturally when they make music in which you can see them enjoy and become comfortable in what they are doing. AND their lyrics make sense. lol

This is the reason why I got into folk music though I know this kind of music doesn't really interest most people. This kind of music is not for everyone, however, I enjoy them and that's what really matters. :)