Tokyo

Hello everyone, I'll be gone for a few days. I'm glad I could be out of the country so soon after my little trip last September, and epically excited to be in a place where I have not been for a long long time--Tokyo. After all the years of watching Japanese drama, finally have I get the chance to see the real Tokyo with my own eyes. Hopefully I could also bring back home some rare LPs or singles! See you guys in a bit:)

MP3: Mr. Children-東京(Tokyo)

cheers

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ Paul McCartney, The Killers and The Cure will headline this year's Coachella!! See the entire list here.
◎ Watch Stephen Colbert's hilarious interview with Sir Paul McCartney
◎ The Killers - Spaceman
◎ New Arctic Monkeys : Crying Lightning
◎ Asobi Seksu - Me & Mary

This Week's Tunes

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!





The Decemberists
The Hazards Of Love
MP3: The Rake's Song







Harlem Shakes
Technicolor Health
MP3: Sunlight








Metric
FANTASY
MP3: Help I'm Alive








Richard Swift
Ground Trouble Jaw
MP3: A Song For Milton Feher







Dear And The Headlights
Drunk Like Bible Times
MP3: If Not For My Glasses







Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Dark Was The Night
MP3: Knotty Pine

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ Coldplay looks and feels great in a crazy community concert with family and kids : Life In Technicolor ii
◎ Animal Collective - My Girls
◎ Starbucks will release another Sweetheart complication with lots of famous bands covers.
◎ Check out the album art of the highly anticipated Decemberists album.
◎ Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys said that the new album was two thirds complete.
◎ Stream the full Franz Ferdinand album Tonight on their MySpace page.
◎ Listen to the new U2 single "Get On Your Boots"

This Week's Tunes

Asobi Seksu
Hush
MP3: Familiar Light








Cut Off Your Hands
You & I
MP3: Turn Cold






Vetiver
Tight Knit
MP3: Everyday







The Soft Hands
Hours Pass By
MP3: Harbor







Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
MP3: People Got A Lotta Nerve







We Swim You Jump
We Swim You Jump EP
MP3: Sparks Fade Out

Never Had Nobody Like You

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel seems to be the golden pair in indie music these days. After the huge success of She & Him, Deschanel appears in M. Ward's post-She & Him solo album Hold Time. The song "Never Had Nobody Like You" was actually not so much different from She & Him, we haven't hear the previously promised "heavy sound" yet, but the buzz around the album is enough to get me excied.

MP3:
M. Ward-Never Had Nobody Like You (Featuring Zooey Deschanel)

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ Arctic Monkeys debuted new songs(Dangerous Animals , Pretty Visitors, Go-Kart and Crying Lightning) in New Zealand.
◎ Here's the album cover and tracklist of U2's new album No Line On The Horizon
◎ Emmy the Great - First Love
◎ Beirut - La Llorna
◎ Of Montreal - An Eluardian Instance

Which Bitch?

The View也是個馬不停蹄的樂團.前年的首張專輯Hats Off To The Buskers讓他們成為眾所注目的新團之後,他們也積極的開始巡迴,接著又投入新專輯的錄音. Which Bitch?就是他們最新的成果,雖然背負著眾所皆知的＂第二張專輯＂壓力,在Which Bitch?還是可以感受到這幾個Dundee出身的年輕小子依然有著與當初一般的衝勁還有對音樂的熱愛. 專輯開場曲Typical Time 2是首只有一分半鐘的輕快小品, 口琴加上鋼琴的簡單對奏呈現了一股難得的美國西部風情. 接著的是5Rebbeccas這樣龐克玩性的熟悉風格. 更讓我帶著好奇心期待著接下來的驚喜. 再來的One Off Pretender應該是整張專輯最讓我喜愛的,除了rap(應該說是英式數來寶)風格的vocal之外還有狂放的節奏都讓它成為最讓人耳目一新的歌曲. 高漲的情緒卻在Unexpected中弦樂的拉扯下慢慢平靜,深情又感傷的The View不常見,這難得的心碎情歌實著是意料不到. 接下來的幾首也是夾雜著回歸到人們所鍾愛的The View風格,和異於往常的激情/平靜,不但明顯的聽出比起第一張專輯他們更勇於放入背景聲音,也毫不遲疑的大膽展現The View豪放時而又細緻的編曲. Which Bitch?不能說是個傑作,但也扎實的順著The View一貫的曲風和路線扎實的前進著. The View再來還會帶給我們什麼樣的創作,非常直得期待.

download link:
The View -One Off Pretender

cheers!

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ BBC listed the rising music stars of 2009
◎ Ryan Adams in the Black Cab Sessions
◎ There's no surprise knowing that Noel Gallagher was once part of the "Man City firm"
◎ Official video : Paul McCartney - 222
◎ +/- {Plus Minus} - Unsung
◎ Bruce Springsteens - Life Itself
◎ I believe it's a bad idea for Lily Allen to be the new assistant of the new Doctor Who, and I haven't even decided if I like the new Doctor :(

Revolutionary Road

轟動一時的電影「鐵達尼號」已經是一九九七年的往事，十一年後，Kate Winslet與Leonardo DiCaprio的再次攜手，主演改編自Richard Yates同名小說的<Revolutionary Road>，飾演一對人人稱羨的五零年代夫妻。

<Revolutionary Road>並不是什麼甜蜜美好的故事，曾經相戀並共組家庭的兩人在面對生命中的考驗和找尋生存意義的同時，不但開始質疑兩人之間感情的真實性，也在現實的壓迫下放棄了自由。April與Frank這對夫妻的性格可說是南轅北轍。理想主義的April不斷的想要逃離現實生活，但卻也沒有明確的抱負；Frank盡著一家之主的職責，有個枯燥但可養家的工作，年輕時的夢想也都不得不放棄了。兩人在這樣無奈的狀態下過著生活，直到有一天April突然提出了全家搬到巴黎去重心開始新的生活的瘋狂想法，鬱鬱寡歡的Frank也被這個誘人的計畫說服了。但也就從這個計劃將要展開之際，April與Frank遭遇了很多現實因素的阻撓，兩人的關係也不再如當初相戀時甜蜜，甚至發展成一種殘暴的相互虐待…。

Kate Winslet與Leonardo DiCaprio完美的詮釋April與Frank複雜的關係與心理的痛苦掙扎，兩人在此片拍攝完成後都瘦了一大圈。精彩的對手戲可以深刻感受到他們心靈上的脆弱，尤以Kate Winslet演出一名堅強、有主見卻又迷失人生方向的女子，非常令人動容。Leonardo DiCaprio也將失意上班族的混亂情緒展現無疑，大喜大怒的波動和細膩的表情變化也讓觀者看的心驚膽顫。(兩人也以此片入圍了今年的金球獎最佳男女主角喔！)

有誰想過，「鐵達尼號」過後十一年的今年，Kate Winslet與Leonardo DiCaprio已經是全球影壇上的巨星。兩人不只是票房號召，也是資深好萊塢演員擁有傑出演技的代表。有兩位主要演員和非常成功的配角選擇，是一部發人深省、後勁十足的悲劇。

This Week's Tunes

The Rest
Everyone All At Once
MP3: Walk on Water (Auspicious Beginnings)






Montt Mardie
Science
MP3: 1969







Morrissey
Years Of Refusal
MP3: I'm OK By Myself







The Black Keys
Attack and Release
MP3: I Got Mine







The Revisionists
The Revisionists
MP3: Monday





Even it's the week of my finals, I still wouldn't stop listening to great music!
Happy New Year!

Ghost Town

平常待人冷淡,刻意遠離人群的牙醫師Pincus（Ricky Gervais）在一次身體檢查的手術過程中意外死亡了七分鐘,因此成為個擁有陰陽眼的他,開始受到許多紐約的鬼魂們騷擾,爭相要Pincus幫他們完成遺憾,受不了眾鬼魂的糾纏,Pincus勉強答應了Greg Kinnear鬼魂的要求,幫他破壞遺孀的新戀情,Pincus這個超沒人緣的牙醫在面對許多陰魂不散的鬼也漸漸發展出了不同的人格... 電影的情節並不是什麼前無古人的大創新,但衝著這是Ricky Gervais本人登上美國大螢幕的作品,說什麼也要看看! 結果也的確不是一般的"鬼魂完全遺願後順利升天"電影,除了Ricky Gervais的嘲諷式無情碎碎唸增添了不少笑點,整部電影也有許多”默默嘲笑”歷年來鬼魂片的情節和台詞. 雖然說電影名稱是”Ghost Town,” 但最重要的還是活著的人如何看待這些死去親友,我們對死者的情緒（不管正面或負面）都是綁著他們在這個世界的最後一條線,總要有個closure才會讓生者釋懷.
”Ghost Town”的成功之處除了雖可預期卻不落俗套的劇情, 每個角色的深度和演員精彩的詮釋都讓觀眾深深著迷也放聲的開懷大笑. 還有一個讓我意外的驚奇處就是電影巧妙的用了Beatles的"I'm Looking Through You," 不但非常符合電影的笑點,用的還是電影中少見的Beatles原版歌曲! 當然,片中美麗的紐約也是一大看點喔!

MP4: The Beatles-I'm Looking Through You

Cheers!