Time to Fall

Moved!

2009-06-12T22:14:34Z

There is a reason for the silence. And that is I've been working on revamping my wordpress site. All reviews used to be crossposted there but from now on I will no longer be updating time to fall! o.o

Reviews can be found at my website: Paradise Lost

Ramblings/first impressions/pv comments can be found at my livejournal: http://bloods-rose.livejournal.com/

Sorry but please change your links and visit there from now on. (You may notice the new and rather pretty review format with images too ^^)

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[Jpop] Nagayama Takashi- Kokoro Ga...

2009-04-18T19:51:30Z

Takashi Nagayama, or "Nagayan", is a Japanese actor & singer. He is probably best known for his roles as Eiji Kikumaru in the Prince of Tennis musicals and Tōshirō Hitsugaya in "Rock Musical Bleach". He made his television debut in 1998 with the drama Change, and his debut single [Kokoro Ga.../ My Heart...] was released in 2005 (exact date unknown- not even available to purchase)

The single opens with the endearing ♪「心が…」♫(My Heart...) a slow, calm soft rock number with jazz and subtle gospel influences. Nagayan's vocals shocked me the first time I heard them, they sound very young and have a unique tone to them but they aren't bad at all. He sings with a lot of emotion and his vocals are pretty powerful- not too nasal either. This song sounds like a bittersweet love song of sorts, but mainly due to the vocals it sounds sweeter than bitter. I also appreciate that just as the song is becoming repetitive, it subtly begins to change for the "kokoro ga, sayonara" part and afterwards. I really like that part of the song- the last half. But I guess I really like the entire song. It's quite simple, borders on being a bit too repetitive, but it's calming to listen to and has a sweet feeling to it. I do wonder though at "kokoro ga, sayonara" - my heart, goodbye?

Following that is 「おくるうた」(A Song for You) - which more upbeat, quicker and livelier, than 「心が…」 but is still the same kind of soft rock. Nagayan's vocals are still childish, but it makes this sound youthful and fun. I don't like the backing vocals/layering of his vocals in the chorus much, but it's not obnoxious/difficult to listen to. This song is also a bit repetitive, more noticeably than 「心が…」, because despite the liveliness of the song I feel bored. Finally there is an instrumental solo, and then how the song changes for the bridge. Nagayan's scream/woah thing is bizarre though...really I have no idea what he is trying to do there because it fails at anything other than an animal like noise. So yeah, a pretty average song which would be nice to listen to in the background- apart from weird backing vocals, and an even weirder attempt at a exhilarated shout.

The third track is ♪「雨音」♫(The Sound of the Rain) which is pretty funky with some lovely bass. Like both of the previous tracks, the instrumentation is pretty simple but effective- just allowing Nagayan to take over and drive the song forward. His vocals actually manage to sound mature and smooth here. Throughout, I really like the rhythm of this song, it's cool and laidback but not slow, or dragging. And the chorus- Nagayan's vocals are just great and I love the electronic distortion. This song is really cool. It's simple, and repetitive but I love the electronic effects, and the "cool" feeling. The gospel influences come out again, quite strongly here, with what sounds like an organ during the end.

Lastly is a different version of the title track, 「心が…」(Toscana version). It's noticeably shorter than the original, and there is definitely something different about the instrumentation... yes, it's more string based? I think this version brings out the ballad of this song. It's nice, but the strings are obviously fake and well... was there any point to this really?

Overall rating: 4/5 (Good)
Favourite tracks: 心が…, 雨音

I really liked this. It's simple, but effective. Each song is different from the last, but they are definitely soft, bordering on pop, rock with some jazz and gospel influences. It’s quite a unique style, something I don’t hear a lot of personally. Nagayan's vocals are childish sounding however there is something captivating about them, and it does make his music very unique; give it a unique feeling. There really isn't much else to say about this... it's good, it's nice, it's relaxing and lovely to listen to- unfortunately it just doesn't go beyond that to be 5/5 or awesomeness (above 5).

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[Kpop] K- Beautiful Smile

2009-04-11T14:55:55Z

Beautiful smile is K's second, and what would be the last released in Korea, album released on 2006.01.20- two years after his first self titled debut.

The album starts with a short but beautiful Intro which consists mainly of a gorgeous piano part and K wordlessly singing over the top. It's amazing how emotional and haunting just a short introduction can be. I love music like this, so this intro to me is just the perfect way to start this album (starting on a good note)

The intro kind of flows into the next track 웃어요(Laughing) which starts with piano before introducing the sweeping, over the top strings, before quietening down for the first soft verses then becoming louder and introducing the bass and a nice acoustic guitar part as the song builds up for the epic chorus. The track continues to build up and down throughout the song and really it's a pretty standard ballad, but I'll give it to K that he does sound amazing and the track is very pretty. The way the song changes all the time as well as K's vocals also saves it from becoming too boring.

Time for a change with 눈물은 차가울 때 아나봐(Tears As Cold As Ice) which at first reminds of those ballads done in like the nineties? It's a lot like the previous track with the standard changes of dynamics, the build up and build down to create the ballad atmosphere and throw emotion in your face. There is something a bit different about this song though... it has an interesting sound/feeling to it. I like K's vocals, especially in the chorus, and there is also a really nice section towards the end. This sounds like something that should play in the angsty scenes in the dramas where the main character is forced to let go of his love. There's nothing that sad about this song, it feels rather hopeful in a way. So overall It's an over the top, but beautiful song. I'm just glad it doesn't sound too much like 웃어요.

Beautiful piano introduces the third track 너는 내 운명(You Are My Destiny). The song stays quiet and reserved, almost but not quite carrying that same haunting atmosphere that the intro did. As the song builds up it loses any traces of that, although it does sound very tender and at times, romantic. The strings are prevalent, but they aren't so overdone like in 웃어요 and actually sound rather nice, blended with the piano and all. As always K's vocals make the song, filled with tender emotion and really moving the song forward with a subtle power. This song unlike the others never really makes the OTT build up to a super loud part, although by the end it has slowly become louder it is still quite quiet and holding back- staying gentle and tender. I like that about this song. It's different and it's very pretty and not too overdone/throwing emotion in your face.

The cheesy strings mean 이별도 사랑처럼(Byebye Like Love) starts on a bad note for me, although I love the piano that follows as well as K's vocals (caus' I always love K's vocals). It's another standard ballad in a way, but like 눈물은 차가울 때 아나봐 there is something about it that sounds kind of different and interesting. The ballad has a very strong beat, and once it gets going the instrumentation is quite nice (and less cheesy dominating strings). Compared to the track before it it's a very strong, louder ballad even with the different dynamics of the actual song. I guess I've grown to like this song (although again like 눈물은 차가울 때 아나봐 it sounds like it should belong to some drama OST) And wow, K really doesn't hold back in this song: his voice is pretty powerful here especially with at one point some adlibbing he does.

The next track 기다릴께요(Wait) has a bit of an RnB feeling going on which is like a breathe of fresh air on this album. It's still a very mellow, laid-back song that isn't quite RnB but it's not quite a ballad either. There is a very strong, prominent beat which kind of drowns out K's vocals for the a while before he finally puts a bit more power into his voice and well, I love how he then uses his higher register at some point too. K's vocals really shine here. The saxophone introduced again is unique and pretty gorgeous. This is a lovely, relaxing but not boring song and I'm glad that K has introduced something a little different here.

그대 날 보면(If You Look at Me) also has a very strong beat and some synth that lend it that RnB feeling like기다릴께요. I think you can hear K's gospel influence here too with the backing vocals (that aren't annoying nor cheesy) and some of the effects. It's a very lively, up tempo track with quite a romantic, almost sexy, feel that immediately grabs my attention back to this album (I was growing so bored, I nearly gave up on this review). This is what I like K to do ^^

Yes, not back to the ballad yet!! Everything is also a pretty up-tempo song with a strong beat and interesting synth effects. It's so romantic and beautiful- yet there is a darker edge, something bittersweet about it which is interesting. The instrumentation is pretty simple, allowing K to dominate with his strong vocals.. K just sounds gorgeous like always- and again he shows how powerful his voice is with some lovely adlibbing. This song is interesting and different. I love how this album has changed. These past few tracks have been really good.

Ok no need to get too excited about the new sound. It is back to ballads with track 9- 사랑하긴 했을까(Do We Love). I'm feeling more enthusiastic about this album though, which maybe will affect this review from now on. I quite like this song. It's a standard ballad but it's pretty with good vocals. OK, maybe I would have preferred K to continue as he was instead of going back to the songs like at the beginning of the album...but it's not bad. It’s very pretty- both the instrumentation and K's vocals.

Unfortunately the rest of the tracks, 고개 숙여 걸어야 하는 이유(The Reason I Have to Walk), 빈병을 걷어 차버렸죠 (Filled The Empty Bottles) and 사랑을 해요(Loving) are also these standard ballads that I'm sorry, for fear of repeating myself too much I'm just not going to go into detail about. They are pretty much different versions of the same old thing.

Overall rating: 7/10 (let down alot by weaker tracks)
Favourite tracks: 너는 내 운명, 기다릴께요, 그대 날 보면, Everything

As a person not a fan of ballads, it takes something amazing to really impress me. I remember being bored with K's last album (first album, technically) and this time around…well it is still killing me reviewing these albums (I don't know why I impulsively decided it was a good idea to review K's Korean discography). I do prefer this album in a way (not that I can remember the other one) because although these ballads are still something you'd put on in the background when you want to relax, most of them remain reasonably unique from each other even if not to the genre. It's nice. However it doesn't go beyond that unfortunately. And then it's worth mentioning that although I grew a bit bored the sudden change that happened after wait really changed my view about this album. Those are the sort of tracks worth listening to! It’s a shame that there weren’t more tracks like this on the album. Lastly, I think K gave up too easily leaving it at just two albums in Korea. He should have tried a third album, bringing out that RnB sound found in some of the later tracks of the album. I guess that is what he chose to do in Japan instead…I think (maybe I'll give his J discography a listen because of that)

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New feature thing

2009-04-10T17:17:25Z

Notice something on my veltpunch reivew? Well, I uploaded Feel on imeem and linked to it in the review! Which means I am now giving music previews in my reviews. You can spot it quite easily, I think. Just look for this:

♪Song title♫

and then you can right click where you will be redirected to either a personal upload on imeem by me, or by someone else. Either way... as I go through and edit some of the older reviews maybe I'll try putting some music previews in them too, and all my reviews from now on will have it (or atleast the album reviews will).

Enjoy ^_^

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[Jrock] VELTPUNCH- When we Drive

2009-04-10T17:09:00Z

VELTPUNCH are an underground, but apparently popular, Japanese alternative rock band that formed in 1997. I discovered them through the opening for Nabari no Ou, CRAWL and after much searching thankfully found the rest of their discography. They are an amazing band with a similar style to LAST ALLIANCE (Who I also adore). Their style is heavy but melodic like LA, and packed with power and emotion. Something quirky I notice about them also is that all of their covers feature the same style of crude cartoons XD Well anyway, this is their first album (I think) released 2000.07.20.

The album opens with Hand with a gun, a track with a lengthy but interesting introduction that gives the song a bit of a punk feeling. The song has a pretty light and playful feel despite the dark undertones. It's not fast paced, or hurried and slowly builds up at its own pace. It soon loses that punk feeling after a while, but remains light whilst gaining a rather melancholic mood (especially in the chorus'). The vocals are pretty bad but in the way that so many Japanese bands manage to make work. Although there is a lot of repetition the track changes for a really pretty bridge (I love how the instrumentation dominates apart from the soft, almost haunting vocals), a more powerful in your face chorus and finally right at the end the loud, frenzied, instrumental break. This is a cool opening, starting lightly before ending loudly and in your face: I'm guessing most likely some of the other stuff that follows will be in this same kind of style.

Next is Six, which has a pretty pop-rock opening and feeling throughout. That rebellious feeling of teen music you know? Much like the song before it is a rebellious and playful track, although this one doesn't have the same melancholic feel. However it does build up to gain a slightly heavier, angrier feeling. Actually, I really like the dynamics of the song, how the vocals are almost spoken quietly at points and although it is a pretty repetitive song, I'm glad for the instrumental break which makes a good change as well as right at the end the vocalist uses a beautiful falsetto. This track doesn't stand out as anything special, even less so than hand with a gun but it's good so far.

One thing I'm noticing also is how well the album flows. I didn't even notice when after six the third track began. Each track flows that smoothly to the next. Well, Fine is a bit different from what came before it. The short track begins with some really cool bass before the rest of the instrumentation comes in, and it is a lot heavier than the previous tracks but also has a bizarre jazzy feeling. It's quite upbeat. But loud. The instrumentation dominates the song, smothering the vocals. I think this track is giving the instrumentalists a chance to shine, and technically although I'm no expert I think it is really great. The song goes through some very interesting changes throughout the song. It's a fantastic track in a way, although I sort of think of it as a short instrumental interlude (despite the brief vocal section).

So moving swiftly onwards for ヒヨリングマンディ(Hiyoring Monday). This is a pretty grungy track, opening sluggishly with heavy bass and guitar. Again the vocals are smothered by the dominant, heavy instrumentation. But this creates an interesting mood to the song. And it soon changes; losing the heavy feeling and gaining clearer vocals for the moody chorus where again the vocalist uses his higher register beautifully. It's an extremely moody track, but really pretty in it's own way. There is something almost haunting about it once is loses its earlier grungy feeling (whilst remaining pretty heavy in a different way). I love the constant changes and shifts in the instrumentation, and I think the vocalists sound good here. The repeating spoken bit at the end is slightly creepy though XD

Track 5 has a bizarre title- picopicoman. The opening is awesome though, as is the really high guitar part that comes in- the song feels so urgent but yet so dark and threatening. Really it reminds me of something but I can't place it. I love it though. There is something very dark about this song, and it feels very urgent.

Track 6, All the same is a sad and far more toned down track. It opens with a very mellow guitar part, and some really gorgeous female vocals that blend into the background creating a haunting atmosphere. It's not a heavy song; it feels calm, quiet and reserved. The focus is like Fine on the instrumentation. I was expecting it to change dramatically though, and it does. About half way through it suddenly becomes louder, more choppy and frenzied and the female vocals also become more prominent. It changes again, staying loud but taking on that gentle feeling again. I love songs like this- ones that start so quietly and gently then suddenly change. Powerful stuff.

Starting with just drums, Rice 100g then builds up to be another funky number like picopicoman and the later fill in the blanks. Muffled vocals, slick instrumentation heavy distortion deluxe. And of course, awesome title here to make it even cooler. Without even realising (in fact I began reviewing as if they were one song) the almost purely instrumental tracks slides into Repeat(loud version) You can treat them like one song, with Repeat as the chorus. Just when you Rice100g is another one of these groovy numbers it slides into Repeat which suddenly amplifies the muffled vocals and instrumentation for the chorus, dying down again and taking on a more urgent feeling and then becoming louder once more. Like the title suggests, there is a lot of repetition. But there is one more surprising change towards the end, for the final chorus which is pretty desperate and less muffled whilst still pretty distorted. How...completely interesting. Veltpunch knows how to create some very interesting, surprising music.

The next track 地下(Chika) has a pretty quirky opening quickly becoming a fast paced rock number with the same kind of mood as the beginning tracks of this album. I love the feeling of this song, and the vocalists’ voice is much stronger here: sounding pretty good (in context). The track flows by quickly without dragging or growing boring; filled with power and emotions.

There is one weird opening for Steel Need. I think we have gone back to the style of the earlier tracks, because this one has a mighty long intro just like Hand with a gun. It's very mellow and laidback, with only the faintest traces of vocals. After a pretty grating few seconds opening, it tones down to becoming quiet bitter and regretful like some of the later tracks. It's really gorgeous…like all the same but with a totally different mood to it. But yes midway it becomes loud and angry, gaining back that choppy feeling of the opening. There is then a bit of distortion before it tones back down. And repeat. But as I mentioned earlier, I love it when Veltpunch do songs like this. And they do these songs so well.

The next track Fill in Blanks has a pretty groovy introduction, with some cool bass going on. The muffled vocals combined with the instrumentation gives this an almost sexy bordering on sleazy feeling...which is odd and something I wouldn’t expect from this group. Really the distortion and heavy bassline...it is all there. But it's got a dominant 'cool' feeling. The track is quite short too, short and sweet I would say.

Then the last track, ♪Feel♫ which is such a beautiful song. Starting with gentle guitar, soft muffled vocals come in- contributing to the overall sad feeling of this track. There's something almost haunting about it. Slowly the song builds up, introducing stronger guitar chords over the other part whilst the vocals still remain soft, holding back. It builds up...builds up... growing louder, stronger instrumentation before everything stops holding back for the bitter chorus packed with regret, pain, sadness- it's overwhelming. It's loud and it's powerful. Notice how this song is dominated by the female vocals too, and I'm a sucker for females doing rock. But the song slips back to become quiet again, and throughout the song it moves through different dynamics like this. The band works together so well here- each member getting their moment to shine yet coming together to create something amazing. This song is over 8 minutes long, but it's a glorious, epic 8 minutes packed with powerful emotions that cheesy as it may sound- really makes you feel. What a way to end this album.

Overall rating: 10/10 (Amazing)
Favourite Tracks: ヒヨリングマンディ, all the same, 地下, Steel Need, Feel

Veltpunch ♥♥♥♥ Feel was the best way to end this album, because that is one of the strongest and most gorgeous songs on the album however the entire album is brilliant in itself. Veltpunch's music is some pretty powerful stuff. And all the songs here are so different and unique. There are some which are fast paced and in your face throughout, some which are cool and slick numbers, whereas my favourite style is where they slowly build up the song blending loud and quiet sections effortlessly. Either way the albums flows beautifully, ties together by definite music styles whilst each songs remains unique and different from the last. Just listen ok? If you like rock, you like bands like LAST ALLIANCE then you need to listen to Veltpunch. Their music ranges from good to incredible. You wouldn't think this is their first album, because it sounds so perfect.

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News Koi no ABO

2009-04-08T15:29:28Z

♥♥♥NEWS KOI NO ABO PV♥♥♥

Well, This is News new video. In one word: awesome. They are full out DISCO dancing. And singing about blood types (which I know is like a star sign in south east asia but it's still strange) And by the end they look pretty riduculous in the white suits and stupid glasses(although throughout the video they look pretty cheap anyway) No matter the overall stupidity of it all though.... It's so silly you cannot help but love it. I giggled quite a few times whilst watching this, not because it was really bad (ala RESCUE) but because I was totally enjoying it. Not to mention one of the more unique things I've seen in a while- so it was pretty refreshing and fun to see something new and different. Whoever thought of this concept is genius.
This does however, now mean I have yet another Johnny's group to go hunt down the discography of (not that it's hard. For every not-so-popular download there's like 5 boyband/girl group downloads XD). Don't hate me for it, but I never listened to News before.... I can tell I should have. They seem fun ^_^ They sound like they can sing slightly better than Kat-Tun too XD

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Presence of Soul Tightrope

2009-03-30T16:20:19Z

presence of soul - tightrope

Isn't it just such a beautiful song? The live sounds alot different from the recorded version, and maybe I prefer the recorded version but either way it's a riduculously good song. Their sound was described as "haunting" and I agree. The song is soft and gentle, yet filled with a raw emotion. The gorgeous high vocals contrasting to the rougher rock instrumentation is really what makes this so unique and so beautiful, too. They have taken away the flute for the live, but that only adds to the haunting, forlorn atmosphere. i just love the dynamics of the song, how it builds up then fades away again. It's just a REALLY GOOD SONG. It's indescribable all the emotions it makes me feel.

-♪~☆-♪~☆-♪~☆-♪~☆-♪~☆-♪~

I have been trying to get into Postrock. At first it sounded like something boring to me, but... well it started when I heard alot about Mono. And the intriguing title of their latest album and the good reviews made me decide to listen to them. And well, they are really incredible. And so I realised that Postrock is so far from boring... that in the case of Mono it is music that doesn't need words, the evokes emotion without telling a story through that convential mean and instead the instrumentation speaks clearly so many emotions, gives so many feelings. It really blew me away, Mono did. So I decided to find some more Postrock. I'm still trying out artists, and so far Mono and Presence of Soul are the only ones I'm really listening to. ^^ But it's an intriguing, varied genre which has gone beyond my (admiteddly low) expectations.

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Just wondering

2009-01-11T21:14:32Z

My new CDs came yesterday. It was my first time buying from eThai CD and I must say they are FANTASTIC. Not only was it totally cool getting a package from Thailand of all places but my CDs arrived about a week or so after ordering, they were packaged very well, the CDs were cheap yet of amazing high quality and a fantastic package overall (Got VCDs with like a video for each song! Amazing booklets! Not scratched!) and even the shipping was free regardless of how much spent. I bought the love of siam ost, Golf + Mike Diary hits, Golf+Mike first album and their latest Get READY too- all for about £20. As I said the quality was exactly the same as every other CD I bought, in fact they were of the level of CDJapan (unlike Yesasia which gives me them scratched -_-) And all for only £20.

So now I'm wondering- what is up with other music industries? Why is Thailand charging so little for the same thing as Japan, Korea and China provide? Actually you even get more with a Thai CD, with my GET READY CD containing VCD with an admittedly cheap but still cool karoake video for each song, special cardboard packaging, and a photobook- for like £4. Korea is the next expensive and then Japan...the prices are sheer extortion. For the price of one Japanese mini-album I can get 4 Thai CDs. I can probably get two Korean albums too.

And you look at Yesasia where you have to pay a certain amount to get the free shipping, and you always get the CDs scratched or slightly damaged, and then CD Japan where everything is awesome and they offer a wider variety of Japanese CDs and you get the free Glitter magazine but the shipping is fucking ridiculous and you can barely afford the CDs but the shipping too?! forget it.

So I'm left wondering why? Why the difference between eThai CD and shops that sell Japanese, Korean and Chinese CDs? Why the difference in prices between CDs of the same quality? This isn't an insult to any of the places (although it does annoy me that Japanese CDs are so expensive), I am actually generally curious as to what affects how these things turn out.

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[Thai-OST] Love of Siam OST

2008-11-23T16:41:01Z

It's as hard for me to write about the Love of Siam OST as it would be me trying to write about the film itself- both are amazing in so many ways. For the OST each song has a very special meaning relating to the film, and listening to it always captures brief memories of parts of the film which just makes it have even greater impact on me. I've had the OST on repeat for days now and I can't get sick of it, and in fact the more I listen the more I fall in love with this. It is also well worth checking out the lyrics to a few of the songs, as they futher illustrate how closely the songs link to the film and all the lyrics are beautifully written.

thailove02.jpg

The OST opens with Gan Lae Gun (Radio Edit)- the first version of the main, heartbreaking, theme of the movie. Starting with deep strings and piano, the quiet reserved vocals come in giving the song a romantic, but bittersweet feeling. Beautiful piano continues to dominate the instrumentation, complementing the gorgeous and emotional vocals. Around the second chorus the song builds up, feeling more hopeful and giving it a stronger atmosphere. Synth comes in, as so do the strings. The song has a beautiful atmosphere, the fast synth giving a more upbeat feeling even if the deep vocals and underlying piano still project a bittersweet feeling. The vocalist is really good, his voice is really powerful and I really love his adlibbing. He shows it off especially well during the bridge. Overall the song is calming and filled with emotion. A gorgoeus start to the album.

The unique Ticket follows up next, fitting in nicely after Gan Lae Gun. I love this song, it's dark and meloncholic- a song that can be applied to Tong and Mews relationship, as it talks about forbidden love and a "ticket thats not for me". It could also be applied to June (who wants a ticket to the US); to Tong's mom (who wants a ticket to happiness) etc. A very symbolic song to the movie, and a beautiful one too. Piano and Synth start the song, as well as the vocals which are dark and emotional. The song builds up, getting a very strong beat with contrasting light, airy synth that combine to give the song a very interesting feel- like travelling, getting somewhere- the vocals filled with the same sort of longing to get somewhere. Yet at the same time not getting anywhere at all. Much like Mew and Tong accept the fact they can't get anywhere, this song projects the same feeling of accepting that although the vocalist wants something, he has already acccepted he cannot have it. Synth dominates the song, compared to alot of the more accoustic sounds on the album, and give the song an amazing feeling. Overall it's another amazing track.

The next track Roo suek barng mhai (Live) I didn’t like at all, at first but after watching the film again I realised that this too is another outstanding track. What I didn’t like at first about the track was the tone the vocalist’s voice takes on, and the song sounded a bit awkward. However, only the opening is a bit awkward before the sound builds up and becomes an upbeat, romantic song reflecting Mew’s awakening emotions. It’s a lovely song.

The gorgeous Pieng Tier follows. Starting with a very sweet piano part, the vocalist comes in and his voice is so beautiful- filled with pure, romantic emotion. The song has such a beautiful, sweet feeling to it. Quietly it builds up, introducing more instruments even as the piano dominates, and still containing the same touching emotion. The song has such a dramatic feeling, the vocalist really acting out the songs emotions. The soft instrumentation, with the gentle drums and sweet piano is also wonderful. I really love the bridge too, the vocalists voice takes on an amazing tone. His voice has an almost husky tone to it, a sort of raw quality about it. For some reason this song makes me want to cry- it's romantic yet with a bittersweet edge. Overall It's absolutley stunning, a very powerful and moving song.

The next version of Gan Lae Gun follows, the accoustic version that Mew sings to Tong at the garden party. This song is incredibly bittersweet. Listening always makes me thinks of Mews hopeful confession, him smiling as he sings just for Tong: yet at the same time you know that in the end they won't end up together- making this song painfully beautiful. After a similiar feeling with Pieng Tier, by this point the OST has made me really emotional. Dark piano opens the song, becoming brighter before the vocalist comes in, still presenting a powerful amount of emotion in his voice, acting out the song. His voice has a husky tone to it, but it's still so beautiful. I really love his voice, and the way he sings this song is heartbreaking- he really puts everything into the song. I especially love what he does at the end, really over emphasing it and his falsetto adlibbing. Like the vocalist of Pieng Tier, his voice has a raw and emotional quality about it that makes it absolutly perfect. The intrumentation builds up too with soft drums and guitar coming in. There's a stunning saxaphone solo to. The instrumentation is really pretty and this song is very relaxing. So beautiful.

Track 6 is the haunting and very meloncholic Kuen aun pen niran (Endless Night). The song that playes when Mew and Tong realized that destiny forbid them from being together, and both struggle to come to terms with it. Soft humming over dark piano begin the song, before the vocalist comes in properly. His voice is really what makes the song, it's a childish sort of voice but like all the other vocalist- he puts everything into the song giving it such a powerful feeling. Kuen aun pen niran has a very dark feeling at times, yet sometimes it becomes lighter and more hopeful. This emotion is really what makes it such a haunting song. It's a soft, simple sounding song yet the overall feeling is incredibly powerful and absolutly beautifull.

The final version of the main theme is Gun lae gun (Live). This song has the same feeling as the accoustic version, that same bittersweet. Yet there's something hopeful about this, because by this point Mew and Tong have already accepted their feelings, and the fact they can never be realized. Now, Mew just wants to sing for him and tell him he loves him one last time. Again a light piano starts the song before the vocals come in, but this version definitly presents a different feeling and when the song builds up, you can hear the different instrumentation. This is basically the same beautiful, emotional song just in a different format. I really like the ending to this one, again the vocalist really shows off his voice and his adlibbing is breathtaking.

Track 8 is Roo suek barng mhai (Original Mix) which is just as good as the live, although again it took time to grow on me.

The last vocal track is a Demo version of Pieng Ter. It's much the same as the original, just with a more raw feeling- less polished. The vocals also stand out quite a bit, they don't merge well with the instrumentation. It's still really pretty, because I'm weak when it comes to this song. And the vocalist still has an amazing voice.

The OST finishes off with the instrumental version of Ticket- and then it's over.

Overall Rating: 1209347837834/10/10 (AWESOMENESS)
Favourite Songs: All of them :D

This OST is really beautiful. Listening to it is so calming. Even if you've not watched the film, each song is so beautiful, calming and very expressive. The vocalists really have amazing voics, and the instrumentation is soft and often utilises something unique- like the saxaphone. The OST has such a beautiful feeling to it- and if you've watched the film it's even better, as each song captures memories of the film, and the emotions of the characters. It makes it slightly sad to listen to at times, but yet still makes it even more intensely beautiful. ThisOST is incredible and I cannot reccomend it, and the film for that matter, enough.

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Ramblings about translations

2008-11-08T18:36:18Z

FIRSTLY the most important thing:: YAY!!! SADS Masquerade translation~

I won’t forget…the pain, the unpleasant night…

That distant place, surely…

I won’t forget…the past I didn’t want to reveal, the scars.

A time when I can be at peace, a time…(source)

I finally found a translation for SADS masquerade!! *dances* I found one a few weeks back but it didn't make as much sense as this one. Not that the song really makes much sense, but it's still great to finally understand just a little. I'm so happy. It's great finding translation for a song when you've been searching for said translation for so so so so long (probably atleast a year). hehe.

There aren't enough SADS translations around...or kiyoharu ones for that matter...

I admit that one of my reasons for wanting to learn Japanese is definitly to be able to understand songs I listen to, without hunting down translations because often it's only the popular artists you can find many many translations for.

Knowing lyrics isn't the most important thing though. My sister often asks me "what is the point of listening to something you cannot understand?" and she commented on a Kiyoharu song that it was good until he started singing (LOL.) caus' she couldn't understand- but there's alot more to music than it's lyrics. The composition of the song, the feeling and emotion- the mood of a song. The singers voice, the instrumentation- so much makes up a song it's impossible to say (in my opinion) that knowing the lyrics is that important. Langauge is not universal, but everything else that makes up music is. However after saying all that, knowing the lyrics does give a further understanding of a song beyond evyerthing else- and can help one further interpret it.

And in the end although I don't particulary find it that important, I still do like being able to read translations.

Umm... This was a little pointless wasn't it? Sorry... I was just happy to find the translation. Listening to the song now, very very loudly. Gonna read through the lyrics again. I really love the song... it's so fitting for their last single too...

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