3 posts tagged “music”

2qtgyma

I wasn't planning to write anything about this group, then I re-listened  to 不對也要愛(want love even it's wrong) for the first time in a few months and realised- wow I really love that song. Oh yeah, cherry boom are AWESOME. To be honest though I've never given them a proper listen- although I probably should.

Let's see. Cherry Boom are what you may class as Chinese indie pop rock. Their music is definitly got a prominent rock sound. Sometimes it's a little alternate too. Their lyrics, what I've read, are rather dark and often a little twisted.

 Formed in 2003, Cherry Boom is a Taiwanese rock band, that consists of Zha Zha (vocalist), Xiao Qian (bassist), Gua (guitarist) and Da Tian (drummer).  They started off as four students of Fu-Jen Catholic University, a university also previously attended by Jolin Tsai and F.I.R. band vocalist Faye.  Signed on by Universal Music in 2006, the quartet released their first album, Dear Prince that same year. They are now a talented group (of females) that compose their own songs and play their own instruments - with two highly success albums under their belt.

So there you have it.

I won't post a proper review of any of their albums just yet.  Perhaps I never will.

I will talk about 不對也要愛(want love even if it's wrong) because it is a beautiful song that is very special to me. 不對也要愛 is the only song of theirs that I put on repeat and by now, even after so long of not listening to it, it is still very familiar to me. I can recognize it by those first few guitar chords. Then again, the song is pretty unique and I don't think I've ever heard something else like it.  It's the one song of theirs I keep listening too the first time I discovered their music- atleast a year ago.  It's  very meloncholic, starting with simple accoustic guitar parts overlapping and soft vocals from Zha Zha. The song builds up for an amazing chorus, loud and filled with alot of emotion. I love how she prolongs certain notes, how she pronounces it and the lyrics give a very interesting sound. The song continues to build up, becoming more complex louder and stronger. Still that same feeling of meloncholy, of longing almost. The song has a wonderful feeling. It's calming and relaxing, yet there's something bittersweet about it. There's that darker edge I mentioned earlier. The vocalist has a stunning voice, her voice has an interesting tone and she really adds alot of emotion to the song. The instrumentation is not to be ignored- it is soft and meloncholic and absolutly perfect. There is a fantastic instrumental part midway too. Both vocals and instrumentals work together well and come together for a beautiful soft rock song that perhaps can be classed as a ballad.

Listening to this song for the first time in a while I fall in love with it again and I cannot help but feel It's about time I give Cherry Boom a proper listen :  )

Thing is sometimes their music is a little odd- and not something you want to play with your parents around!!   

So I was sorting through my music, deleting things (or not because I hoard and thus find it incredibly hard to get rid of things) and there was the artist Desert Chang. Of course I was like huh? so I enequed it in winamp and well...it's pretty awesome stuff! Deserts Chang, also known as Zhang Xuan or Chang Xuan, is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. She is considered to be one of the leading alternative musicians in the Chinese music industry. Going by wikipedia this is her second album and was released june 9th 2006.

Cover

The album opens with Scream and you are greeted with soft and relaxing accoustic guitar part, which is very gentle and tender contrasting to the title. Deserts Chang has a wonderful voice, complimenting the soft music. Sometimes she sounds kinda husky, like she's kinda speaking it. The song builds up, incorporating a drum beat and Deserts Chang voice becomes stronger. Then the violin comes in. Oh gosh it's such a beautiful song, and it's so relaxing to chill out too.  I think there's some english...judging by it I think the song has a darker meaning. I could be wrong though!

Next is another soft accoustic guitar piece, 寶貝(in the night). Deserts Chang's voice drives the song forward though. The rythmn of the vocal line is very interesting, and I love her adlibbing. Another beautiful, soft and relaxing piece- I think the entire album will be like that.

Ok, I was wrong- already! 迷惑 is a very upbeat, quirky track. There's a very funky baseline, and of course wonderful vocals from Deserts Chang. I love her adlibbing. The instrumentation is pretty cool, especially when it builds up to include the strings. It's a little sudden how they distort her voice at one point, but it's a nice effect and the song does end nicely. The song really has a very interesting atmoshpere, feeling and overall the sound is very intersting. It's still pretty soft and relaxing.

So?! is pretty upbeat, still accoustic guitar based but it's got alot of attitude, fitting to the title. Not much else to say, there's some beautiful instrumentation: a flute at one point!! And some other very interesting intrument choices that come together rather well! And of course Deserts Chang sounds wonderful. Her english in this song is pretty accented, but understandable. The repetetion of "why" in that manner lends a strange but awesome rythmn.

Next up is another attitude filled accoustic guitar based number- Ain't My Man. I like the base line, well the entire instrumentation is pretty cool. and the way her vocals are a little distorted at first, as well as how they overlay at the end. Her adlibbing is pretty cool as always. For sure she is really performing this song with alot of emotion.  It's got elements of soft rock in there, and it's not as toned down as alot of the tracks so far. There's some real nice effects put in there and I really do like the instrumentation. The entire song carries alot of attitude, and has a great feeling to it. 

The title track follows, My Life Will. The song has a very soft opening, building up a little.  There is a feeling of meloncholy. It's another beautiful and relaxing song. I really like how she uses her vocals. The effects applied now and then are also pretty cool. The song gets a little repetetive, however as something put on in the background to chill too- it could totally work :P

Next up is Live 酒館300秒. Deserts Chang uses a very low register of her voice, but well. I love how she sings low in the chorus, then reaches for higher notes in the chorus before going to her normal tone. The instrumentation is really cool too. I like the rythmns and the slow beat. The guitar parts are wonderful too. A beautiful song, it's got a great feel to it and Deserts Chang really gives a lovely vocal performance.

Track 8 信任的樣子 follows. The song has a very heavy beat, and a bass guitar too- gives a pretty dark sound. Deserts Chang's low and bittersweet vocals add to the darker, slightly sad atmosphere. The song is very slow and meloncholic. Like My Life Will, it's very relaxing and beautiful but it's repetetion and lack of anythung too standout means it's nothing really more.

Next is 無狀態- another slow song. I like that she's now using piano, it sounds rather pretty. Slowly but surely the song builds up and becomes more interesting. It's a little slow but still very beautiful. There's a nice feeling to it and Deserts Chang continues to give wonderful vocal performances.  The album itself continues to make me feel relaxed and sleepy in the best way possible.

Malamio follows, and it's got very quirky rythmns, an almost cute feeling to it. It's very short, and very sweet. Deserts Chang shows a more playful side of her before...

Lastly, it's 寶貝(in a day)- a laid back accoustic number that sounds alot like another track on the album. I really love her adlibbing. A nice conclusion to the album.     

Perhaps I was repetetive for this album review, but Deserts Chang sounds are relaxing accoustic guitar based numbers complimented by her beautiful vocals. It's all extremly relaxing to listen to. One of those accoustic albums you put on late at night, or any time, when you just wanna relax. It's simply stunning. Fans of Kaira Gong may like this too although that's the only aritst I know of who can compareher to! And she doesn't do ballads like Kaira Gong..oh whatever!  Oh and she wrote alot her music between the age of 13 and 19. So not only is she pretty but she's freaking talented man. This is a good album. Just put it on a chill : D

To prepare and celebrate LAST ALLIANCE's new album (I've already pre-ordered!) I will be doing a review of all their current albums!

I'm not sure if you know this but LAST ALLIANCE is one of my favourite bands, right up there with SADS and 12012.  Their music is amazing. It conveys such alot of emotion. Very powerful stuff.  The singer has a...different voice but he uses it well. And the guitar and drum etc are just WOW. Everything about LAST ALLIANCE is awesome and talented. One of the most seriously underrated bands. If you like ELLEGARDEN or Asian kung fu generation you are sure to like LAST ALLIANCE, though even if you don't I'm sure LAST ALLIANCE will impress you.  (Gosh writing their name in capitals all the time is tiring!) Their name is kinda cool too, almost rebelious like "last alliance".

300px-LAST_ALLIANCE_TEARS_LIBRARY

Tears library is their first album, released 2003.07.19.

The album opens with Boys don't cry. It starts with a call and response on the guitar before the rest of the instrumentation comes in. The song is fast paced with amazing instrumentation. It has a slight upbeat feel to it in the chorus' too. The vocals are beautiful in their own way, the vocalist lifting his voice up to higher pitch sometimes and also using dynamics to his advantage. It's an amazing opening, and straight away you know the album is going to be good.

After boys don't cry comes RUN INTO THE FREEDOM. It starts slow and rythmic, almost meloncholic feel to it. Very quiet and quite slow. This builds up into a dark sounding, almost angry verse and more relaxed chorus. It's carries on the amazingness that was Boys don't cry with fantastic instrumentation and vocals. I love all the variations the song goes through. Oh and there's english in there too...which I can actually understand :P 

After RUN INTO FREEDOM is a personal favourite, Itsuwari no orange. This song is SAD. It opens with a gentle and rythmic guitar before the drum and vocals come in: it's a very meloncholic opening. This feeling of sadness and loss continues into the rest of the song. Then the guitar comes in properly and just... it blows me away EVERY TIME (And I've been listening to this song over a year now). The vocalist sounds very sad, his voice rough almost as if holding back tears. He also goes really low at times, which once again adds a great emotion and feeling to the song. the instrumentation is astounding, especially the guitar part. The song goes through constant variation, every bit amazing. The ending really gets me with the repetetion of "namida" (tears). This song is SAD and powerful. Just beautiful really.

Next up is LAST ALLIANCE (album version). Having never heard the single version I cannot compare really. The song  starts with a really awesome, loud and in your face guitar and drum part. It's fast and noisy, but not in the bad way. 

Track 5 is REBEL FIRE.  Typical to the name the song has a rebelious feel to it. Haha. How not to repeat myself. Because like most of the tracks, great vocals and instrumentation (especially the awesome guitar part!). Also liked the use of backing vocals in this one. I think there's english, can't really tell. Love how the song ends, not sure how to describe it but it's a great ending. This song is short but fast with great feeling. The ablum continues to be awesome.  

After REBEL FIRE is beautiful. This is a very fast paced upbeat track. I think it features or is in english, can't really tell. And woa...it's short. Almost like a prelude to the next track....

The next track is Planetarium. Planetarium has a dark sounding opening, then the guitar comes in and makes it pretty upbeat. It sounds alot like some of alot of their upbeat stuff, but is cool in it's own way. The drum part is a little repetetive. This track is good, but not one of the best on the album. It has a similiar feel to beautiful before it.  

Track 8 follows, SEE YOU AGAIN.See you again is quite dark sounding, and very heavy on the guitar distortion thing at the beginning. Thankfully that dies down. It's a very fast song, with an almost rushed feel. It's got alot of attitude, especially when the vocalist says "See you again". A little repetetive, but it's short so that becomes irrelevant.  

Then comes the beautifully titled SKY IS CRYING. This song is loud and gritty. It has a dark feeling, and rough but still fantastic instrumentation. Fast and short without alot of emotion- yet another powerful track. The ending to this one is pretty cool.   

The second to last track is Hidarimuki. The second Japanese titled song on the album, strangely enough. It starts very atmospheric, fast but kinda meloncholic at points. The guitar part is sweet, and the vocalist uses a higher register of his voice. There is also use of overlapping the voice/backing vocals at points which is effective. A very nice, sweet-sounding song. Lots of variation again helps the song to stay interesting. Great emotion too.  

Last up is EQUAL REASON (Album version). The song starts quietly and gently,   before coming in with the rest of the instrumentation- but retaining the gentle, meloncholic feel. The vocalist sings real low, both in pitch and dynamic. Raising his voice up to build up to the chorus. Again the guitar part is noticably awesome.  The Chorus is very powerful, with alot of feeling in it- and much more hopeful than the verses. I also managed to find lyrics to this  , and they too are really awesome- seemingly about despite everything, keep going and be strong sorta thing- "Like clinging on anyone that has already turned around, I don’t want to choose such an escaping way". An amazing, hopeful and powerful ending to a fantastic album.

For a debut album this is amazing. Shockingly good. Excuse me for fangirling over this band so much but this is all I can say. LAST ALLIANCE is awesome. This is a very strong debut album, the highlight for me being every song. Just listen and be amazed. the album flows wonderfully from beginning to end, showcasing just how talented the band is.  Every song is much the same, however they all manage to have a different feel and to differentiate from the others in their own way. It's kinda strange like that. You'd think their music would be boring but it's actually really powerful. Quite awesome...