Okay, so most people who know me know that I'm kind of a huge fan of My Chemical Romance. No, I am not a teenager. Yes, I know many people hate them. If the first word that comes to mind when you think of them is "emo," you needn't bother reading this.
However, I am an even bigger fan of Final Fantasy VII. Yes, the original but no, not necessarily the endless stream of sequels Square-Enix keeps spawning. Yes, I saw Advent Children, which in terms of graphics was extremely pretty, but in terms of story did not make a whole lot of sense to me.
So maybe you can imagine my extreme fangirlishness (is that a word?) when I discovered that Gerard Way was collaborating with Kyosuke Himuro for the ending theme of the upcoming Blu-ray rerelease of Advent Children. Then this morning I woke up to find that the music video had surfaced...
Truth is, I'm a bit "meh" when it comes to the actual video. Not the old "rock star in a desert" cliche again... although G actually does attempt to wear leather jackets while performing in 90-something-degree heat. I know because I saw him do this at Projekt Revolution last year. (He then promptly threw up. I can only hope it taught him a lesson.) However, the thrill of seeing the lead singer of one of my favorite bands performing a song for a game I have loved since I was thirteen pretty much makes up for the generic video. I want this song on my iPod... now.
Edit: NHK pulled the video. That was fast.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Why you should listen to the openers
So I went to see Vienna Teng last night, and she was great as usual. I'm really liking some of the rearrangements she's doing with her old stuff. Gravity sure sounded different the first time I heard her play it in 2003-ish... she's come pretty far since then. Now she's got openers instead of being the opener. Which leads me to my main point...
One of the openers last night was Ben Sollee, who I'd never heard of but turned out to be the kind of performer that makes you want to roll over and give up whatever you're playing because you will never in a million years be that good. Okay, so maybe that's just me. But seriously, the guy has scary skills on cello and a great voice to boot. Check it out:
People who do unconventional things with traditional instruments make me happy. :)
Check out Vienna's scrapbook for a look at how she and her crew met up with Ben.
Also go and check out The Paper Raincoat, Alex Wong's current project with Amber Rubarth, especially a charming tune called "Sympathetic Vibrations," which sounds like the quirky little cousin of Regina Spektor's "Fidelity." It's downright impossible to listen to without bopping your head. (This is what I'm currently doing, with a very silly face indeed.) I'm quite looking forward to their full-length album now... especially to this song, which they have said will be on it.
One of the openers last night was Ben Sollee, who I'd never heard of but turned out to be the kind of performer that makes you want to roll over and give up whatever you're playing because you will never in a million years be that good. Okay, so maybe that's just me. But seriously, the guy has scary skills on cello and a great voice to boot. Check it out:
People who do unconventional things with traditional instruments make me happy. :)
Check out Vienna's scrapbook for a look at how she and her crew met up with Ben.
Also go and check out The Paper Raincoat, Alex Wong's current project with Amber Rubarth, especially a charming tune called "Sympathetic Vibrations," which sounds like the quirky little cousin of Regina Spektor's "Fidelity." It's downright impossible to listen to without bopping your head. (This is what I'm currently doing, with a very silly face indeed.) I'm quite looking forward to their full-length album now... especially to this song, which they have said will be on it.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Review of Vienna Teng's Inland Territory
Since her 2002 debut, Waking Hour, pianist, singer and songwriter Vienna Teng has been quietly releasing intelligent, introspective albums of chamber pop to critical acclaim and an ever-growing base of loyal fans. Is her latest release, Inland Territory, more of the same? Yes and no.
The wide range of themes covered here is nothing unusual for Teng. She continues to examine such issues as politics, immigration, the environment, war… and relationships, of course… with her usual lyrical flair. Her writing is as sharp and insightful as ever, with occasional flashes of wry humor. As with all good songwriters, Teng has a unique way of looking at the world, and in Inland Territory she continues this tradition.
In terms of sound, however, she’s grown considerably more adventurous—and this is a good thing. The most common criticism of her 2006 release, Dreaming Through the Noise, was that songs tended to meld together because the instrumentation and arrangements were too similar. No such problem here. This is due in part to her new producer, Alex Wong, formerly of The Animators, and in part to the group of gifted musicians she’s brought on board—some members of her touring band, some not.
The opening track, “The Last Snowfall,” is a perfect example of the musical collaboration that characterizes this album. Producer Wong uses the sound of crackling record static as a percussion loop, which serves as a backdrop for the simple lyrics: “If this were the last snowfall/No more haloes on evergreens/If this were my last glimpse of winter/What would these eyes see?” For the wordless, soaring refrain, Teng’s soft soprano is joined by fellow singer-songwriters Odessa Chen, Noe Venable and Ari Hest, and the effect created by their combined voices is nothing short of magical. Guitar virtuoso Kaki King lends her talents to the Latin-influenced “No Gringo” as well as the ethereal soundscape of the closer, “St. Stephen’s Cross,” in which Teng multi-tracks her vocals to create the effect of a choir. Some songs, like “Stray Italian Greyhound” and “Antebellum,” with their slow builds and lush string arrangements, wouldn’t sound out of place in a film soundtrack. At the other end of the musical spectrum are songs like the edgy, guitar-driven “White Light” and the rollicking “Grandmother Song,” in which Teng sings about the family conflicts created by her musical career over handclaps and fiddle: “Oh girl your story’s all wrong/Your dream’ll be a nightmare before too long/Turning thirty and still trying to sing your songs/Come on who do you think you are?”
Unless she chooses to share it in song, we’ll probably never know exactly who Vienna Teng thinks she is. However, it’s clear that many critics and many fans think she is an immensely talented musician and songwriter, and Inland Territory is proof not only of her technical skill but also of her willingness to experiment with her sound and challenge herself.
Visit her web site or Myspace for song samples and upcoming US tour dates. Also check out the Inland Territory EPK for a behind-the-scenes look at the new album.
The wide range of themes covered here is nothing unusual for Teng. She continues to examine such issues as politics, immigration, the environment, war… and relationships, of course… with her usual lyrical flair. Her writing is as sharp and insightful as ever, with occasional flashes of wry humor. As with all good songwriters, Teng has a unique way of looking at the world, and in Inland Territory she continues this tradition.
In terms of sound, however, she’s grown considerably more adventurous—and this is a good thing. The most common criticism of her 2006 release, Dreaming Through the Noise, was that songs tended to meld together because the instrumentation and arrangements were too similar. No such problem here. This is due in part to her new producer, Alex Wong, formerly of The Animators, and in part to the group of gifted musicians she’s brought on board—some members of her touring band, some not.
The opening track, “The Last Snowfall,” is a perfect example of the musical collaboration that characterizes this album. Producer Wong uses the sound of crackling record static as a percussion loop, which serves as a backdrop for the simple lyrics: “If this were the last snowfall/No more haloes on evergreens/If this were my last glimpse of winter/What would these eyes see?” For the wordless, soaring refrain, Teng’s soft soprano is joined by fellow singer-songwriters Odessa Chen, Noe Venable and Ari Hest, and the effect created by their combined voices is nothing short of magical. Guitar virtuoso Kaki King lends her talents to the Latin-influenced “No Gringo” as well as the ethereal soundscape of the closer, “St. Stephen’s Cross,” in which Teng multi-tracks her vocals to create the effect of a choir. Some songs, like “Stray Italian Greyhound” and “Antebellum,” with their slow builds and lush string arrangements, wouldn’t sound out of place in a film soundtrack. At the other end of the musical spectrum are songs like the edgy, guitar-driven “White Light” and the rollicking “Grandmother Song,” in which Teng sings about the family conflicts created by her musical career over handclaps and fiddle: “Oh girl your story’s all wrong/Your dream’ll be a nightmare before too long/Turning thirty and still trying to sing your songs/Come on who do you think you are?”
Unless she chooses to share it in song, we’ll probably never know exactly who Vienna Teng thinks she is. However, it’s clear that many critics and many fans think she is an immensely talented musician and songwriter, and Inland Territory is proof not only of her technical skill but also of her willingness to experiment with her sound and challenge herself.
Visit her web site or Myspace for song samples and upcoming US tour dates. Also check out the Inland Territory EPK for a behind-the-scenes look at the new album.
You know you're a musician when...?
Hello, internet. Long time no post. I've been busy with school and so not playing much lately. However, I figured that as long as I wasn't playing I might as well listen to other people play, so I've been catching quite a bit of live music at XPN's Free at Noon shows over the last few weeks. If you're in the Philly area, these shows are every Friday and also, as you may have noted from the name... free. So if you're like me and, well, everybody else in the country right now, trying to save money, scoot on over to one of these. It's a great way to find out about new music. (Case in point: Bell X1. Saw them a couple of weeks ago and wound up snagging a copy of their new album, Blue Lights on the Runway, which they very nicely signed for me.) And if you don't like what you hear, then at least you haven't wasted money on a ticket, right?
I've noticed recently that in certain hands anything can become a musical instrument. (If you're a drummer or you know one, you probably already know that a steering wheel is one of these things.) A couple of weeks ago I went to the mall with one of my friends and her younger sister. We stopped in Sephora to help said sister pick out makeup for the prom, and I figured I'd pick up a couple of things I was running out of while I was there. They were playing the sort of nondescript, booming gym music they always seem to play in mall stores, and while we were standing in line I absentmindedly started tapping the box I was holding against my palm in a kind of syncopated beat. You can take the instrument away from the musician, but you can't... never mind, that doesn't quite work, but you get the idea.
I've noticed recently that in certain hands anything can become a musical instrument. (If you're a drummer or you know one, you probably already know that a steering wheel is one of these things.) A couple of weeks ago I went to the mall with one of my friends and her younger sister. We stopped in Sephora to help said sister pick out makeup for the prom, and I figured I'd pick up a couple of things I was running out of while I was there. They were playing the sort of nondescript, booming gym music they always seem to play in mall stores, and while we were standing in line I absentmindedly started tapping the box I was holding against my palm in a kind of syncopated beat. You can take the instrument away from the musician, but you can't... never mind, that doesn't quite work, but you get the idea.
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