Lynch my black lips, Asmodeus.

No more teenage textbook-isms, i have the whole of 2008 to celebrate 10 years of the illusion that JC life is about love, life and slacking before the promos. I hope everyone else who wants the album get it, and please say thanks if u did.

Some album thoughts here instead.

I went to border’s a few days ago to pick up David lynch’s first book which reveals all the behind the scene anecdotes and yes, transcendental meditation. I loved inland empire really, feels like watching the entire original star wars trilogy with the DVD player set to playing random scenes. The narrative is really so sublime, not a artsy Chance way but in an Ornette coleman/ trout mask replica way, and honestly i think its his best. In case you’re wondering, no im not the type to say “oh this is so german” or “this is so blha blah” i am not a film buff or worse a “indie” film buff who thinks that Harmony Korine’s Gummo is good because its so “different”.

Ok. i picked up two CDs as well.

Black lips are not like Black Sabbath, Black Francis (maybe the obvious infatuation with Tijuana both lyrically and musically), Black Flag and all the other bands that tag the awesome colour “black” to their names. They sound basically like Mister Lester bangs wished the beatles sounded like, all snotty, pre fashion punk, all drunk and with moustaches. Hunter S thompson would have loved to watch this band life as well. Ive read in a few places that this band has been compared to the likes of the Strokes in that dumb, garage band revivalist oh and i love the velvet underground thing. I swear in this album i hear the paranoia of Electric prunes’ big banana hoax, The stooges’ alcohol intake and the beatles’ putting on their leather jackets for this show, all in the face of Love’s Forever changes. By the time u reach finish listening to Sea of Blasphemy, you hear the band reach an interval that curcial breather after the first three songs that makes the impression, and that amazing lift off into SONG no.THREE and you’re saying your head. “FUCK! this band is really WHAT IT IS!!”. Sigh.. this is a wonderful album, i admit that i still listen to the older Brian jonestown massacre albums like TAke it from the man, but its refreshin to know that this black lips album is out in stores!!!!#@@!#

Shit man this album realllyyy rocks.

I wonder what the bomp dudes think about this album.

I actually bought chris whitley’s soft dangerous shores, havent hear it much yet. On first listen it sounds like a good electronic cross blues thing, and it contains the best blues slide guitar that ive heard in a long time.

I also found this. Thanks god for Border’s Jazz section that jazz poseurs for me can find something to drool on, and its right beside other straight jazz dudes. Marc ribot’s Asmodeus is fucking ripping. Here Ribot and the other Tzadik veteran Trevor Dunn, along with Calvin Weston plow through songs from the Masada song book. Last time i heard Ribot’s searing guitar tone was on Electric Masada, its a wetdream for me now with him leading a band through some of the freshest sounding jazz toons. Its a very intense album, unrelenting sub-metal drilldozer expressing its way into your fucking skull (ok not in a Merzbow way, more in a jimi hendrix/ sonny sharrock/ john mclaughlin way. Basically you wont be thinking much about those guys when you’re listening anyway. haha). The last great jazz purchase was Atavista label’s (((powerhouse sound)))’s oslo/chigaco breaks with ken vandermark leading. Sigh find a copy of this album and if u cant u know who to ask : )

Ok next time.

Cant wait for the new Daysleepers album. really can’t wait. the tracks on their purevolume site from the new album are killer.

http://www.purevolume.com/thedaysleepers

Everything is possible!

For those of you who are wondering where to get the Teenage Textbook soundtrack, it can be found very easily at any Cash converters outlet. I know for sure that the ones at Ang Mo kio and Toa payoh. It should set u back 5 bucks, (but strangely, i just made a vist there and i got charged 1.50 per CD at the AMK branch!). In case u dont remember how it looks like, its yellow in colour on the spine (this helps facilitates looking for it in the CD piles there!).

In case you’re looking for the MOVIE. yes. THAT movie u watched with your classmates and had several forgettable re-runs on Channel 5, and also those silly trailers with Mister X(avier)’s voice over going something like “remember when you were 16….”, yes very cheesy.

Anyway, u can find the Movie on VCD at Video Ezy, well my branch at Thomson plaza does carry it. U might be thinking “No no i want the DVD!”, well there arent any that ive seen so far. The plus point is that the VCD comes with a behind the scenes documentary that must’ve been aired back in ‘98 or something on tv. Trust me, the documentary is just as good if not better than the ACTUAL movie. Hosted by Chee Hin Hong aka the lovable Kok Sean, the making of is really full of exciting interviews, revealing puns and whatever tasteless humour that singaporeans then and now are full of. There are also interviews with the cast including Melody Chen, Randall and more dressed in glorious cheesy late 90’s fashion regalia! (oversized hockey shirts with gold rimmed sunglasses. Tongue in cheek shirts. Alot of blusher. Long straight ah beng-ish hair. Too much fringe. Too much Fringe).

Other than the story and blah blah… u should really scare yourself to death with footage of long lost Singaporean Wonders like Planet Hollywood, Celebrities Asia and that stupid bus stop at Marina south. Just watch it and see what other scary things u can see! ) oh ya the border’s counter it just looked different then.

has it been that fucking long?

Electric light orchestra tends to make me feel really happy and spacy kind of like any Yellow magic orchestra record. Strange really.

I must say that the new raveonettes album is really great. I just wish i can see them live. Lust lust lust! is a real wet dream for noisy shoegazers who love to watch Twin peaks, mulholland drive or Inland empire because its dreamy as well. The raveonettes have the right ideas lyrically and musically to make lust lust lust! a modern (non-JAMC copy) masterpiece. sigh

oh ya i just realised. this year is tenth anniversary of the Teenage Textbook movie. No wonder this Randall and Melody were featured in that what’s it called Eunice olsen’s Ellen talk show “Rouge” (remember that stupid silly charlie’s angels production of the same name that was aired on MTV asia, i loved it. the girls. man. i love asian girls. esp when they have Amerikan accent.) I didnt watch that interview with them, but my sis was telling me that they played a clip of the kissing scene from the movie.

So guys, if your reading this, its been fucking 10 years since u dreamt of JC. Alevels over liao.

There is a scene from the movie where, a reporter is on location at a school when the o level’s results are out. He then asks this student, a boy, how he did for his results. “I didnt do well, but never mind lah, can go poly can go to ite or go and work its ok one!” he replies, the reporter then scratches his head then asks,” Then what about your friends, will you feel left behind?”. The boy suddenly looks down and up, scratches his head then put his index finger on his chin and says, “Oh yarh horh….”.

truly dumb really.

but that is how it really is.

Privatisation blues

After some months of inactivity, ive decided to write some stuff here. Looks like its pretty obvious that i cant maintain a blog that just talks about music and CDs and shit. Still, i’ll insert some stuff about CDs ive found from the second hand/ cash coverters shores of western culture. Sometimes i wonder if my brain is like that, i could be a beach comber, walking up and down usually collecting coconuts on some polynesia island. Here i am sick of coconuts and i find copies of LIFE magazine, pages of the National Enquirer and Beano/ Dandy annuals.

Frankly i know that most people who have commented here (thanks alot really!) will have already decided that this blog is dead and that i have gone to doing something else (like mixed martial arts or having a job in a bank), and have left this most scared tabernacle of blogging. I mean basically, this blogging is so yesterday. Before Facebook and when your ICQ started to go “uh-oh” (or the MSN duh DUH DUH, which ever u prefer). Its really amazing how things have changed over a period of two years. What’s in and what’s out. Morale of the story is that whatever you’re in now, u better know when to quit.

I guess it all started with D’s sudden interest in getting a copy of the Teenage textbook to watch. This was after something terrible that happened not only to him, but within our circle of friends, which is way to complext and private to discuss here. Anyway, in his obsessive fever, he found a copy of the soundtrack from the movie and sent me a copy. All the songs was really familiar not only to your ears, but to how you remember certain things in your varying states of puberty. Its kind of like meeting your old secondary school chinese tuition teacher. Suddenly you could have Ennio Morricone’s “garbriel’s oboe” playing just under your tongue, while you are gasping for air trying to grow out of it.

Anyway i recorded my version of two of the songs from the soundtrack, Ger’s “my special angel” and Beverly’s “No more tears”. I chose these two songs because they were the most memorable and sections were played during the course of the movie. One verse from here one verse from there. My guess is that they did it like that, because it was like the songs from the radio, where they would play the same song many times a day and you pick up different parts of the song (verse, chorus and bridge). Imagine that special moment and then the radio at some shopping centre where you’re at plays a part of the song with that special lyric in the verse.

I will be putting these two songs up for download on the winterhalter facebook page, so you can hear how much i’ve mutilated these classics.

I mean who can remember the fact that ger’s “my special angel” was the ultimate butch love song and that “No more tears” was played on the radio alot, well that was back then. This was before Singaporeans decided they can’t do simple pop songs, instead we’re better at whatever skill driven kind of music that requires years of commercial musical technical whoring (and then they are some who dont depend on that, still carry on and sound great).

Ya, so then, i’ll condense in a paragraph why the movie made me do this (blog entry thang). I kinda like that writing thing, like the narration thing in mui-ee’s head. Makes me think that i’m the star in some movie, will farrell’s stranger than fiction, but this time, without the idea that this movie’s for mass comsumption, but for myself next time (hopefully internet neutrality and whatever issue hasn’t gotten these blog posts deleted). There i hope this doesnt sound cheesy. I mean i’ll still be given a loud satisfying sigh when i take that morning piss even when im 50 right?

The shittiest thing about writing a new entry is how, you tend to feel a need to write about new things that i have. Most of the time, I get overwhelmed trying to connect this to a public blog post. Is it so that i can show-off to world what wonderful toys that i have now? Honestly, i think its well justified because i mean, the future reader might just be interested in the same shit as i do. Same with CDs. So, its not show offy Shaun, you are not in Clueless american high school girl, there is no Rose McGowan who’s going to sneer at you tomorrow.

Ok so, most those who know me knows that im busy selling off my guitar pedals. It’s not that i’m through with guitar and all (though some people just say that i am, just because selling them. wierd really) Well, i’ve actually been buying keyboards, yes, shitty casio keyboards. Currently i have a Casio MT-68, Casio PT-30 and a Casio SK-1. Im still waiting for my CZ-1000, for those that know that these keyboards are PM me. im just curious really, i dont know anyone else doing this casio thing (maybe i should meet more people). I mean, you must be thinking that in the age of Softsynths (reason) and midi controllers why the hell am i buying (collecting?) these toys? I guess there’s a certain miami vice, micheal mann vibe to it that feels.. Inspirational. Yes its that lame.. Inspirational.

If you know me well, im one never to say this gross, mushy (like watching titanic and jane austen kind of icky) word. I mean honestly after this year plus of bumming, suddenly the word “inspirational” started to detach itself from that silly art student who cuts herself to feel “inspiration” to paint. Or that clubber to who wears low cut skirts and speaks in a fake british accent (because its so bohemian) at the bar to order a martini because she wants to “inspire”. Or the guy who wears bright neon shirts he orders online after looking at it for a few seconds, which is longer than the time he spends a month looking at his bank account balance, because he’s open to “Inspiration”. Lastly the girls who buys clothes with a tag that says “Broken social scene” or any “Indie” band, goes to the concert because they’re open to marvellous manifestations of “Inspiration”.

Im getting the keyboards because its cheap, and the sounds are really amazing especially the MT-68, and i do not buy shirts online (i agree with mum that’s its stupid), i spend time checking my account balance every two days, i dont club much ( mum says its stupid) and i dont buy clothes (but i do have some still, really).

before i close, i must say that Atlas sound’s Let the blind lead lead those who can see but cannot feel, is the album of the year. Last year’s album of the year was Sunset rubdown’s random spirit lover. The brilliant green has reformed and has one single for the Gundam 00 anime. The smashing pumpkins are playing Australia. Bauhaus has a new album which actually sounds great. I didnt go for any acts for Mosaic (because no money). Winterhalter is on hiatus (more on that next entry, i promise). The Daysleepers new album coming soon. Reservist on April 3rd. Saturday Classified job searches are boring when ur a mass comm grad. I hope that my Casio CZ-1000 comes in this week after floating around US post Limbo for a month now.

The happiest moment of the week.

I found Thee Hynoptic’s Come down heavy and Lorelei’s S/t (slumberland!!!) at Cash converters for 5 bucks.

Oh ya. i also found Adorable’s against perfection at marina square for 7 bucks.

Now that’s what i call Inspiring. I might just find Shaun Soh’s StupidSongs at Cash converters too. ahah