Yeah Yeah Yeahs-It's Blitz!

Even though every time my favorite bands' new album comes out, I'd instantly regard it as the best. Some people said that Yeah Yeah Yeahs has gone soft on this album, I still think otherwise.With much more disco-beat than ever, Karen O's voice was slightly warmer but still with an inimitable edge. Starting from the opening song 'Zero' to the 5th song 'Dull Life,' I've already been on a rollercaoster ride; It's Blitz! is an immensely exciting album, the release date was forced to push forward to March 9 due to the early leak on the internet, please please please, listen to It's Blitz! ,it's really a blitz!

Albums

I've been listening to many albums in the first two months of 2009, some of them strikes me as excellent and some of them didn't leave me much impression. After reading this entry from NPR's All Songs Considered blog about how 2009 is already better then 2008, I thought it's better for me to write down some of the albums I've been expecting for a while, then forgetting about ever listening to them again.

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

Allen's debut album has been my favorite contemporary pop album for her clever lyrics and cute-as-hell pop tunes. Her second album It's Not Me, It's You, even with the casually sharp remarks on man and love, didn't surprised me too much. Yes, there are still many adorable pop songs(like the track 'Not Fair') with lots of swearing(like 'F**k You'), but just not as impressive. Nevertheless, It's Not Me, It's You is surely still a hype-worthy, a more grown-up and personal album for Lily Allen.

Franz Ferdinand - TonightIt's been 4 years since the last Franz Ferdinand album, which was the time period that I was a freshman and now becoming a senior students in college. For 4 years I've been waiting for this album to come out, maybe the expectation was too much or I've simply grown tired of dance-rock, Tonight was actually a disappointment. Though some of the tracks I do enjoyed very much('Ulysses' ,'No You Girls'), but most of the songs just felt flat. Like the quote from Uncut magazine's review, "Tonight is fine, but will you still love them tomorrow?"

U2 - No Line On The HorizonI still remembered a few weeks ago, my initial reaction upon hearing 'Get On Your Boots' was 'frightened.' But , thank God, the album No Line On The Horizon is damn good. The sound is epic and grand, the amazement brought by every tracks were so immense that I really couldn't describe my astonishment toward the kind of sound U2 can make and be. There's no way U2 can ever be trapped in the dead zone, No Line On The Horizon is so inspiring and uplifting for this depressing year.


.......Next on, M. Ward and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ You can stream the entire Neko Case new album Middle Cyclone. I love this album,thank you so much NPR!
◎ Leonard Cohen's rare live performance in The Beacon Theatre can be stream or download to you iPod! Thank you again, NPR!
◎ Beck release a UK iTunes Deluxe version of Modern Guilt, with a new song "Necessary Evil."
◎ The Boy Least Likely To - A Balloon On a Broken String
◎ Depeche Mode - Wrong
◎ Blur took the stage on NME Awards this past Wednesday.
◎ Matt Bellamy from Muse believes he's 'too short to be the Sexiest Male,' the rest of the world believes otherwise.

News & Vidoes grabs

photo by Monica Almeida/The New York Times

◎ The 81st Oscar results. Seriously,how great is Hugh Jackman! And the stage settings were brilliant, intimate but still elegant.
◎ Ben Stiller spoofs Joaquin Phoenix, probably the best segment of the night!
◎ The White Stripes performed for Conan's finale, which is their first performance in over a year.

Destiny

命運的力量可以將人帶往哪裡？在Slumdog Millionaire裡，至少命運可以帶你與你所愛的人在一起.。從去年就被廣泛討論的Slumdog Millionaire熱潮終於要在後天舉行的奧斯卡來到最高潮，從BAFTA到金球獎,已經得獎無數的Slumdog Millionaire是否能在柯達戲院的走道上留名，成為了全球最熱門的話題。 當初看到Danny Boyle的名字，難免會把Slumdog Millionaire和猜火車(Trainspotting)進行聯想，的確，Slumdog Millionaire是有許多和火車相關的劇情，但與猜火車大相逕庭的是，Slumdog Millionaire所開展的方向是充滿著希望與夢想。
一個在孟買貧民窟長大，生活顛沛流離的少年Jamal（Dev Patel），抱著單純＂想要讓失散的愛人Latika看到他＂的心情登上了百萬富翁問答節目的舞台，＂街頭生活＂作為他的知識來源，Jamal順利的回答了許多連知識份子都不見得回答的了的問題。就在Jamal因為涉嫌作弊被警察逮捕而拷問時，他才慢慢道出，從貧民窟到茶水小弟的這二十幾年人生中所經歷的印度。Slumdog Millionaire充滿了不可思議的奇蹟似劇情，在擁擠的孟買街頭還有滿是觀光客的泰姬瑪哈陵，一個孩子的生存之道不外乎就是偷竊和欺騙，這樣的成長過程使Jamal對於金錢的慾望遠比不上對於童年玩伴Latika的思念。命運與一鼓堅定單純的思念之心不斷讓Jamal與Latika相遇，又因為殘酷的事道而被迫分別。愛情給了Jamal無限的希望，這股希望甚至影響了全印度人，每個人都守在電視機前關心著這個出身低賤的男孩是否能在黯淡的生活中製造奇蹟。Slumdog Millionaire就憑著這股希望的力量打動了全世界的人，尤其是在全球景氣低迷的時代，人們更需要可以逃離現實的故事。Slumdog Millionaire沒有震撼人心的前衛影像，有的則是於現實印度取景的真實畫面。貧窮與宗教問題堆砌出動盪不安的社會，貧民窟的人依然生活著，看來非常困苦，快樂卻也是那麼的簡單。
不論Slumdog Millionaire得獎與否，它的確是一部很適時的跟上了社會氛圍的佳作，如此貼近主角的敘述方式，讓觀者很容易的融入了Jamal的世界，跟著他一同懊悔哭泣，並且不斷殷切尋覓著女主角的蹤跡。用著好萊塢方式在寶來塢地盤所拍出的Slumdog Millionaire，有著歡笑ˋ殘酷與感動，還有印度音樂與流行音樂的成功融入，絕對會是近年來最廣受歡迎的電影。

p.s. Dev Patel完全擺脫了Skins裡的小鬼形象，竟也增添了幾分帥氣呢！

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ Full list of the winners of 2009 BRIT Awards
◎ Coldplay wishes to give us a free album to get us through the recession
◎ M. Ward brings new album to Letterman
◎ Kanye West - Welcome To Heartbreak
◎ Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler
◎ The new iPod commercial features Franz Ferdinand's new song
◎ Fountains of Wayne - Radiation Vibe
◎ Listen to the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs song Zero

Get On Your Boots

U2 'Get On Your Boots' @the Brit Awards 2009.

The Fear

Lily Allen The Fear live@The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Tizzy Bac

Tizzy Bac is a unique band; not just that before them, few bands in Taiwan sounds like this, but also because of their seemingly endless creativity and vitality. Over the years I've been to some of their live performances which were all very enjoyable and I'd fell in love with the songs all over again. After winning the Golden Melody Awards(the same as the Grammy in the U.S)and gained more recognition and followers,Tizzy Bac released their long-awaited third album last week,they still surprised me with songs that are equally upbeat, touching, or - where I'd put it - stylish.



Listen more on their[MySpace]page,
I higly recommended "What Is Love" and "Stomach Clonus."
Cheers!

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ The amazing album art of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album It's Blitz!
◎ Yoko Ono asks fans to send their "bed-in for peace" photo.
◎ There was a female stalker in Muse's frontman Matt Bellamy's hotel room.
◎ School Of Seven Bells - Half Sleep

Grammy

Radiohead - 15 Step


Coldplay - Lost

Beirut on Letterman

Beirut perform "A Sunday Smile" on Late Show with David Letterman

News & Vidoes grabs

◎ New Oasis video Falling Down reflects on the real royal life of one particular person, I love the widescreen shots and the role the bands played in the video(And Kanye West is a fan of the video).
◎ New U2 video Get On Your Boots is actually way better then I thought.
◎ Peter Bjorn & John - Nothing To Worry About
◎ Ra Ra Riot - Can Tell You
◎ Bob Dylan and his modern day counterpart in the new Pepsi ad.
◎ The Walkmen - Four Provinces

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