chase ends here.

Lykke Li

The long awaited writer’s strike has ended, and to that we shall drink and reap the rewards that marks the end of this bleak writer’s strike. Main staples are back on air! Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Gossip Girl. Side dishes include, Dirt, The Riches and hopefully soon, Weeds. Take your pick whenever, where ever.

Besides that, the return of Madge has arrived too. This in the form of Hard Candy, her latest studio effort. Not taking anything away from our dear old Madge, but i think its suffice to say, Hard Candy is a “heartfelt” attempt to get back to the charts. All i can say is, hopefully her time with LiveNation next would herald a better Madonna.

Okay, we have the mainstream now the independent. Recently found out artist, Lykke Li, has taken her singing career out of her native Stockholm, and has been making decent inroads in Europe and across the pond. Her first single, I’m Good, I’m Gone, was featured in the new comeback episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Lykke Li’s music has this mysterious air about it. This is i think has something to do with the air in Stockholm, cos they seem to be churning out interesting and individual artists time and time again. Artists like Pete Bjorn and Robyn (just to be name a few) continue to dazzle and intrigue all around.

There is also something about Lykke Li’s look. It has this strong, stiff, androgynous look about it. This, works to her advantage in the sense that its very appropriate in her representing her music. You have to look to understand:

her video for I’m Good, I’m Gone.

Having listened to her debut, Youth Novel, i would say that her music is sullenly pleasant. With all the random claps, and weird instrumentation, it almost reminds you of a European Feist. But in this instance, Lykke has more edge. She is definitely the one to watch this year.

Youth Novel, as adolescent as it sounds is surprisingly deep in its lyrics and productions. Lykke’s voices weaves from mysterious to pleasant to innocent in songs like, opener Melodies and Desires, Dance Dance Dance, Complaint Department and Time Flies. One should get it when it reaches the racks of stores.

I can’t stop raving about Lykke Li. Best find of ‘08 for indiemind!

french fun

Yelle is a electro pop singer from the land of croissants. Her brand of pop is loud infectious and fun. somewhat like a French M.I.A. but minus the political connotations. Her lead single off her debut album, Pop-Up is none other than A Cause Des Garcon.

I would definitely say A Cause Des Garcon is one slice of pure and unadulterated slice of French pop perfection. It is campy in a less tacky way and very catchy. The chorus sticks itself into your membrane. You would find yourself naturally going “A CAUSE DES GARCON!” in your head as you go about daily activity. It certainly did happen to me.

That is the power of a good pop song. The video does not really let down too. It is how a pop song like this should be visualized. Randomness in perfectly normal settings. Case in point, Yelle is prepping herself in a out of this world bathroom of hers. Then as the chorus “A CAUSE DES GARCON!” comes on, random life size shampoo bottles complete with human face pops out to dance with her. How appropriate huh.

I’m really enjoying Yelle currently. She is one of the few French acts that i do enjoy apart from the usual staple of Vanessa Paradis and Camille. So for a slice of perfect French pop, take a look and listen:

A CAUSE DE GARCON!!

Lingering

Overcast, seems to be that days that i have been in. besides planning for a palpable future that seems kind of far fetched at the moment. i have been drowning myself proper with TV shows and only recently rented movies. just yesterday i had a mini Asian fanfare of sorts.

I had rented two Asian movies, cos i thought it best to embrace my Chinese roots for once, since i was reminded how important it was. the two said movies were Eternal Summer and Home Song Stories. the latter which left quite a lingering feeling in me.I know, its a bit of a delayed reaction, since the movie was released late last year.

Eternal Summer was not as impactful as Home Song Stories. Yes the characters were stoic and brave in their delivery. the story however sold short of a completion. meaning its ending did not bode well for me. though the lead up to it was interesting albeit a bit to melancholic and draggy. to which i felt, must all gay stories be set in anguish and sadness? though the title suggests otherwise. its up to you to intepret.

Now, Home Song Stories, being a collaboration of local and Australian movie companies was seriously a great movie. it is your typical migrant story but told in the eyes of a young boy, tom. its lead character, Joan Chen, really gave her all in the movie. and this is evident in the fact that she made Rose the most believable of all characters.

Set in 70s Australia, at the height of the Asian migration to the land Down Under. Rose, a lounge singer from Hong Kong, marries a sailor as her get-out-of-jail free card to runaway from her life in Hong Kong. and also to provide a better life for her two kids. tom and may.

Thus spins the story of her many sordid lovers and traveling from place to place. Finally to go back to her Sailor which gladly took them in once again. but she wraps herself in another love affair with a fellow migrant from a Chinese restaurant.

The drama unfolds as so does her life as told through the eyes of Tom. the affair to Joe, the fellow migrant, falls apart while she tries to kill herself over and over again. Through the suicides, she unfolds her story as to how she became to be. At the end you come to realise and sympathise with Rose.

Home Song Stories is really a cinematic triumph. from the get go, the movie is drenched with sadness from the the way Tom narrates his mother’s life from lounge singer to migrant. and Joan Chen, i feel, gave a performance to remember by. she slowly unravels as the film progresses. from being glamorous to reducing herself to almost nothingness and finally giving in to her depression.

all i can say is that you should watch Home Song Stories. it would not have been this good without the collaborations of both Singapore and Australia.

sonicboom

the band that is Ladytron comes back to us with their new album after Witching Hour. Velocifero, is what their fourth full length album will be called.

Ladytron came to be known in mainstream sense with their breakout single, Destroy Everything You Touch back in 2005. since then there was no turning back for this electro-pop outfit hailing from the UK. their underground following has turned into widespread international recognition from across the pond and beyond. having toured with heavyweight artists such as Gwen Stefani and Nine Inch Nails.

their atmospheric electro-pop sound is distinct from the crowd and definitely not new, having released 2 albums prior to Witching Hour. their brand of electro-pop combines what is old school and new school, using vintage analogue equipments to create their sound. with the almost cold and robotic voice of helen marnie and mira aroyo, its very hard to miss a Ladytron track.

having had an early listen to their new album, Velocifero, i must say they have up the ante with this one albeit keeping to their roots and maintaining their sound. Black Cat their first single off Velocifero is track sung entirely in French and is a stomper of a track. with its hypnotizing drum percussions and beats. this one would go one to spun many more remixes and will definitely be a hit with the clubs.

you can get a guilt free MP3 of their single Black Cat from their website. and do get Velocifero when it hits stores on June 3rd.

destroy everything you touch.

www.ladytron.com

withdrawal

the swing of things are sometimes not easy to get on. with that said, you cannot get too complacent and think that life would go on as usual. with strength and abilities, you should try to get into the swing of things. because of late, i have been having a hard time getting into the swing of things.

there is just too many things to let go of. the fact is all we want, is to live out our ambitions. those little castles we built or are still building in our minds. but these castles could crumble and never to be rebuilt, lest you have the courage to do it. which i believe we do have it in ourselves to do it.

getting into the swing of things might prove detrimental to some as well. to have something blown into a career of sorts when one is in a stopover may be regretful. but without necessary paper qualifications where can one turn to?

oh this is getting sappy. end.

relentlessly craving Wanderlust.

amazing new video from Bjork, the Icelandic songster. she has a knack for pushing musical boundaries with her voice and her videos.

with the latest video being, Wanderlust. the third single of her latest album Volta whom she worked with Timbaland to produce.

amazing video i say, with all that artistry you might think its all just animation. well some of it were as in the landscape, the sea. but the bulls were not and so was that evil face. these were all painstakingly put together by people. from the way the fur on the bull looked to the way its depressing eyes moves to the way its tongue touched the waters.

just watch for yourself the making:

brilliant i say.

Beneath and Beyond

been really sick these past few days. maybe my “postmortem” did eventually morph into something far more sinister than i had expected. we’ll never know. but it sucks being sick and cooped up in bed and at home.

as sickness fades away, what lingers are the remnants of it. like the running nose that shall run dry soon i hope, and that sore throat that would slowly disapate. that is the wonders of self-medicating and not seeing the docs. i never want to be sick again.

anyways today’s broadcast shall focus on a band that was sorely missed by me for the longest time. and i hadn’t known of their comeback till recently. the band in mention is: Standfast, of Carcrashes fame:

the swedish duo is back with their second effort, Beaneath and Beyond. which was released late last year. and their long silent absent is definitely forgiven with this second album. a far cry from their first self titled which was backed by a major record label.

Beneath and Beyond sees Standfast dubbing it down alot. compared to the days of Carcrashes, they are a totally different sounding band. but the distinct of Suzanne’s voice is still prevalent. Beneath and Beyond to put it simply is a pleasant sounding album.

there are not so much heavy productions on this one. its just light airy, sort of dreamy pop rock-esque songs. there are gems on this album, songs like Skin to Skin, Devil and The Unknown are pretty standout tracks.

i guess this would be the sort of record that Standfast would want to be making. compared to their earlier effort which was a promising pop record, Beneath and Beyond mellows the Standfast sound alot more.

but still at the end of Beneath and Beyond, you’ll be tapping your feet and feeling happy from within.

the video for The Unknown.