New Albums I'm Really Into...

Clam Casino - Instrumental Mixtape

>>alone at night, this is a perfect soundtrack for night riding, but I listen to it almost all the time. with the beats hitting in my headphone, everything feels ready to expand into the unknown. really, atmospheric music is my thing, loud or minimalism.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Mirror Traffic

>> i like the album cover, but it's the music I enjoy. Malkmus' songwriting seems to have become mature, cuz he can write whatever he feels like, but at the same time, he hasn't improved at all, still singing with the same old random cynicism.

Jenny Hval - Viscera

>> still trying to figure out her lyrics. probably the most powerful and interesting lyricist I have heard in a long time. her voice brings names like Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Linda Perhacs to mind. a very versatile artist who put out a versatile debut album, and it flows effortlessly. sublime stuff.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

>> this album is a grower. unusually beautiful and exquisite. to put it into a scenario, Emma was like a breakup night, sad and lonely. this album takes place the following morning, when he's still half sleeping, dreaming, slowly awakening...

Emmy The Great - Virtue

Linda Perhacs

Linda Perhacs 在 1970 年發行的這張《Parallelgrams》成了她的畢生絕響 (她還沒過世，所以我沒有說終生)，也成了迷幻民謠的經典之作。

Bluesfest 26/4/2011

赤著雙腳走在黑色的爛泥巴裡，去了這一天的藍調音樂祭，看了 Elvis Costello，Grace Jones，Bob Dylan。雖然回家時滿身狼狽，但只能說心滿意足。

ps. 我想現場平均年齡差不多在四十五歲左右...

The lyrics...

關於 Elvis Costello 的兩三事。

四月底要去音樂祭看狄倫伯跟 Elvis Costello ，還有 Grace Jones 也在名單上，可是關於瓊絲小姐，我知道他怪異的打扮，音樂上完全沒概念。然後最近比較認真的聽起 Elvis Costello 的專輯，發現，天阿，他的歌詞水準之高呀！難怪一堆人誇他是繼迪倫伯後的最棒的 singer/songwriter。最近常聽這兩位的歌，他們寫的歌詞真的現在的後輩只能望塵莫及 (我個人定義中的好歌詞是有想像空間的，能夠連繫到個人的；直接表達的歌詞扼殺了語言的美麗和奧妙，現在大多歌都是這樣。)。不過歌詞雖然寫的好，但是他們的音樂可一點都不好上手。一方面他們兩位聲音的極為粗糙，在來他們有些歌的旋律實在是稱不上好聽。我要寫的這首 Man Out of Time (Imperial Bedroom 1982)，編曲也是挺奇怪的，不過還算是首好聽的歌，特別當我仔細去聽歌詞時。看到 "He's got a mind like a sewer and a heart like a fridge / He stands to be insulted and he pays for the privilege"，整個完全命中。"To murder my love is crime / But will you still love a man out of time"。這... 就是我的主題曲啊！

然後最近也看了他主持的音樂節目 Spectacle。非常棒的節目，以他在搖滾樂團打混四十多年的資深音樂人的身分去訪問其他音樂人，非常的有可看的價值。特別是我剛看完訪問 Bruce Springsteen的那集。有兩位經典樂手在台上尬歌，討論人生，討論創作，太讚了！雖然，每當 Elvis Costello 誇獎人的時候，聽起來都很像在拍馬屁....

Think You Can Wait

When I saw this collaboration between The National and Sharon van Etten, I literally jumped out of my seat with such excitement. To see your favourite artists working together is just... awesome!

Birds

這應該是老楊常被忽略的一首好歌吧。短短的兩分多鐘，感情結束的憂鬱都寫在歌裡。聽起來的感覺就像是，看著曾經陪在自己身邊的一隻鳥，要往下個地方飛遠。這首歌用吉他彈起來也很好聽。拿起你的吉他，彈彈這首歌，緬懷過去那些飛走的鳥兒。

I, Jonathan Richman

Sharon Van Etten

A really beautiful and unique voice, but absolutely heartbreaking!

Are you ready to be heartbroken?

herspace

mp3:
Sharon van Etten - Love More

My Sentimentality

Tom, do this
Tom, do that
Tom... don't do that

Heidi Berry

some say a heart is just like a wheel

when you bend it, you can't mend it...

Come Back From San Francisco tab

Recently, this lovely song by The Magnetic Fields has stuck in my head, and I tried to play it on my acoustic guitar. But I couldn't find any proper tab, so I did my own version of the song. This is definitely not exact as how it was played, but sounds okay to me. By all means, I am far from a good guitar player, and this is my first tabbing, so... feel welcomed to variate yourself or correct my mistakes.

But after seeing this cover on youtube, I feel so ashamed to even post my tab, so i shall hide it...

Life is a Mix Tape Vol 8: Blue

鬱卒歌單。

酒吧音樂

暗巷裡的酒吧，霓虹燈一閃一閃著 Ric's Bar，外面只有一顆燈泡在門口上微弱的亮著。坐在門口的老伯靠在牆壁上打瞌睡。我小心翼翼的開門進去，試著不吵醒老伯。

酒吧裡的客人只有三個，一個穿著黑色大衣中年男子，抽著菸喝著威士忌。另外兩個是對情侶，很明顯的，這個男生才剛認識這個女生，說著所有他能想到的事情只為了逗那位年輕的女生笑。

我走到吧檯，點了杯啤酒，問了酒保今晚有沒有表演。他微笑著不回答我，像是知道了我不為人知的祕密般似的。我接過酒保的啤酒大大的喝了一口，一陣冷顫串過我的身體。我應該點威士忌的，至少天氣這麼冷可以暖暖身子。

鋼琴聲響起了，我轉過頭往舞台看。Tom Waits 坐在鋼琴上彈著非常慢的曲調，菸還夾在他的指間。燈光照在他身上，嘴裡吐出一團團的煙霧，漸漸散開，融入了周圍的黑暗。在旁的貝斯手和薩克斯風手，隨著鋼琴的節奏慢慢的加入。嘻笑的情侶也安靜下來，這個世界都安靜下來，只剩下湯姆等待先生的歌聲，和他的酒吧音樂。

The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

這世界上只有The Magnetic Fields可以做出這樣的事 －

發行一張 69 首關於愛的歌曲的專輯。

Does Not Suffice

It does not suffice to merely lie beside each other

As those who love each other do

只是像那些相愛的人，躺在彼此身旁是不足夠的

And everywhere I tried to love you

Is yours again and only yours

到處我試著愛你，我是你的，只屬於你的。

69 Année Érotique feat. Valentine Fillol-Cordier

very French, very sexy, very Serge Gainsbourg
arh...I love the groovy bass line.
and a great song tho i don't understand French at all.
On Lightspeed Champion's new EP "Marlene"

Father and Son

It's not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy,
To be calm when you've found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you've got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.

How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.

It's always been the same, same old story.

From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.

Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.

I know I have to go.

It's not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
if you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,

It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.

If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me.

Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.

I know I have to go.

New Music For Me

Lissie
Thanks to Heather! She introduced me this wonderful new voice. When I heard this song, I was astounded when she cry out "Angels will fall on me and take me to my home". The highly emotional energy in her voice really got me shivering.

Everywhere I Go - Lissie

Little Scout
I got to know them from the Camera Obscura gig. I was very very pleased to see such a beautiful opening band. They look great, and play great music. I bought their Ep after the show, fantastic! Indie pop band from Brisbane. If you ask me  what do they lack, I'd say a smashing debut album.

Guided by Voices
I only heard two of their songs on youtube which my friend sent me. I know I will love this band. Definitely will check out more of their albums.

The Fauns
Not a very special band. They play the music that other bands play too. But, the album is a great soundtrack choice if you're ready for floating or a dreamy state. This is "Road Meets Sky":

Salem
The first song I listened was a remix of Round One by Gucci Mane. I downloaded it from sincerely yours website, and I'm still lovin' it. I don't know how to describe their music, the only phrase I could come up with is in Chinese: 鬼打牆. Not sure how I could translate that. As We Make It Good describes it, "Pink socks, a dirty mattress, wallpaper peeling off the walls, empty cough syrup bottles, and soiled wall to wall carpeting all come to mind after repeated listens to this new Salem mix." Hope that makes some kind of introduction of Salem.

See You Later, You're Just Somebody That I Used To Know

See You Later

Somebody That I Used to Know


These songs go out to a fan of Elliott Smith.
Now, piss off!!!