Gavin Degraw ,, please please strip

Gavin Degraw



ARGH! I'm such a sucker for these cheap irresistable sushi conveyor belt singer songwriters packages! But i just had to give Gavin the time of day, his album in 2002 has been a faithful hound in my ipod through bus rides, mrt scuffles and piss weak jogging attempts. Not to fear, I have 3 rock album requests I'll be listening to this week, so i promise more grit coming soon.

Meanwhile click on the player to check out "We belong together" and read on. ( Song playing is not yet a single, but i like it)



Gavin Degraw. I've waited 5 years for his sophomore effort and this self titled album is the fruit of that eternity. Verdict? IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME!!! It really should be named Chariot "The sequel". Back in 2002 when One tree hill decided to use " I don't want to be" as its title theme song, Gavin's tunes were instantly all over the airwaves and TV. I was a minor fan till he released "Chariot Stripped" in 2004. That was the 'lemak' that got me hooked to his cooking. To date, i have ranked it within my top 5 favorite acoustic albums of all time. It's seriously good how he stripped every song to reveal every weakness and strength in the album. From "Nice to meet you anyway" to "Chariot" to songs i have never cast more than a second listen to , each track was so intimate and honest, it was truly "stripped" ( click the player to enjoy 'belief' stripped)


Back to this album. Now, Gavin is a solid songwriter who has a very good sense of what he does well and how to push that across. He has a knack for hammering a chorus/melody into your head, it sticks for at least half a day. On his first single, "In love with a girl" he ctrl C and Vs the formula and churns out a song that sounds like a hybrid of "Nice to meet you anyway" and "I don't want to be". He returns to his blues / jazz compositions on more than 1 occasion and tracks like "Let it go" and "cheated on me" really deliver on all accounts. You really do feel for the fella and wonder if he needs some relationship therapy or self help book. From "Cheated on me " to " Next to me " to the above "Let it go". Mr Degraw is in some serious BGR trouble. I think that's why he keeps wearing hats , dude's losing his hair over chicks that made use of him, lied to him, cheated on him, left him etc etc


All in all , i really wanted more but I'm not unhappy with this new release. I'm just waiting for him to strip this album and redeem some of these song offerings. As they say at Hen parties .. "Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!"

Tom Baxter ( who?)

Tom Baxter



Thanks Dylan for the recommendation, really sorta the whole point of this blog really. That we can share new finds, exchange some good tunes and get all feel good. Tom baxter is really really good, the recipe reads as follows " Take 1 david gray, mix with some jeff buckley, shake well with some Van Morrison and drain well"

click the video to listen to "Better" , his first single off the album


Good aint it? Now we all need to hold hands and pray westlife does NOT get a hold of it and massacre the living shit outta the song. (is it just me of does the chorus sound like it could be some Eason Chan hit? try it, hum the chorus and replace the words with some random mandarin..) Got to love his MV concept, all sorts of oddballs in love. It's missing a pair though, where's mini me and his sex romp partner?? Now THATS an oddball sex tape i need to see just to know mini me carries a regular sized pickle on a mini sesame seed bun. I hear it's being sold to the same guy who distributed Paris Hilton's meat video. Who is this guy?? I want his job!

Back to the music, Having never heard of Baxter's work before, i was really pleasantly surprised that his songwriting is really well.. pleasant. His album has some well suprising touches that make it really stand out. For one, he has wrapped traditional acoustic folk songs with gypsy bests, indian / middle eastern instruments, tempo changes out of the blue, 4 min orchestra solos etc etc. It's really refreshing when he gets it spot on. Album title track "Skybound" is one that really makes you listen. I guzzled it on my way to Changi Airport on Saturday night and i hit the repeat button 4 times in a row. Now this song is 7 mins, so thats about half an hour of the SAME song. I just could not get the arrangement out of my head. It was that absorbing. (again, i'm adding the song on the audiobiblio playlist) The start, middle and end of the song could be 3 different songs yet it all comes together really well. This is where for me, the Jeff Buckley infuences show a little. Skybound takes you through various moods in the short 7 minutes. There is piano solo snuck near the bridge that really lends weight to a rising string section toward the end. Brilliant.

He does need to hit the stop button every now and then. For every 'skybound' he gets right, the album does contain a few self indulgent tracks where it does go abit south. All in all , i still must confess to being a huge new fan. I'm getting his back catalgoue as i type and im pretty sure my education of Mr baxter won't stop here.

Question : Who's got a better falsetto? Him or David Beckham?

Hellboy 2 new trailer kicks ASS!

Argh.. cannot wait! Loved Hellboy, last year december Universal released a full length trailer that was short on action high on tease. FINALLY a new trailer is out..


Btw, i typed HellOboy in my haste when searching for the hellboy update and well...all i can say is its amazing what a vowel can do ,


Hellboy!!!


and....


Helloboy......

urgh... make sure you buy the get the right action figure. Helloboy had to be heavily censored. You could poke an eye out with that thing!

Santogold is gold

Santogold



Hands to your heart people. What do you think this african american woman's music is all about. R&B? Hippity Hop? Maybe India Arie soul jazz? SHAME ON YOU! Put away all your racist stereotypes and prepare to get blown away by this alarming band. Front Woman Santi White has put together a style that i can only describe as "Missy Elliiot + M.I.A x 80s electro clash"

Listen to her first single "L.E.S artistes" to get a taste of what i'm talking about. This is the official music video



One of the stand out artistes of 2007 was M.I.A and the similarities are striking. Musicwise, they both have a very urban street game that lends itself very well to their song writing. Both have unconventional albums and both seem to have a niche creating beats and quirky genre crossing styles. M.I.A to me was always the delivery Missy Elliot never failed to show. Back when Missy was fresh, the world was waiting to see what she would be coming to hit us with after the success of "Under construction". However, Miss demeanour never showed up. Sure she had some nice hits but cmon.. We all remember "work it" and how it made the hippity hop world crash so joyously into dance clubs, pop radio, churches. When "paper planes"'s beat came out, my first reaction was Missy would have hired 50 cent to murder for that song.


Santogold is NOT as fresh as M.I.A nor as edgy but it is probably more mainstream. First single "L.E.S artistes" could be a Gwen Stefani hit, The chorus has such an 80s rock hook to it , you could almost imagine it being written by the B-52s. In fact, the 80s rock/folk influence is so strong throughout the album; i had to check the track listing numerous times just in case i had skipped to some "best of retro hits" compilation. It was like listening to some schizophrenic artiste. ( listen to "lights out" and "i'm a lady" to hear what i mean) But i must say, i absolutley loved the 80s pop stuff slightly more than the current singles. You get the feeling these simple 80s electro clash numbers sing more closely to who Santi White is about.


The 2nd single is just a dancer's dream. If i could pop, break and hop to the hip, i would be dancing my ass off this track. "Creator" has made it's way to Grey's anatomy and is currently flying up the UK charts. I love this song heaps but i can't help but compare it to the sensational M.I.A's 'paper planes'

Check out this guy doing some nice hopping to the hip to "Creator"




Right, make your way to HMV and give Ms Santi white a chance. And yes, she is a black woman with an indian sounding first name called Miss White who doesnt do "black" music. Like i said, curried sushi.

mr naughty peanut butter!

Hahahaah sorry guys. Nothing to do with music but this is just hilarious


catchphrase blooper - Watch more free videos



The icon looks like the planter "mr peanut butter"





The vid gave me the funnies la.. sorry i just had to post. Back to the music next post

"Snake Charmer" INDEED!! hahahha wonder which snake he was charming so furiously!!!

Motley crue ... resurrection

Motley Motley.. Where art thou Motley?



Def leppard, Whitesnake and now Motley Crue. What do these 3 geriatric bands have in common? Wait.. i just answered my own question. Well ok, try this one, why does Motley Crue kick so much more ass ?? Give up? .. Well for one, Bassist Nikki Sixx is tapping LA celebrity tattooist Kat Von D. So, round 1 to the songwriter/bassist/legend for scoring grade B skirts half his age



Next, we come to media hog Tommy Lee. When he isn't busy filming his own drum stick and picking fights with resident hill billy Kid Rock, the boy can drum the shit outta a high hat and tom.








Back to the music, alright guys today not much review going on. To be frank, Saints of Los Angeles wouldnt make it to my daily review. On it's own merit, it fares only slightly better than the rancid drainwater weak pop rock bands on mtv today. ( yes three doors down, thats you). One drawback is the context in which this album is written, it was recorded somewhat like a film score in view of their upcoming screen autobiography ("The Dirt"). As such, the lyrics all kind of say the same thing, every track has the same dirty grainy feel to it and the output is slightly contrived.

The positives? They dont try to be a Billy Corgan and reinvent the whole car horse and carriage. Saints of Los Angeles is easy on the cranium and you kinda get the message 2 mins into the album. Basically, the whoring, popping, snorting , rocking, spandexing, and whoring. Bonus? There is a really funny monologue at the beginning of the album where vince neil ( i presume) is acting all macho and gritty. Extremely hilarious.

Altogether, lets just say nothing stands out but nothing really disappoints. It listens like a good bag of chips without enough salt. The best bits belong undoubtedly to Mr donkey Lee. ( hey! i made a rhyme!) Like i said, the boy can drum. He wont be giving drum clinics anytime soon cause most drummers will tell you theres more to drumming that hitting hard and hitting harder. However, tommy and mr barker from blink 182 will beg to differ. click the youtube to see what i mean..



ok ok ok back to the album.. sigh where to begin and where to end. I found 2 songs that will graduate to my ipod. The title track and "The animal in me" , i have to say they didnt write anything outstanding but it does not suck. Saints of los angeles sounds like it belongs on any Motley Crue's greatest hits album. Vince is in fine form and i must say, unless modern engineering worked miracles, he actually sounds better than i ever remembered. Click to watch the video and you be the judge



Speaking of vince neil. Now we know Tommy still looks fit for a 89 year old, Nikki is tapping Kat von D so no dirt off his shoulder. But Vince... let's just say he looks "organic"

Before

and

now


sexy!

Meiko moves me

Meiko



Meiko, i don't even know how to pronouce it for chip's sake. May-ko? Mai-ko? Mee-ko? Whatever it is, she should be filed under C-L-A-S-S. This album i'm introducing was released in september 2007 but it's still too good and too impressive for me to pass up. Her style is so varied that there is no wardrobe let alone box i can label her in. She has obvious Joni Mitchell influences present in the minimalist way she approaches her songwriting, There's also a smattering of Aimee Mann (she obviously loves the masterpiece Magnolia), there's also a bossa bounce not out of place in a Astrud Gilberto piece? Incredible, but take nothing away from her, this mix all kind of infuses and swirls around to create a really good blend. Her voice is silky smooth when it needs to be, tender when it REALLY needs to be and husky in all the right places. Plus she is absolutely gorgeous. Always helps when talent comes in a sexy package. She better have 3 nipples or some weird ass gene defect, else God is so not fair.

Get the album, buy a nice bottle of cheap californian red ( 10 bucks a bottle @ carrefour, Carlo Rossi or rivercrest is delightful) , dim the lights and let the album tease your speakers. Rarely have i heared an artiste that has that delicate mix of melancholy, emotion and mood without being depressive. Damien rice on the other hand.. needs to come with a "Do not listen when experiencing suicidal tendencies" label.

Artist : Meiko
Album : Meiko
Song review: Reasons to love you
Album : 9/10
Song : 8.5/10



This album kicks off with the featured song which is a delightlful breezy tune that can stick in your head for days. It's an introduction to her unique voice which gets stronger as the album moves along. Colbie cailat whom bless her heart i love as well , should KILL to have a voice like this. If you liked bubbly and thought it was a pleasant well written well sung well rounded pop song, well, listen to the song ( click on the damn player) and you tell me.

Next up is "How lucky we are" and the 1st line is so pure " one day, we'll get out of this shitty apartment". It's a cute story whom most struggling couples can relate to, kinda the "we live in a hole, no money , no future and just each other" romantic unrealistic crap only musicians can sing about. Sheer magic. The chorus is simple and really strong. There's a gorgeous wind section in there as well that is just well.. let's just say its not farts.

Song 3 "Heard it all before" is the bossa ish track that really grabbed my attention. If anyone here likes Josh Rouse, and the way his albums are really well produced. Then this song is pucka, the production, arrangement, musicality and tones are so lush, its lusher 99.6fm. I could listen to this song all day till it comes out of my nostrils.



Ok, i'm gonna fast forward to my favourite song on the album which is "Under my bed". It's such a good song its scary. Again, beautiful melody, arrangement, really thoughtful musicality. You know people say "less is more". It only makes sense if the less is a perfect mix of the parts. This song has everything you look for in a piece that goes straight to the heart. And the proof is in the pudding, below is an acoustic version of her doing it live. Now , i love it live but the production is so good, check the audiobiblio link on the right to listen to it. I will be uploading the featured track AND this one. (peeps, check my facebook if you dont know how to navigate the audiobiblio thing)

Oh ya , did i mention she's pwetty?

I AM DISTURBED

Disturbed



Ok Children... time to hide and cry in the closet. From the pigg to the fiery flames of hell... the double pedal pumping, crunching guitar, foot-on-amp chest thumping assault of Disturbed. If any of you have never ever experienced the genius that is Disturbed. Here is a youtube video of them doing their 2000 version of the Tears for Fears hit "shout". You know the song... then wait, listen again and you will hear the song for the 1st time again. Regulars to ice cold beer might remember Ady playing this from time to time


Ok now that they have your attention, lets get down to this review business

Artist/Band : Disturbed
Album: Indestructible
Album review : 8/10 ( for new listener)
7/10 ( for more disturbed listeners)
Song feature : Inside the fire

» Get your own FREE music player

Alright alright, let's talk Indestructible. The title track is amazing.. once again, when the chorus hit me with

"Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you’re alive
I’m an indestructible master of war"

I believe i was navigating down Eunos Avenue when i had my own personal Oprah moment of "YES!! YES!! I AM AN INDESTRUCTIBLE MASTER OF WAR!!!" . Feeling inspired, i immediately changed lanes WITHOUT indicating. Thats right Pigs.. come get me!

Now the song feature "Inside the Fire" to me is just so good from a fan point. Bearing in mind, Disturbed doesn't mess much with the formula ; growl alot, similar sounding melodic lines and a couple of " AHH AHH AHH AHAHS!" Although this latest effort doesnt stray too far from the formula, i think they have made an effort to let some of the other band members express themselves slightly more , listen to the blazing solo in this song and nod your head when Dan Donegan lets his axe scream toward the end.


Top 3 songs straight off are stellar, can't go wrong. But as usual, one can get an overdose of Disturbed as the songs kinda blend into the next, of course there is the customary "AH AHH AHH AHH" to wake you up just in case.


Fans should pick up the album if anything just to feel like an "Indestructible master of war". New listeners , i suggest starting with the back catalogue to get a proper disturbed education. Look out for the 2000 album "The Sickness" and my personal fav "Believe" released in 2002.


Here is another youtube killer, some fan took the vid from "land of confusion" and layed the title track "Indestructible" over it. Not too shabby..Btw anyone up for creating the facebook group "Are you by any chance an indestructible master of war?" AH AHH AHH AH !

Landon Pigg

Alright!Sorry to all the testosterone filled puppies who wanted me to post something harder and faster and snarly. Trust me something disturbing is on the way but for now, lets check out a pig. Landon Pigg that is.

I first heard about him when i noticed his latest single "falling in love in a coffee shop" on last.fm sometime back. What struck me was its simplicity of arrangement and really simple almost naive lyrics.."I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you, Yes theres a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you"..together with a really sweet guitar melody that goes as well as pork and pineapple. Also, i suppose the idea of falling in love in a coffee shop is really romantic. I'm just waiting for the local spoof "falling in lust in a kopi tiam".

Artist : Landon Pigg
Album: LP
Song review: Sailed on
Album :6.5/10
Song : 8/10



Alright! Let's get the album/song review going. I'm a sucker for this adult singer/songwriter stuff thats been all over the net in recent months. Guys like John Mayer, Jason Mraz and James Blunt have NOTHING on some of the crazy one man talent freak shows out there. ( Sorry i take Jason Mraz back, have you ever heard him LIVE? Kudos to Soo for introducing me to his live sets.. absolute killer)
Guys like Eric Harrisson, Josh Rouse, Josh Kelley etc are all amazing in my book and i will be putting some of their highlights in later posts
This song just attacks the soul much like when i first heard David Gray sing "Please forgive me". When the Pigg goes "Only the moon and the stars in the sky Did know, to cry for me as I sailed on", i wished i had some chick in the room i could experience that moment vicariously through.

When i did listen to the rest of the album, i realised like most singer songwriter efforts, it DOES wear down on you. Too depressing, too many cliches.. a tad too much repeat on arrangement bla bla bla.. however, i got to this one song "Can't let go" which is pure pop magic. If memory serves me right, i think its been on Grey's Anatomy. But it's a really good pop song with a decent vibe.

I won't recommed the album unless you're a girl or you like the mush ( rod , thats you) but i definitely recommend some must haves from the album added to the "songs to make me look sensitive when im really just reall horny" ipod playlist. ( Sailed on, Can't let go, Last stop and the coffee shop song from the new EP)

Here is a youtube version of him doing it Live



As usual, i have uploaded this song to the playlist (The audiobiblio link on top right under My daily blog bread), since this is my 2nd entry, there are 2 songs, just bookmark it coz soon it should be decent to put on for 20 30 mins of audio joy.

Virgin post : The Ting Tings

Greetings! Where to start... well this blog is meant to be a place for me to introduce and share music with all my mates and friends. My biggest love is music and i've always been asked " what's that song in your car? whats this song? etc etc" SO i thought a place where i could talk about some cool tunes im digging would be nice to have..

About me: I used to have a band, when some members return, we might kick it again.
Work: I used to work in universal music churning out the compilations some of you peeps might have bought

I'm certainly no expert but you know.. you be the judge i suppose. Starting off the season, i'll be reviewing songs from some new albums im really loving.

BAND : The Ting Tings


Song featured : Shut Up and let me Go
Album: 7/10
Song : 9/10
(click on player below to listen!)

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The TING TINGS!! Alright, straight off im a major rock fan and i like my indie rock as much as the next closet Artsy Fart but i have NEVER taken to bands like Shampoo. ( remember them? Uh oh you're in trouble, ) or Le tigre ( whom the TTs remind me of) or any Brit-punk-thrash-wail 3 piece outfit.

However, i first heard TTs on itunes and their first single "Great DJ" really grabbed my head by the ears and made me BOP. There was something about the electro beat with a ridculous chorus that just made me want to sing along. Anytime you can write a chorus that goes

"Imagine all the girls,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the boys,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the strings,
Eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee."

is just pure genius haha. Anyway , it was just so damn grooving, i had to check out the bloody album. To be frank, since im not particularly fond of the genre, im only gonna rave about 1 other song that ive been playing non stop in the car. Listen to the music above (click on da player below the album pic) and go crazy with "Shut up and let me go", i swear, listen to the intro and when the drums kick in start singing Franz's Ferdinand's " Let me out" ... Its a mash up waiting to happen. if i had the talent and the time, i would kill it on youtube. It's got such a quirky beat to it and with lyrics like that , i means c'mon! The irreverance and sheer balls to pull off lyrics and stories like this has got to be applauded.

check this youtube for some dude's work. Yes, Apple used this song for their latest ads in the US. So apparently, the marketing people at Apple like the same shit i do. APPLE? CAN YOU HEAR ME? GIVE ME A JOB!



The rest of the album is pretty ok and moves along really well. Nothing else really leaps off the speakers but if you like the Magic numbers, Tegan & Sara and the rest of the indie universe, PLEASE check out the Ting TIngs. Now i'm gonna shut up and let you go.

Other songs worth mentioning " That's not my name" and "Fruit Machine" .