Happy Birthday, Elton!

It's Elton John's 60th birthday, and you can watch him live on the birthday show in New York as well as look at his long and immense career here.

The Misfits

Keeping in step with the "rediscovery" of all my favorite high school punk rock bands, I thought I'd do a little blurb on the hardcore "horror" punk rock band, The Misfits. This only refers to the original 1977 to 1983 lineup, not the resurrected 1995 band.

Forming in 1977, the Misfits were very close to the first wave of punk rock bands that included the Ramones, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, and the Sex Pistols. The lead singer and "creative director" Glen Danzig named the band after Marilyn Monroe's last movie of the same name. Their music was originally their music was more experimental and somber, but were soon influenced by the emerging punk scene by bands such as the Ramones and the Damned.


The most notable aspects of The Misfits sound was their fusion of 50's doo-wop, experimental rock, punk rock, and the creation of a "horror punk" sound. Glen Danzig's voice was very versatile, and I think he arguably has one of the best voices in rock&roll. Their early music was very melodic despite the thrashing punk guitars, and remained so until Earth A.D., which was much more "hardcore." Their lyrics were influenced by 50's B-horror and sci-fi flicks, littered with monsters, murder, and violence. Some songs can be kind of shocking if you take it seriously, like "Last Caress" and "Bullet." It can also catch one off-guard if you're taken in by Danzig's awesome voice.

The Misfits Samples:

They also adopted their most iconic images early their active years. The first was the "devilock", in which the hair is grouped towards the front of the head, like a reverse pony tail. The other was the use of the Crimson Ghost, a villain from the 1946 Hollywood movie serial of the same name. Members of the Misfits also dressed in black and often wore ghoulish makeup inspired by 1950's horror movies. These theatrics likely inspired modern acts like Marlyn Manson.



The Misfits released three albums and never did find much success before calling it quits in 1983. However, their recordings became more and more popular in the underground scene and bands like Metallica covered their songs and brought them into the light. Since 1983 unreleased tracks and compilation albums have been released and are highly recommended to any fan of rock music.

The Misfits had much more trials and tribulations that I cared to include in this blurb, but all can be read at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Misfits.

The Misfits @ LastFM

Notable Misfits band members:
Glen Danzig (vocals)
Jerry Only (bass)
Manny Martinez (drums)
Franche Coma (guitar)
Jim Catania (drums)
ROBO (drums)

Misfits studio albums:
*Static Age (recorded 1978, released 1997)
*Walk Among Us (1982)
*Earth A.D. (1983)

lyrics contest - round 4 - OSTs

Alright, as the last two rounds turned out they were too damn difficult, we were just competing to get the other bald first (by pulling own hair out). So my second try would be themed and plentiful quoted if not hinted. zhu, you ready?

Theme: original soundtracks. All the songs have been featured in one or more films, tv series, anime, you get the idea...(zhu I think you have all of them, either the OST album or the songs by themselve, or at least heard of, and you should have seen most of them. Name the movie too if you so like. =D)

Difficulty: giveaway to obscure drive-you-mad stuff, in descending order.


31)
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on

32)
You can live the life you like.
You can even marry Harry
But mess around with Ike.
And that's good, isn't it?

33)
Moonlight and love songs - never out of date
Hearts full of passion - jealousy and hate
Woman needs man - and man must have his mate
That no one can deny

34)
I stole ten thousand pounds,
ten thousand pounds to see you
I robbed convenience stores
'cause I thought they'd make it easier
I lived of rats and toads and I starved for you
I fought of giant bears and I killed them too

35)
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day

zhu didn't have forrest gump, sobz. replacement is harder!

A satellite recalled your voice
Sent me round the world again
All the night you've dreamed away
Sent me round my heart again
One touch upon my lips
And all my thoughts are clear
I feel your smoky mist
Up to the stratosphere

(and i realize that basically, the first five are shameless giveaways..)

36)
Drink up one more time,
And I'll make you mine.
Keep you a part,
Deep in my heart,
Separate from the rest,
Where I like you the best,
And keep the things you forgot.

37) It blows in my eyes and makes me realize
The trouble that I'm in
That Carolina Wind
And the dirt beneath my heels in the road
Obeys command to me and serves me as I go

38) Photographers snip snap
Take your time she's only burning
This kind of experience
Is necessary for her learning

39) And now I tell you openly, you have my heart so don't hurt me.
You're what I couldn't find.
A totally amazing mind, so understanding and so kind;
You're everything to me.

40)
Cerf-volant
Volant au vent
Ne t'arrête pas
Vers la mer
Haut dans les airs
Un enfant te voit
Et dans la tourmente
Tes ailes triomphantes
N'oublie pas de revenir
Vers moi

(yeah, French. But that's really easy, like, how many French OST do we have in common?)

Lyrics Contest Round 3 (Chinese)

Easy one, no hints!

(21)
爱为何总填不满又掏不空

(22)
把酒高歌的男儿是北方的狼族

(23)
只看见沙漠 哪里有什么骆驼

(24)
我还没说可惜 你已经在叹气

(25)
留着相同的血 喝着相同的水

(26)
所有公允的景观之中，我都不存在

(27)
欢迎光临 你好吗

(28)
一个梦境的周围 散落花瓣十六枚

(29)
我的心情好像土拨鼠在挖洞

(30)
总觉得钞票一天比一天难赚

Lyrics Contest - Round 2

Round 1 isn't exactly concluded, but to reward the hard work of zhu the question setter: a premature release of Round 2. I have yet to type in hints, and that'll depend on feedback (i.e. grunts and complaints). Honestly, a lot of the stuff are quite a giveaway (IMO), too well known..we'll see. Don't bother checking my last.fm chart for hints cuz I didn't scrobble, but I know you wouldn't. That was a smug note to self. ^_*

- update: hints added by popular request. You can always demand more.


11) if lies you tell can make it better
and hopeless dreams can make your day

one of those bands that like a numerical in their names.

12) Jaded in anger
Love underwhelms you
No box of chocolates
Whichever way you fall

by a now inactive duo.

13) But as the embers of the summer lost their breath and disappeared
My heart went cold and only hollow rhythms resounded from within

title is indicative of a time of the year.

14) Soon there'll be candles
And prayers that are said I know

you don't have to name the original artist--though it'd be a bonus if you do--cuz it's one of those frequently covered classics. analyse the nouns.

15) Sure you were swift when the handsome Greek boys dropped by with gifts
You are suave thanks to the ribbons that open sesame

in these two lines a word echoes another title by the same artist.

16) Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words never come
You just get numb

title is shared by a cocktail, a film, an album, and of course, this song.

17) Take two people - romantic
Smoky nightclub situation
Your cigarette traces a ladder

song featured in a rock n' roll movie. pays tribute to Casablanca the film classic. (that's TWO hints.)

18) One says, he wants everlasting happiness
other says, he wants nothing
it's all one to me..

ooh you got this one, I thought it would be the first to go, too. ;-) I was going to say, 'a vertebrate and an invertebrate', haha.

19) To the brutes in the halls
My timid young fingers held a decent animal.

the name of the band is part of the body--human body, i am not sure how it's called in other mammals.

20) The game I used to play
I've always put my cards upon the table
Let it never be said that I'd be unstable

band on hiatus. country of origin is neighbor to that of the original artist(s) of lyrics (17).

Lyrics Contest

Round 1 - Questions by Zhu
Identify song title and artist, no cheating, no googling. Your brain and memory is your only tool! (plus fingers for typing)

Clues are given beside question number.

(1) The song title reminds me of bubble gum.
Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose
You can plant any one of those

(2) Already disbanded.
Using symbols using words
Can be likened to a deep sea diver

(3) Clue's embedded below.
Don't slide

(4) The first BIG digital animation film.
I only need a little time
Perhaps a little hair

(5) Well, can't give clue for this coz it's too obvious.
He was a boy, she was a girl
Can I make it anymore obvious?

(6) Closer
Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to cry

(7) Let's get to the chorus.
Hello, you fool
I love you

(8) I posted the lyrics before in my blog (sorry, not a good clue, still a clue)
The people go forever descending
It's when we're all inside
That summer's on the way

(9) A flower
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

(10) Coz we aren't old yet.
And it really doesn’t matter that we don’t eat
And it really doesn’t matter if we never sleep

lyrics contest

sighs zhu, i realize there are technical problems in having more than one shoutbox on one page, so this newly constructed shoutbox only made a fleeting guest appearance on uku before been taken down and transferred here...with my fully knowledge that there's a resident (but much disused) shoutbox here too. Never mind that first, I don't see a great flurry of posts gushing into ss anytime soon, so let's just ping pong lyrics here.

KOKIA

I just started listening to KOKIA. There're 2 or 3 tracks in Red Garden OST that caught my notice and I tried other songs. Her voice is classically trained, perfect control and tuning. Her singing style is a strange blend of opera, folk and pop ('opera' being her strength and highlight).

Basic info from Wiki.theppn

KOKIA is a Japanese singer-songwriter hailing from Tokyo. She is mostly associated with games and anime soundtracks; having appeared in eight different game/anime soundtracks to date. KOKIA has an extremely talented voice - she even held a long-tone Opera note for a little over 29 seconds on national TV once. She is most well-known in Hong Kong and Taiwan for her song Arigatou..., which became so popular it was even covered by star Sammi Cheng. Her biggest hit in Japan was the single The Power of Smile / Remember the Kiss, which reached #15 on Oricon charts.

External Links
Official web (old)
Official web (new)
Happii KOKIA (fansite in Eng & French) - very resourceful!

Some live clips from youtube,
She always performs barefoot! It seems she has a large fan base in France.

[Live] KOKIA - Bataclan 2007 part 1/2


[Live] KOKIA - Bataclan 2007 part 2/2


[Live] KOKIA - Arigato (in France)


KOKIA - Aishiteirukara
This one makes me a bit nostalgic.Coz I sure heard it when I was a kid,on radio!lol.

Rufus News

Woke up this morning at 11:11, and my google reader notifier calmly said I have about 60 new feeds (10 hours after I last read), most of them under the ‘music’ tag. I thought Oh man, I hope blogspot didn’t automatically republish ukulele…and as it turns out everything was from this one “Rufus Wainwright RSS feed”, talking about bulk updating for your musician…

So, lots of Rufus news--sold-out live shows and touring and interviews and all--Rufus is one busy man (or maybe just that he can’t help being in High Demand). The most exciting of all is his new song on The Robinsons soundtrack, called Another Believer, is available for listening on his MySpace page. The song sounds catchy and cheerful, pop enough for an anime movie, but very Rufus nonetheless. And the most ‘bizarre’ of all is the cover to the new album, Release the Stars, due for release on May 15.

Does anybody else think this is a little unsettling on first glance?

The tracklist is also released, it reads

01 Do I Disappoint You
02 Going to a Town
03 Tiergarten
04 Nobody's Off the Hook
05 Between My Legs
06 Rules and Regulations
07 I'm Not Ready to Love
08 Slideshow
09 Tulsa
10 Leaving for Paris
11 Sanssouci
12 Release the Stars

I think I just saw some interesting title choice…and words foreign to me. Seems Rufus likes his literary allusions as ever, and I have a good feeling it’s not gonna disappoint me in the least.

In other news, the anticipated documentary film Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (in which Rufus among many others pays his tribute and performs 3 songs) just screened in New York. I have great respect for the man (though the man has not released any new material in many a year…But I’ve yet to exhaust his rich old stuff, so I am not as disgruntled), and I am hoping it comes my way soon (if at all). Without further ado, a trailer for your pleasure.



and I'll wrap up it all with Rufus live in concert, performing Greek Song. Yum.



(and...I curbed the next thousand incoherent words I wanted to say of Rufus...no small effort I tell you...)

Death Cab for Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan

Thanks to Jady who introduced me to death cab for cutie, an American indie rock band formed in 1997. I want to recommend this song 'Marching Bands of Manhattan',from their 2005 album 'Plans'(the highest charting album for DCFC, nominated for Grammy).

- Links -
Wiki
Official Site

The melody is quite simple and repetitive but it keeps the rhythm going. 'Like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound'best summarises the sorrow and numbing comfort. The 1st and 2nd stanza seems to be spoken by different subject, an open admirer and a doubtful hermit. Their love never quite works out. While debating the damage or bliss love could bring, romance is drowned in rising tides and the opportunity's slowly disappearing. I don't like the music video but heck let's just stick with it.



"Marching Bands Of Manhattan"

If I could open my arms
And span the length of the isle of Manhattan,
I'd bring it to where you are
Making a lake of the East River and Hudson
If I could open my mouth
Wide enough for a marching band to march out
They would make your name sing
And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings.

I wish we could open our eyes
To see in all directions at the same time
Oh what a beautiful view
If you were never aware of what was around you
And it is true what you said
That I live like a hermit in my own head
But when the sun shines again
I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in.

Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate half empty or half full
It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown [4x]

Your love is gonna drown [4x]
Your love is gonna...

uku uku

整个下午窝在瘸腿椅子里做ukulele beta版，站起来去买晚饭时腿居然麻了。一天下来什么正事也不想做，不想做事的时候大概就只能做模版..什么逻辑。

以为很难转换的beta template(其实应该说blogspot 2吧，人家都从beta毕业好久了)，仔细看了一下code，发现其实很简单，就是在CSS里面裹来裹去，换几个名字，加上一点新的，删掉很多无用的，差不多就是个可以见公婆的小媳妇儿了。uku是初试，所以花了不少功夫还是个不折不扣的丑媳妇，缺胳膊少腿，歪歪斜斜的眼眉就是整不端正，活活急死人。最后做完了发现其实变化也有限，好像保护文物一样，整旧如故，大概也只有做过的人知道有什么名堂罢。

习惯性的几乎每天看uku的webmeter stats，哪怕更新一点都不勤。不知道还有没有人像我，好像有强迫症一般，吼吼。除了世界地图比较好玩之外，referring url page也是很有趣的地方。你大概不知道uku人气最高/最常被搜的帖子是哪一篇吧？呵呵，是你那篇 Gedo Senki Kashu和Aoi Teshima的super review，不少人都是搜Teshima的歌词才点进uku的。有人前几天才留了言request歌词，不知你看到没。还有其他一些很好笑的或者很莫明其妙的search word combination，总之都end up在uku了，笑...

偶在想忙完了这一阵，要好好地，regular地给uku浇水施肥之类的。不过写review好严肃啊，一个月有一两篇可以啦 （或者两个月有一篇...哈哈...不过某人欠的norah还是要写的哈），还是轻松的推介比较好玩。希望不是五分钟热情...

an update

(blogging out of pure frustration that I am in no shape to attack a congested desk of work right now..) Finally got this blog into the post-beta version, which looks pretty much the same as before except for the hierarchical archive list (which does not load and expand well in firefox, just this single case. I am investigating) and the ability to rank tags—I don’t like it in this case as the numbers are not very helpful excepting indicating this blogging circle is primarily into north American and Japanese music scene—so I put that at the bottom of the sidebar, in case you still want to know the stats.

In other news, two other albums that I noted in the upcoming release list of ’07 have come out-- Air’s Pocket Symphony and Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy—zhu still owes a sweet mini-review on Norah’s latest Not Too Late released in January. Well zhu, you know the saying, and you are not too late if you cough it up about NOW. B-) Back to the new stuff, I'm look ing forward to hearing them, especially Chinese Democracy. With the complete line-up change and this long of hiatus and no studio album I wonder where GNR stand now, and if they have gone entirely obsolete for that matter. That’s a sad nagging thought, but I’ll hold off my doubts for now.

Put on old Grammy compilation music all afternoon, they made up a long playlist and I didn’t bother to change—it was just…mindlessly easy on the ears, and a lot of them remind me of the times when I still bought cassettes (a lot), and recorded radio programs and trading with friends…good old days. And after this revision of pre-Britney pre-hip pop music I have to say they were almost too sweet…melodious sometimes to the point of being formulaic. Is it a thing of the late 90s or has it more to do with whoever voted for those Grammies…just a thought, I have not been following the award for years..

and Last.fm keeps recommending me stuff that either I already own but have yet to scrobble, or stuff that I went to try and really liked, gotta love this brainy music bot…