Music
1. The View From Here (album) – TEMPERED MENTAL. They sounded good, honestly they did, when I went to see them at Laundry at the launching of their debut album a few weeks ago. Good vocalist, banging bass – I shuffled my feet a little – and I bought their album. Hey, it was going cheap at RM20 and I figured they needed to earn a living somehow. But on repeated listens, I realised that I don’t really like music like this anymore. Go back circa 1999 and I would probably be headbanging to their songs, along with all the other nu-metal music that were making waves then, but currently, I’ve gotta say no. Oooh, Tempered Mental might object to me calling them nu-metal but that’s what it sounds like to me. Good effort, but not my cup of tea.
You can check them out on MySpace.
Stand out tracks: Recall
2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (album) – CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH. See, you need a good name for your band to catch people’s attention and stick in their memories, instead of a meaningless name like Delays (sorry guys, I love you, but your name sucks). Of course having an arsenal of good tunes and internet savvy help your case a lot, but you know, you gotta start with a good name. Then we can focus on how the band sounds like.
A few people have recommended this band to me, including my sister, KJ. But she has this inclination to recommend bands where the singer sounds like they are either yodelling or whining. Main songwriter and vocalist Alec Ounsworth’s voice takes some getting use to. His plaintive mewling put me off initially but you can’t argue with the tunes which have been good enough to displace Delays off my stereo. You might want to skip the first track but there are plenty here to keep you bopping happily.
The band have had a second album out since January, which apparently is worth checking out too but at the rate I’m at, I’d probably listen to it next year.
Stand out tracks: The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth, Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away, Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)
3. Generator (single) – THE HOLLOWAYS. There’s been a lot of ‘The’ bands lately and it remains to be seen how many of them will last. British band The Holloways (Alfie Jackson, Rob Skipper, Bryn Fowler, Dave Danger) are the latest addition and they make an infectious pop contribution with their debut single.
Listen to them here.
Books
Can you believe I haven’t read any books this month? What is the world coming to? Maybe because I’ve been busy listening to music. Didn’t you know I’m a man? You know I can’t multi-task. Being obsessed over a band is a lot of hard work, you know.
Films
1. Borat – Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Oh. My. God. I know people have been pissing themselves over this movie, but I just can’t get into it. I can’t. I’ve had three aborted attempts at watching this and I haven’t managed to finish it at all. It’s too excruciating to watch. I’m hiding my face behind my eyes, I’m forwarding every painful bit and I feel physically ill at every moronic thing Borat does.
It’s not that I’m unfamiliar with British humour, nor with Sacha Baron Cohen’s brand of piss-taking. I watched him when he first started doing short sketches of Ali G and Borat on the 11 o’clock Show, I’ve watched Dom Joly and his giant mobile phone on Trigger Happy TV. I’ve even sat through many episodes of the physical grossness that is Little Britain.
I love Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You, where Mark Lamarr & Simon Amstell, and Ian Hislop & Paul Merton, would respectively rip into any fool guest who agreed to go on the show. It’s okay to bust your gut laughing at that because you know anybody who went on those shows signed up to be mercilessly ridiculed and heckled. Well, except Preston from The Ordinary Boys, who left his sense of humour at home.
But I still felt that all those people had a chance somewhat, because there was a clue that this was a farce or the guests were welcomed to hurl abuse at the presenters as well, where as in Borat, it just felt like Cohen was taking advantage of simple people who were trying to be polite and helpful.
1. The View From Here (album) – TEMPERED MENTAL. They sounded good, honestly they did, when I went to see them at Laundry at the launching of their debut album a few weeks ago. Good vocalist, banging bass – I shuffled my feet a little – and I bought their album. Hey, it was going cheap at RM20 and I figured they needed to earn a living somehow. But on repeated listens, I realised that I don’t really like music like this anymore. Go back circa 1999 and I would probably be headbanging to their songs, along with all the other nu-metal music that were making waves then, but currently, I’ve gotta say no. Oooh, Tempered Mental might object to me calling them nu-metal but that’s what it sounds like to me. Good effort, but not my cup of tea.
You can check them out on MySpace.
Stand out tracks: Recall
2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (album) – CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH. See, you need a good name for your band to catch people’s attention and stick in their memories, instead of a meaningless name like Delays (sorry guys, I love you, but your name sucks). Of course having an arsenal of good tunes and internet savvy help your case a lot, but you know, you gotta start with a good name. Then we can focus on how the band sounds like.
A few people have recommended this band to me, including my sister, KJ. But she has this inclination to recommend bands where the singer sounds like they are either yodelling or whining. Main songwriter and vocalist Alec Ounsworth’s voice takes some getting use to. His plaintive mewling put me off initially but you can’t argue with the tunes which have been good enough to displace Delays off my stereo. You might want to skip the first track but there are plenty here to keep you bopping happily.
The band have had a second album out since January, which apparently is worth checking out too but at the rate I’m at, I’d probably listen to it next year.
Stand out tracks: The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth, Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away, Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)
3. Generator (single) – THE HOLLOWAYS. There’s been a lot of ‘The’ bands lately and it remains to be seen how many of them will last. British band The Holloways (Alfie Jackson, Rob Skipper, Bryn Fowler, Dave Danger) are the latest addition and they make an infectious pop contribution with their debut single.
Listen to them here.
Books
Can you believe I haven’t read any books this month? What is the world coming to? Maybe because I’ve been busy listening to music. Didn’t you know I’m a man? You know I can’t multi-task. Being obsessed over a band is a lot of hard work, you know.
Films
1. Borat – Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Oh. My. God. I know people have been pissing themselves over this movie, but I just can’t get into it. I can’t. I’ve had three aborted attempts at watching this and I haven’t managed to finish it at all. It’s too excruciating to watch. I’m hiding my face behind my eyes, I’m forwarding every painful bit and I feel physically ill at every moronic thing Borat does.
It’s not that I’m unfamiliar with British humour, nor with Sacha Baron Cohen’s brand of piss-taking. I watched him when he first started doing short sketches of Ali G and Borat on the 11 o’clock Show, I’ve watched Dom Joly and his giant mobile phone on Trigger Happy TV. I’ve even sat through many episodes of the physical grossness that is Little Britain.
I love Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You, where Mark Lamarr & Simon Amstell, and Ian Hislop & Paul Merton, would respectively rip into any fool guest who agreed to go on the show. It’s okay to bust your gut laughing at that because you know anybody who went on those shows signed up to be mercilessly ridiculed and heckled. Well, except Preston from The Ordinary Boys, who left his sense of humour at home.
But I still felt that all those people had a chance somewhat, because there was a clue that this was a farce or the guests were welcomed to hurl abuse at the presenters as well, where as in Borat, it just felt like Cohen was taking advantage of simple people who were trying to be polite and helpful.
Comments
Listen to Cold War Kids! I think they're the most normal band (by your standards) that I love at the moment.
I'm bringing home some music I promised to send you eh?
No books? vot? I read Breakfastat Tiffany's recently for the first time.
What do you mean 'normal' by my standards? You're the one who likes yodelling Canadians.
About time you brought me somehing back. Oh and Mum wants to know if you want karipap as well.
I'm broke anyway. Yes, i would love some karipap.