Archives For Music

Let’s start off by saying that my Chinese/Hong Kong film viewing… isn’t, just isn’t. LOL Of all the nominees, I have only seen two. Hahaha, I’m a little ashamed of that considering I’ve seen over 120 movies last year. Though, there were 3 other films I wanted to watch before the nominations were announced: Love in a Puff, Gallants, Under The Hawthorn Tree, and Detective Dee ;D

And I’ve decided I should watch Reign of Assassins with my dad, and Hot Summer Days with my mom. LOL

Also, Tetsuya Nakashima’s Kokuhaku was crowned as Best Asian Film, beating the likes of Aftershocks and Monga.

Anyway, we’re here because of the Best Song category, which had the most artists I was familiar with, and we’re going to be looking at each of them and their respective songs~ First, the winner:

Jun Kung’s Here to Stay from Merry-Go Round

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The first edition of the Global Chinese Golden Chart was held recently in Taipei, Taiwan.

Besides Leehom performing All the Things You Never Knew, Bibi was also there performing a medley of her i.Fish.Light.Mirror singles, including a bit of Canned Fish (like… the intro LOL), Single Mirror, and finally closing with I Miss U Missing Me.

I’m happy that BiBi performs her best when there’s important people. LOL Like… she sounds pitch perfect when musician, producers, and actors are in the room. She doesn’t even need fireworks, outrageous clothing or flashy stuff, just her singing.

There’s this funny thing about fandom, they just don’t care about anything else that doesn’t directly affect fandom. So unless X-member of boy/girl group is directing a movie, you won’t hear who’s directing a film.

But then again, that’s what generally happens anywhere.

I just wished, at least, that labels would care to put this information down in their description fields… to make it easier. I know Chinese/Taiwanese music videos have the information — most of the times — of who wrote the music, the lyrics and who directed all in the video… but it makes it really REALLY SUPER REALLY hard for us, who don’t read character. For a two paragraph post, I have to spend 1hr (maybe) getting the character on paper, then using Japanese handwriting input or the Kanji dictionary to get the characters into a browser, and then search for it. And that’s just the bit where I get the names xD

Anyway, I feel illuminated because I have discovered 5 important names that I will highlight in this post. But since no one is more important than the other, it will be from most recent mentioned in the blog.

First, Bounce (比尔贾) of Bounce Visual Creative… the director of one of my latest fave music videos: Stefanie Sun’s The Kingdom of Fools, a song which bring me to… Francis Lee (李焯雄), a Taiwanese lyricist who wrote Sun’s lyrics for that song, as well as being in charge of many of the songs in BiBi’s NOW/WOW album… as well as the Canned Fish song.

Then theres’ COSMOS, aka. Yingzhi Chen (陳映之) who directed Elva Hsiao’s Let Love Fly, other artists… and has recently directed this new girl group called Dream Girls and their MV for Tears Should Also Be Beautiful… a song which was written by famous Taiwanese songwriter Yao Ruo Long (姚若龍), who is the one who wrote one of my 2010 faves- Broken by Jing Chang.

And finally, another video for Dream Girls (this time I’m Your Dreamgirl) directed me to Yi Ren Chen (陳奕仁), the MV director of such gems such as Incomparable Beauty and Little Love Song – all by Sodagreen ;D

I feel like I learned something important these past few days of posting CMusic MVs. LOL Too bad I still haven’t finished Chinese homework and it’s nearly 4am.

Dear, Bang Bang Tang members~

I stalk your douban page from time to time, even if I don’t really read Chinese characters. I heard your music once featuring on CNN’s CNNGo programming, and I was hooked.

Anyway… enough with the fan message. xD

I am aware Bang Bang Tang — not the Taiwan boyband — just get together when they feel like playing, and actually study… or I guess already have jobs. I know the indie music scene is really tough… imagine such a huge market like China.

I wish someone who sign them already. Anyone, even an international indie label. Sighs. You know, instead of debuting a new girl group a week, they should fund BBT’s album.

Suffering fan,
amy xD

Here. I leave you with the video for  Bang Bang Tang (棒棒糖) – 我最爱缺陷男 (Wo Zui Ai Que Xian Nan) – My Favorite Male Defects, which was included in my Top-Rated Songs of 2010, even though it’s not a 2010 song. Only one exception to that rule. xD

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Top-Rated Songs of 2010

April 7, 2011 — 3 Comments

I know it’s pretty late, but I guess that I always put the list off because there was always that “haven’t listened to that yet” issue. I will be probably adding 2010 stuff later on, but it won’t hurt to put my top rated songs — according to iTunes and iPod numbers.

Surprisingly, or not surprisingly… the majority of top-rated songs that are equal or greater than 5 stars are Asian artists with their Asian songs and albums. LOL As you know, I’m trying to mix everything up with languages, so I’m also trying to pick one song per artist xD

I hope you like this compilation, there are links to preview the tracks… and also links to buy the albums via affiliate programs, so if you like anything – please support this blog (or YAM)

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I think this might turn into a new feature xD

So I was checking YouTube uploads as I do now to see what to post on YAM Magazine, and saw this new Avex upload of MinxZone, whom I’ve never heard of. The intro (after the text) is kinda cool with the literal Paper Piano (the song title is Kami PIANO 紙ピアノ), but I thought it sounded familiar. Funny to find that one of the comments in it was the same.

See for yourself~

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After DBSK pretty rocking dance tune of Keep your Head Down, the guys decided to release — alongside a repackaged version of their album — the single for Before U Go with a music video styled as a slick action crime drama. The regular 5min. version of the video is actually pretty interesting, because it’s packed with some fighting, and some sort of story that we can follow.

It’s like the teaser of a quality Korean drama. LOL

And then… they decided to release the long-form video. I like to talk about it when MVs get turned to short films. So we must talk about it. Yes, the long version is still pretty slick, but there’s one BIG problem.

The remaining DBSK guys Yunho and Changming end up the 16min run of the MV looking like lousy one-dimensional goodies, while the baddie is an anti-hero. I actually felt a lot worse for him than the “good” guys. What’s up with that?

I grew up with a song by Vico C called Me Acuerdo, which was on constant rotation those days when we still listened to the radio. I listen to that song, and I immediately think of those days.

So when clicking on the video for Ken the 390 titled 壊れやすいもの (Koware Yasui Mono) – Breakable, it brought me back to that song. Must be the male vocal, the slow hip hop thing, and the female backing vocals.
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MissTer 101

March 8, 2011 — 8 Comments

There’s a pretty personality-insightful making-of article in regards of Taiwan’s first and brand-new Boi-band, who in their second single Super Lover are urging a pretty lady to not give up on love.

I think I’ve finally figured out who is who. Ha!

First, there’s leader Jin Tai (the one with the glasses). Then there’s Qiu Qiu the former dance instructor (top third on the left), Milk is the one with the blueish tones on her hair, Chris (? Zi Lun?) (the one with the humping face), and finally Chiao (Qiao) the one with the blond hair.

And I’ve already picked my favorite. LOL

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I think this is the only video of Bibi with English subtitles. It’s short, barely three minutes of it… but makes me miss BiBi circa her NOW/WOW albums… which reminds me, gotta review those.

[iframe src=”https://www.tudou.com/v/_H6cID-4vsU/v.swf” width=”480″ height=”400″]

Her last bit singing gives me the shivers.

From the last few performances she’s done, something is amiss. Her voice is quite not right, and I think it might be due to the production of her last album.

*sighs*

Forgive the lack of updates, but then again… you do know there’s YAM, right?