Feng's Distorted World : 鋒言鋒語

This is the soundtrack for CASSHERN, a Japanese film released in 2004. I know its a bit late for this post but I just couldn't resist writting about it. Apart from The Myth OST and Requiem for a Dream OST, this album is another of the best OSTs released in recent times. The soundtrack consists of 2 CDs, CD1 being a collection of tracks inspired by the movie and CD 2 the tracks that make up the background music in the movie.

The music in these 2 CDs are extremely varied and ranges from j-rock (Hyde, The Back Horn, GLAY), house (Satoshi Tomiie, Towa Tei), lovely ballads (Onitsuka Chihiro, Shiina Ringo, Utada Hikaru) and plain instrumental (Shiro Sagisu in CD2) as well. The track "Requiem" by The Back Horn which is featured in the fight scene between Tetsuya and Burai has become quite a cult favourite and helped boost The Back Horn's popularity worldwide immensely. "Borderline" by Onitsuka Chihiro is also a great track with hauntingly beautiful vocals. The track "誰かの願いが叶うころ (Dare ka no negai kanau koro) by Hikki is the ending theme for the movie. Coupled with a piano solo, the track has a certain melancholic aura to it. As for CD2, my favourite tracks by Shiro Sagisu are "軌道" which is the music for Tetsuya's revival and "The Last Day" during the final scene. Shiro Sagisu's talent combined with his fine use of orchestra and simple strings help make the music both dramatic and emotional in each and every aspect.

Simply put, ther's never a filler or a boring moment in this soundtrack. Instrumental or not, every track is great in its own special way and that's what that makes Our Last Day a great soundtrack.



Our Last Day - Casshern Offical Album

CD1
1. 椎名林檎 / 『茎(ステム)』
2. MONDO GROSSO / 『LIKE NO ONE'S LOOKING』 [Listen Realplayer] [Listen WMP]
3. HYDE / 『MASQUERADE』
4. TOWA TEI / 『ORIGINAL HUMAN』
5. ACIDMAN / 『水写』
6. SS:ST（Shiro SAGISU & Satoshi TOMIIE）[Listen Realplayer] [Listen WMP]
7. 鬼束ちひろ / 『BORDERLINE』 [Listen Realplayer] [Listen WMP]
8. THE BACK HORN / 『レクイエム』
9. GLAY / 『無限のdeja vuから~Peaceful Session~』
10. 宇多田ヒカル / 『誰かの願いが叶うころ』 [Listen Realplayer] [Listen WMP]

CD2
1. 荒廃
2. 暗影
3. 胎動
4. 眩暈
5. 神意
6. 軌道
7. 復活
8. 足音
9. 祈り
10. 幻影
11. 叫び
12. 記憶
13. 輪廻
14. THE LAST DAY

CD2 Composed and Arranged by Shiro SAGISU, Except:
[M-8] Composed by Tomohiko GONDO , Arranged by Tomohiko GONDO and Yuichiro HONDA
[M-9] Composed by Yuichiro HONDA and Tomohiko GONDO , Arranged by Yuichiro HONDA
[M-11] Composed and Arranged by Shiro SAGISU , Additional Production: Yuichiro HONDA
[M-14] Composed and Arranged by Tomohiko GONDO


The film is brilliant, and the soundtrack just blows your mind off, what else can you ask for?



Casshern OST's official site from toshiba-emi

Here's a great game that is similar to the style of Risk board games except it has simpler rules. Your armies are dice, and when you attack another country, all the dice involved are rolled. In this game, you start off with a predetermined amount of dice and make strategic decisions to attack and claim enemy territory. One wrong move and that could be your last!!



Play it now

This game is developed by the great folks at gamedesign.jp.

My Little Airport has just released another track on their site last week! The track entitled "畢業變成失業" which literally means "Graduation becomes unemployment" is a really cool track. The song retains the band's usual style and manages to capture the essence and feeling of many Hong Kong's youth which is the helplessness once they graduate and step into society.

My Little Airport 又推出新歌 "畢業變成失業"。新歌亦保留My Little Airport一貫搞笑，輕鬆又可愛的風格，令人聽起來很舒服。更難得是歌詞内容可以形容香港時下好多年輕人剛剛畢業踏出社會，又要面對失業，很迷惶，很無助的一種心態。

真喺好好聽GA!!



Download the track here:
My Little Airport - 畢業變成失業 (mp3)


Here are the lyrics:

唱: nicole
曲/詞/guitars: 阿p
編: 阿p/ nicole/ 阿賢@22cats/阿科@22cats
bass: 阿賢@22cats
drums: 阿科@22cats


一畢業就等於失業，
一畢業就等於失業。

Shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do。

七個月見左三十九份工，
搵份工仲難過搵老公，
我今日只想留在家中。

Shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do。

見工見到入左去東涌，
點知份工要去掘山窿，
我今日只想留在家中。
聽見同學逐個搵到工，
但我仍在尋尋覓覓中，
沒有人比我更加「火農」，
不幸正與我結伴中。

Shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do。

之後見岩份工以為好輕鬆，
因為份工基本上係無人工，
我今日只想留在家中。

Shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do
shoo do do do do do do do。

一畢業就已經失業，
一畢業就已經失業。


You might also want to read up on my other posts about My Little Airport here:
我愛官恩娜，都不及愛你的哨牙
HK's best kept secret - My Little Airport

Back by popular demand! Here's the music video and lyrics to つじあやの Tsuji Ayano's popular track "風になる" (Kaze ni naru - I become the wind). The track is the theme song for Studio Ghibli's hit movie "The Cat's Returns" (猫の恩返し). I can't explain how it feels, but the video is really cool cuz everyone is wearing glasses in it.



「風になる」歌詞

忘れていた目を閉じて　取り戻せ恋のうた
青空に隠れている　手を伸ばしてもう一度

忘れないですぐそばに　僕がいるいつの日も
星空を眺めている　一人きりの夜明けも

たった一つの心　悲しみに暮れないで
君のためいきなんて　春風に変えてやる

陽のあたる坂道を　自転車で駆けのぼる
君と失くした 想い出乗せて行くよ

ララララ　口ずさむ　くちびるを染めて行く
君と見つけた しあわせ 花のように


忘れていた窓開けて　走り出せ恋のうた
青空に託している　手をかざしてもう一度

忘れないよすぐそばに　君がいるいつの日も
星空に輝いてる　涙揺れる明日も

たった一つの言葉　この胸に抱きしめて
君のため僕は今　春風に吹かれてる

陽のあたる坂道を　自転車で駆けのぼる
君と誓った約束 乗せて行くよ

ララララ　口ずさむ　くちびるを染めて行く
君と出会えた しあわせ 祈るように


陽のあたる坂道を　自転車で駆けのぼる
君と誓った約束 乗せて行くよ

ララララ　口ずさむ　くちびるを染めて行く
君と出会えた しあわせ 祈るように
君と出会えた しあわせ 祈るように


ROMAJI:

wasurete ita me wo tojite
tori modose koi no uta
aozora ni kakureteiru
te wo nobashite mou ichido
wasurenaide sugu soba ni
boku ga iru itsu no hi mo
hoshizora ni nagameteiru hitori kiri no yoake mo
tatta hitotsu no kokoro kanashimi ni kurenaide
kimi no tameiki nante harukaze ni kaete yaru

hi no ataru sakamichi wo
jitensha de kake noboru
kimi to nakushita omoide nosete iku yo
RARARARARA kuchizusamu
kuchibiru wo somete iku
kimi to mitsuketa shiawase hana no you ni

wasurete ita mado akete hashiri dase koi no uta
aozora ni takushiteiru
te wo kazashite mou ichido
wasurenai yo sugu soba ni
kimi ga iru itsu no hi mo
hoshizora ni kagayaiteru namida yureru ashita mo
tatta hitotsu no kotoba kono mune ni dakishimete
kimi no tame boku ha ima harukaze ni fukareteru

hi no ataru sakamichi wo
jitensha de kake noboru
kimi to chikatta yakusoku nosete iku yo
RARARARARA kuchizusamu
kuchibiru wo somete iku
kimi to deaeta shiawase inoru you ni

hi no ataru sakamichi wo
jitensha de kake noboru
kimi to chikatta yakusoku nosete iku yo
RARARARARA kuchizusamu
kuchibiru wo somete iku
kimi to deaeta shiawase inoru you ni

kimi to deaeta
shiawase inoru you ni


ENGLISH:

I forgot, closing my eyes
To take back the love song
Hiding in the blue sky
I'll stretch my hands to it once more
Don't forget that no matter when
I'll be right next to you
Gazing up at the starry sky, although the dawn is lonely
Just your one heart, won't grow dark in sadness, and
I'll change your sighs into the spring wind

I'll ascend the sunny hillpath
On my bicycle
And I'll take along those memories you lost
La la la la la, I hum a tune
And it color my lips
The happiness I've found with you is like a flower

I forgot, opening the window, the love song, as I started to run
Entrusting it to the blue sky
Once more, I held my hand over my head
I won't forget that no matter when
You'll be right next to me
Shining in the starry sky is the tomorrow where our tears tremble
Just your one word, holding it to my heart
For your sake, I am now being blown back by the spring wind

I'll ascend the sunny hillpath
On my bicycle
And I'll take along the promise I swore to with you
La la la la la, I hum a tune
And it color my lips
The happiness I was able to meet with you is what I pray for

I'll ascend the sunny hillpath
On my bicycle
And I'll take along the promise I swore to with you
La la la la la, I hum a tune
And it color my lips
The happiness I was able to meet with you is what I pray for

The happiness I was able to meet with you
Is what I pray for


If you enjoyed the video, you might also want to read these related posts about Tsuji Ayano:
つじあやの - 心は君のもとへ (歌詞とPV)
COVER GIRL by Tsuji Ayano
Balanco
Tsuji Ayano

Here's a list of software that's essential for your testing and benchmarking of your computer's performance. By running these software, you are able to determine a system's capability, overall stability and compare it to other systems (benchmarking). All software featured below are freeware and are often used to test new computers as well as overclocked systems.

1. CPU Z
While not exactly a testing software, CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system. It is really useful as it displays all information about your system such as processor type and specification, L1 and L2 cache size, motherboard and bios version, and RAM information. Good for identifying information that is critical for troubleshooting a problematic system.



Download CPU-Z 1.38 from cpuid.com


2. Memtest

MemTest is a RAM reliability tester. By running MemTest you can ensure that your computer's RAM is functioning correctly. This is a good thing to check whenever you buy a new computer, install new RAM, or change the configuration of your machine (for instance, to overclock it). If you are the sort of user who likes to push the performance of your machine to the edge, relying upon whether your machine will boot after your new BIOS tweaks is a poor way to determine the safety of your new settings, you can use MemTest as a true test of stability.



Download Memtest from hcidesign.com


3. Disk Speed

This nifty piece of software performs disk speed test and provided details about how fast your disks can transfer data. The information provided includes data transfer rate for linear reads, random read transfer rate and the seek time of the drive.



Download Roadkil's Disk Speed from roadkil.net


4. Prime95

This is a popular software among overclockers worldwide for benchmarking of their systems and is also a distributed computing project. The software is widely used for "torture tests". Testers often leave the system to run Prime95 for weeks and months on end. Prime95 uses the computer to find Mersenne prime numbers, and in the process of doing this, it pushes the CPU's floating point units extremely hard, causing the CPU to become extremely hot - making Prime95 an extremely viable software for testing system stabilty. There is also a Linux version called MPrime.



Download Prime95 from mersenne.org


If your computer passes all these tests, then you can be pretty confident that your computer is fit and ready to go!

Here's a list of some of the top 10 nujazz/downtempo tracks I've listened to. I've actually published this list on internetdj.com sometime ago but I didn't feature it here. Most artist from this list are indie-based and signed to small labels with the exception of Japanese DJ, Towa Tei.

Best of Contemporary Nu-Jazz, Downtempo and Breakbeat:

1. Neutrino - Syupaman (mp3) [Read more]
2. Seksu Roba - Zero Gravity Miniskirt (mp3) [Read more]
3. Ohrlab - Voyage (mp3) [Read more]
4. DishTone - Grand Piano
5. Cinélux - Hollis (mp3) [Read more]
6. OMR - The Door (mp3) [Read more]
7. Slowly Minute - A Constellation & Shooting Stars
8. Towa Tei - A Ring
9. Zagar - Bossa Astoria (mp3) [Read more]
10. Skalpel - Ninjazz (mp3) [Read more]

Enjoy!

In the Emmy Award winning TV series Prison Break, Michael Scofield leaves origami paper folded cranes in important places in his attempt to arrange an escape from prison for himself and his older brother Lincoln Burrows who was sentenced to death. FOX has called this paper folding a crane or a swan on various occasions before, but it really is an origami duck. Since watching the series, I've always wanted to fold the paper crane for fun. Found the following instructions from flettfolding.

Instructions on How to Fold the Origami Crane from Prison Break:








And there you are! You're done! Your finished product should look more or less like this:


by Smart J

You can also download the original pdf file from flettfolding.

And here's a video on Youtube teaching you how to fold the paper crane as well:


Here's another version of the crane and this version is the official version released by FOX on Prison Break's official site. It doesn't look too much like the actual crane in the series IMO.

The Pancakes is a Hong Kong based one-girl band consisting of independent singer-songwriter Dejay Choi. The music of the Pancakes is characterized by Dejay's very innocent, almost child-like voice with bright and catchy melodies. The Pancakes has also written songs for multiple McDull movies such as Prince de La Bun ("Gum, Gum, Gum"). Dejay also the voice talent for Miss Chan in all the McDull films. The track "越過高山" (Over the mountain) is a Cantonese track yet it retain's Dejay's style of childlike voices and simple melodies.

The Pancakes 其中一首歌《a》獲九巴選為廣告用歌。Dejay亦都為電影《麥兜故事》及《麥兜菠蘿油王子》中的Miss Chan配音。於2005年憑《麥兜菠蘿油王子》的一首歌《咁咁咁》擊敗其他著名歌手和音樂人奪得香港電影金像獎最佳原創電影歌曲獎。

Try out The Pancakes, I promise you wouldn't be disappointed!



The Pancakes - Everyone has a Secret

1. tamagawa
2. far too fast
3. 越過高山 (mp3) [Download MTV]
4. unexpected obstacles
5. another fifty days
6. fake bossa nova
7. 7a.m.
8. b
9. 中文歌
10. hallo goodbye

Visit The Pancakes official site for more mp3s and lyrics to the tracks.

Lyrics to one of the tracks in Sandy Lam's latest Mandarin album "Breath Me"

放開手
4’21
曲：許哲佩 詞：許哲佩 編：Jeong Jaeil
監：雷頌德/Sandy Lam/PR Wang/Gil Hwang/李偲菘
Electric & Acoustic Guitar: Hong Jun Ho
String Arrangement: Jeong Jaeil
Background Vocal Arrangement: 雷頌德/李偲菘/Sandy Lam
Background Vocal: Sandy Lam
Record by David Sum/Ngai Chi Ming/Lee Jeong Hyoung/陳西敏/Naruse Tatsuhito
Recording Studio: Avon Studio (HK)/唐樓錄音室 (HK)/Rui Studio (Seoul, Korea)/Moon Studio (HK)
Mixed by Naruse Tatsuhito
Mixing Studio: Moon Studio (HK)

退冰後的咖啡很苦澀
愛情少了溫度只剩空殻
你說過的謊言我看破
原來只是無解的睏惑
眼淚流多少才知道痛
痛過以後會不會解脫
你就算留下又算什麼

你所謂的天長地久
卻也敵不過半個地球
心冷卻後我不再難過
痛過就收
我不再為了你受折磨
努力找尋自己的天空
讓你走後心豁然開闊

放開手　兩手空空
自由　不帶走什麼
我選擇一個人寂寞
勝過兩個人痛
放開手　兩手空空
自由
寬闊宇宙我一個人享受
單純的擁有

大口呼吸世界多美麗
對於愛情依然有憧憬
閉上眼睛我感受生命
等待奇跡
城市裡有過多少無心
無心卻傷了另一顆心
學會欣賞陰天的風景


Thanks to re-sandylam.com for providing the lyrics

Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2 is the second in the set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by Franz Liszt. He was a student of Carl Czerny, and noted especially for his showmanship and great skill with the keyboard.

The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor is particularly well known, due to its frequent use in animated cartoons. The piece has appeared in cartoons such as Mickey Mouse in The Opry House in 1929, and most well known for the Tom & Jerry Academy Award winner "The Cat Concerto". This animation was one of my favourite Tom & Jerry clips and I really enjoyed watching it everytime.



Here is the piece available as a free download, as performed by Sean Bennett, a world-class pianist hailing from Chicago, Illinios who has performed for the foreign consulates of 20 countries.

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Performed by Sean Bennett) (mp3)

Testrauschen is a group from Munich, Germany. The group name means "Test Noise" in German and it reflects their style, which is mainly experimental. The group produces ambient, electronic, experimental, sometimes energetic music.



The track "Glad to be here" is really beautiful and sounds hopeful. While sweeping pads in the background conjure a dreamy landscape, the synth leads the main progression towards the buildup. But there's no real climax here, it just sort of dies down in the final moments track. The other track featured here, "Der Panther", offers a somewhat contrasted mood as compared to the first track. Although both tracks are mainly progressive in nature, "Der Panther" is the more repetitive of the two, but still a great track nonetheless.

Although I've only listened to 2 of their tracks, I really like their style - downright simple, no-nonsense, and progressive.

Testrauschen - Glad to be here (mp3)
Testrauschen - Der Panther (mp3)


Want more news and downloads about Testrauschen? Visit them here:
http://www.testrauschen.com/

Found this while going through some forums:

The track "Monopolist" featured below is from Danish music group, Efterklang's debut album "Tripper". The track is a testament to what the band is exactly capable of, calm and soothing music. Throughout the track, gentle vocals combined with that ever repetitive drum beats and the sweet violin solo coupled with a soft trombone, combine to give you that perfect audiotory experience.



Efterklang - Monopolist (mp3)

Visit them on efterklang.net.

You can read up abit about Efterklang on my blog posts here:
Efterklang
Cacoy is "Kakoii"!! - Another band signed to Efterklang's label.

Due to popular demand, I've decided to post the lyrics for Utada Hikaru's latest single "Flavor of Life" below:


ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......

友達でも恋人でもない中間地点で
収穫の時を夢見てる青いフルーツ

あと一歩が踏み出せないせいで
じれったいの何のってBaby

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......

甘いだけの誘い文句
味気のないTalk
そんなものには興味をそそられない

思い通りにいかない時だって
人生捨てたもんじゃないって

「どうしたの？」と
急に聞かれると
「ううん、何でもない」
さようならの後に消える笑顔
私らしくない

信じたいと願えば願うほど
なんだか切ない
「愛してるよ」よりも「大好き」の方が
君らしいんじゃない
The flavor of life…

忘れかけてた人の香りを
突然思い出す頃
降り積もる雪の白さをもっと
素直に喜びたいよ

ダイヤモンドより軟らかくて
温かな未来
手にしたいよ限りある時間を
君と過ごしたい

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life......The flavor of life...


Arigatou to kimi ni iwareru to nandaka setsunai
sayonara no ato mo tokenu mahou awaku horonigai
The flavor of life......The flavor of life...

tomodachi demo koibito demo nai chuukan chiten de
shuukaku no hi wo yumemiteru aoi furu-tsu
ato ippo ga fumidasenai sei de
Jirettai no nani notte? Baby

arigatou to kimi ni iwareru to nandaka setsunai
sayounara no ato mo tokenu mahou awaku horonigai
The flavor of life......The flavor of life...

amai dake no sasoi monku ajike no nai doku
sonna mono ni wa kyoumi wa sosorarenai
omoitoori ni ikanai toki datte
jinsei suteta mon janai tte

doushita no? to kyuu ni kikareru to “uun. nandemo nai”
sayounara no ato ni kieru egao watashi rashikunai
sinjitai to negaeba negau hodo nandaka setsunai
“aishiteru yo” yori mo “daisuki” no hou ga kimi rashii janai?
The flavor of life

wasurekakete ita hito no kaori wo totsuzen omoidasu koro
furitsumoru yuki no shirosa wo omou to sunao ni yorokobitai yo

daiyamondo yorimo yawarakakute atatakana mirai
teni shitai yo kagiri aru jikan wo kimi to sugoshitai
“arigatou” to kimi ni iwareru to nandaka setsunai
sayounara no ato mo tokenu mahou awaku horonigai
The flavor of life......The flavor of life...


You can view the video on my post about the new single here:
Hikki's new single - "FLAVOR OF LIFE"

Shpongle is considered to be one of the most important and influential psychedelic downtempo or Psybient music projects of recent years. It is a project by Simon Posford (Hallucinogen) and Raja Ram. Their 2001 album "Tales of the inexpressible" alongside with their first album "Are you shpongled?" are among to be the most important and genre defining albums in the psychedelic downtempo (psybient) genre.

The track "Dorset Perceptions" is the best track in this album and is just about the right tempo for mixing into other psy/goa and even trance tracks... It's not as hard as Skazi or other Hallucinogen works, yet it is not exactly psybient like Shulman or Leftfield. Spanish and Oriental sounds interwining with classical guitars, flutes, and distorted vocal samples are widely used throughout this album to present you with that Goa groove that's distinctly Shpongle's.



1. Dorset Perception (mp3)
2. Star Shpongled Banner
3. A New Way to Say "hooray"
4. Room 23 (mp3)
5. My Head Feels Like a Frisbee
6. Shpongleyes
7. Once Upon the Sea of Blissful Awarness
8. Around the World in a Tea Daze (mp3)
9. Flute Fruit

Visit Shpongle's fan site and Simon Posford's myspace for more news and mp3 downloads.

L.A.-based live progressive house/trance duo Second Sun is composed of Antoine & Adam. Second Sun first stormed onto the international dance music scene with their single "Empire," which was remixed by Paul Van Dyk and included on his huge selling compilation The Politics of Dancing.

The duo then went a step further collaborating with Paul van Dyk for the track "Crush" in the hit album "Reflections", they have enjoyed formidable reputation as trance artists. Akin to Paul van Dyk's dense production style, Second Sun not only create celestial, heartstring-tugging melodies, but they also incorporate live instrumentation and electronic manipulation that are sure to move minds and feet alike.



Second Sun - The Spell (mp3)

Visit the group's myspace here.

This is a great service provided for free by Takuma Mori of vixy.net. The service is using a compressed domain transcoder technology (outline in Japanese). Converts FLV to MPEG4 faster and less loss in quality than a typical transcoder. FLV file formats are commonly used by sites such as Youtube, Google Video, Reuters.com, Myspace etc. Don't know what's a FLV file? Read here.

You just enter the URL of the page that contains the FLV file and the Converter will change it to whatever format you want. You have options either to convert the FLV to avi, mov, mp3, 3gp, and even mp3 only. Then you can download the converted files. This is a pretty cool way to download FLV files from Youtube, Myspace etc.



FLV Online Converter

Utada Hikaru's latest Japanese single is titled "Flavor Of Life" and will be released on February 28th!! The single features a total of 5 tracks, including an original and ballad version of the title track, as well as a CD only remix.

宇多田ヒカル新曲「Ｆｌａｖｏｒ　ｏｆ　Ｌｉｆｅ」はドラマ「花より男子２＜リターンズ＞」の劇中歌。２／２８発売日です。

Edit-Due to popular demand I've decided to upload the lyrics to the song(Flavor of Lifeの歌詞):
"Flavor of Life" Lyrics - Utada Hikaru



TRACKS:
01. Flavor Of Life
02. Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version- (image song for J-Drama 花より男子2 - Hana Yori Dango 2)
03. Flavor Of Life (Original Karaoke)
04. Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version- (Original Karaoke)
05. Flavor Of Life -Antidote Mix- (CD-Only Bonus Track)

And here's the PV for Flavor of Life (Ballad Version):
ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅよりＰＶフル視聴


New Single "Flavor of life" from Hikki's official site.

At17 (雁石分天) is a Hong Kong girl band that is pitched to appeal to high school and university students. The group members are Eman Lam (林二汶) and Ellen Joyce Loo (盧凱彤).

At17 seems to be more artistically and musically inclined and contrast significantly when compared other mainstream Cantopop girl groups such as Twins and Cookies. Both Loo and Lam are involved considerably in the songwriting and production for their albums. Loo plays the guitar and piano, and Lam plays the guitar and various percussion instruments.

Their style may be best described as Folktronica and their light melodies and simple lyrics appeal to many teenagers today. The duo have also written multiple tracks for the OST of many Mcdull movies such as Prince de la Bun(麥兜菠蘿油王子). At17 is currently signed to the same record label as Pixeltoy - people mountain people sea (人山人海 - a Chinese proverb which means a lot of people).

Here's the video for the track 三分鐘後 by at17. Its a really cool track.



at17's official website
at17's official blog

Bloggers United: No Fear

Read more:
Bloggers sued in Malaysia
Bloggers united. No Fear.
BLOGGERS UNITE!
In Honour of the Heroes

Remember the game Starcraft? Well, here's a treat for all you Starcraft fans out there.

This is a flash version of the immensely popular game by Blizzard, Starcraft. Starcraft FA5 stands for "Flash Action". As you can guess, it it currently in its fifth edition and legions of fans cheer on the developers of this game to continue developing it.



In this game, you play the role of a Terran army general and have to build turrets and then upgrade and defend your base against swarms of Zerg enemy attacks. Gameplay is extremely similar to the Tower Defence games from Warcraft so players of those games will feel right at home.

Play it now

Check out other similar games here:
Tower Defence Flash Game
Flashcraft Tower Defence Game

Here's the video for Tsuji Ayano's (つじあやの) track 心は君のもとへ (Kokoro wa kimi no moto e) which is featured in her album Haru Mikan (春蜜柑) and her EP "Koi suru Megane" (恋する眼鏡). The video's really great and its filmed in the Portugese city of Lisbon.





And here's the lyrics of the track. Sorry I didn't have time to translate or romanize them.

作詩：つじあやの 作曲：つじあやの

守られていた
その時までは
きっとまた戻ってくれると
信じて待っていた
うそが上手な君のことば
きっとまた 笑ってくれると
信じて待っていた fu…

きっと夢はかなうだろう
青い青い空の下
つながってゆく広がってゆく
心は君のもとへ

失っていたその時僕は
きっとまた忘れられないと
感じて泣いていた
うそでかためた夜の星は
きっとまた離れられないと
感じて泣いていた fu…

きっと君は来ないだろう
暗い暗い空の下
くずれてゆくこわれてゆく
心は君のはてに

きっと僕はうたうだろう
遠い遠い空の下
流れてゆくあふれてゆく
心を抱いて歩いてゆく
きっと夢はかなうだろう
青い青い空の下
つながってゆく広がってゆく
心は君のもとへ
心は君のもとへ

In the meantime, you might also like to read these related posts about Tsuji Ayano:
COVER GIRL by Tsuji Ayano
Balanco
Tsuji Ayano

Here's a flash game for all you Sudoku lovers out there. There are 75 levels in total and fill in the 9x9 grid and ensure every column, row and box contains numbers from 1 to 9. Use the Hint by first selecting a square you need help on.



Play it now

Karlheinz Stockhausen is often heralded as one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking work in electronic music and controlled chance in serial composition. His works are orchestral but widespread use of electronics throughout his work has had a lasting impact on the more classical, avant-garde, and electronic music communities.

Popular musicians such as Cecil Taylor, The Beatles, Kraftwerk, Coil, Björk, Sonic Youth, Miles Davis (Bergstein 1992), Frank Zappa, and Herbie Hancock cite Stockhausen as an influence.

The tracks featured below are from the CD 50 FREITAG aus LICHT and has a dark, looming atmosphere which is dominant throughout the entire length of the album. The track "Elufa" is somewhat lighter as compared with other tracks in the album with the use of brass instruments and also a choir, but its still shockingly dark and eerie nonetheless.



CD 50 FREITAG aus LICHT

1. FRIDAY TEMPTATION Score Page 1 (mp3)
2. FRIDAY TEMPTATION Tone Scene 1 (mp3)
3. KINDER ORCHESTER (S. 13) (mp3)
4. ELUFA Real Scene (S.130/131) (mp3)
5. CHOR-SPIRALE Real Scene (S. 130/136) (mp3)


More info about this great composer can be found here:
www.stockhausen.org

Japan's Takagi Masakatsu (高木正勝) is a seasoned audio/visual pioneer whose work has been projected and played in galleries and clubs throughout Europe, the United States, and the Pacific Rim. He dabbles his talents in many various fields of art including music, video making, photography and even art paintings as well.

COIEDA is the title of Takagi Masakatsu's 2004 instrumental and jazz album. Its an album that employs extensive use of pianos and simple offtrack beats to carry out that jazzy vibe which is the essence of this album. His works are visual expression of the world around him, just as painters paint their visions and they allow us a glimpse into how Mr Takagi views his world around him.

My favourite tracks are exit/delete (vocals by Daid Sylvian), Girls, and Private Drawing. The tracks in this album are just so soothing and calm. If you're intending to listen to a great CD to chill out after a long day at work or a hectic day at school, then COIEDA is for you.



COIEDA

1. pia flies
2. new flat
3. midnight (mp3)
4. cruz
5. exit/delete
6. COIEDA
7. O.P.R.
8. dogma
9. girls (mp3)
10. private drawing
11. cuba
12. birldland #3
13. change of seasons
14. opferm (mp3)
15. primo

Do check out COIEDA's page for a complete mp3 and music video listing and Takagi Masakatsu's official site for more of his works and videos.

Just listened to some tracks from the album "A Moment of Stillness" by instrumental band "God is an Astronaut". They are considered by many as the most intense live act to emerge from Ireland in recent times due to their controversial audio/visual shows.

This album here is very subtle yet it is laced with melodic guitar leads and peppered with fine traces of electronica. Nothing in this EP is really repetitive because it progresses steadliy thoughout the course of the album. The tracks "A Moment of Stillness" and "Elysian Fields" are both shimmering and hauntingly beautiful.



A Moment of Stillness

1. Frozen Twilight
2. A Moment of Stillness (mp3)
3. Forever Lost(Reprise)
4. Elysian Fields
5. Crystal Canyon


Visit God is An Astronaut's official site and their myspace profile for a complete listing of their works and more downloads.

King Ly Chee (荔枝王) is a hardcore punk band from Hong Kong. They consists of band members Andy, Riz, G, Pong and Man and are often heralded as one of the pioneers of hardcore in HK. Their music is a fine but curious mix of punk rock, hardcore, metal and indie-rock infused with shouted verses, interspersed with melodic flourishes. Their lyrics are thought-provoking and aimed at the younger generation, much similar to their contemporaries such as LMF.

King Ly Chee participates in frequent gigs and tours in HK and other major asian cities such as Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta. They have a huge following in Taiwan and Japan as well. King Ly Chee is a very talented band who have made a name for themselves as well as secured an incredibly loyal fan base. Though I'm never a big fan of punk rock, I must say that I'm truly impressed.



King Ly Chee - Children (mp3)


More info on the band can be found on their website:
www.kinglychee.com

and also from their myspace site:
king ly chee

Currently listening to:

Zhou Kou Dian 周口店
Audiotraffic
Dream-fly
So What
Hardpack

Will post a bit on them once I'm done listening.

Hitoto You (一青窈) is best known for her Jpop debut single Morai Naki (もらい泣き). The single reached #4 on Oricon charts and charting for an amazing 68 weeks in the top 200 singles. The single became the #13 single of 2003, and was awarded the Best Hit Artist, with the Debut Artist of the Year award at the Nihon Record Taishou.

It is also interesting to note that if the track "Morai Naki" is played at 80% of its original speed, the singer sounds exactly like Hirai Ken (平井堅), a popular Japanese R & B singer.



PV for Morai Naki (もらい泣き):



一青窈 - もらい泣き（歌詞）

作詞：一青窈
作曲：溝渕大智・マシコタツロウ・武部聡志


朝、から　字幕だらけのテレビに
齧り付く夜光虫。
自分の場所
探すひろいリビングで
『ふっ』と　君がよぎる

愛をよく知る親友とか　に　は　
話せないし、夢みがち。
段ボール　の、中　ヒキコモりっきり
あのねでもね、
ただ誰多遜訊いてキイテキイテ

※ええいああ　君から「もらい泣き」
　ほろり・ほろり　ふたりぼっち
　ええいああ　僕にも「もらい泣き」
　やさしい・の・は　誰です※

乙女座
言葉、にすればする程
意味がない小宇宙。
あげよう!
と、決めた絵本だって
とうに流行り廃れちゃった。

PM12:00過ぎ　て、鳴らすメロディー
迎えが来ないシンデレラ。
明日 - 笑える - 始めの - 一歩
からだで　おしえて　欲しい誰多遜ホシイホシイ

（※くり返し）

ええいああ　ぽろぽろもらい泣き
ひとりひとりふたりぼっち
ええいああ　僕にももらい泣き
やさしいのは　そう　君です

（※くり返し）

ええいああ　君から「もらい泣き」
ほろり・ほろり　ふたりぼっち
ええいあありがとう「もらい泣き」
やさしいのはそう　君です

Romaji:

asa kara jimaku darake no terebi ni
kajiritsuku yakouchuu
jibun no basho
sagasu hiroi ribingu de
futto kimi ga yogiru

ai wo yoku shiru shinyuu toka ni wa
hanasenai shi yumemigachi
danboru no naka hikikomorikkiri
ano ne, demo ne
tada kiite, kiite, kiite

*eeiaa kimi kara morai naki
horori horori futaribocchi
eeiaa boku ni mo morai naki
yasashii no wa dare desu*

otomoeza
kotoba ni sureba suru hodo
imi ga nai shouuchuu
ageyou!
to kimeta ehonn datte
tou ni hayari sutare chatta

jyuuniji sugi te narasu merodii
mukae ga konai shinderera
asu waraeru hajime no ippo
karada de oshiete hoshii hoshii hoshii

(* repeat)

eeiaa poro poro morai naki
hitori hitori futaribocchi
eeiaa boku ni mo morai naki
yasashii no wa sou kimi desu

(* repeat)

eeiaa kimi kara morai naki
horori horori futaribocchi
eeia arigatou morai naki
yasashii no wa sou kimi desu

Translation:

In a TV full of subtitles early in the morning
There are bugs that seem to gnaw into it
In the big living room where I try to find my place
You pass by me

*I can’t tell my good friends who know a lot about love
And compared to them I’m a dreamer
I’m still stuck inside the cardboard box
But still, please,
Listen, listen, listen*

Eeiaa I receive tears from you
Sentimental, it’s just the two of us
Eeiaa I receive tears from you
Who is the kind one?

Virgo
The more we put in to words
The less meaning it has, the little universe (microcosmos galaxy)
Even the picturebook that I planned to give away
Slowly rotted away to the trends

The melody that sounds at midnight
Cinderella who doesn’t have a way home
The way to smile tomorrow
I want you to show me with your body

(* repeat)

Eeiaa, drop by drop, the tears fall down
Sentimental, it’s just the two of us
Eeiaa, I receive tears from you too
The kind one is, yes, it’s you

(* repeat)

Eeiaa I receive tears from you
Sentimental, it’s just the two of us
Eeia, thank you, for the tears
The kind one is, yes, it’s you

The term "Kakoii" (かこいい) is a very common term in Japanese and is often used to describe something cool. And this is what Cacoy, a Japanese band, really is all about. Simply put, their music is downright cool.

Cacoy consists of members from Japanese band Tenniscoats (Saya and Takeshi Ueno), DJ Klock (a frequent collaborator of talented Japanese DJs such as Ken Ishii and DJ Krush) and Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Cacoy is also signed to the same label as Danish post rock guru, Efterklang. The tracks featured below are from their album "Human is Music" - a much clearer descendent of the Danish host's post-electronica-rock sound. The track "Yoko Majikick Ono" utilises simple electronic synths and beats to bring out the very essence of their style, which is light, but definitely not light-hearted.



Cacoy - Piracle Pa (mp3)
Cacoy - Yoko Majikick Ono (mp3)

Visit Cacoy's label rumraket.net for more details and downloads.

This track is a rather old track by popular Jpop artist Utada Hikaru and is feature in her 2003 single "Colors" as well as her latest album "ULTRA BLUE". The single "Colors" also features "Simple and Clean" which is an English version of the track "Hikari" and is also the themesong for the hit game "Kingdom Hearts". It's a pretty cool track and her music video was simply superb!



Here's the video for the track:



And here's the lyrics:

COLORS

作詞: 宇多田ヒカル 作曲: 宇多田ヒカル

ミラーが映し出す幻を気にしながら
いつの間にか速度上げてるのさ

どこへ行ってもいいと言われると
半端な願望には標識も全部灰色だ

炎の揺らめき　今宵も夢を描く
あなたの筆先　渇いていませんか

青い空が見えぬなら青い傘広げて
いいじゃないか　キャンバスは君のもの
白い旗はあきらめた時にだけかざすの
今は真っ赤に　誘う闘牛士のように

カラーも色褪せる蛍光灯の下
白黒のチェスボードの上で君に出会った

僕らは一時　迷いながら寄り添って
あれから一月　憶えていますか

オレンジ色の夕日を隣で見てるだけで
よかったのにな　口は災いの元
黒い服は死者に祈る時にだけ着るの
わざと真っ赤に残したルージュの痕

もう自分には夢の無い絵しか描けないと言うなら
塗り潰してよ　キャンバスを何度でも
白い旗はあきらめた時にだけかざすの
今の私はあなたの知らない色

Romaji:

COLORS

Lyrics: Utada Hikaru Music: Utada Hikaru

MIRAA ga utsushidasu maboroshi wo ki ni shi nagara
Itsu no ma ni ka sokudo ageteru no sa

Doko he itte mo ii to ii wareru to
Hanpa na ganmou ni wa hyoushiki mo zenbu haiiro da

Honoo no yurameki koyoi mo yume wo egaku
Anata no fudesaki kawaite imasen ka

Aoi sora ga mieru nara aoi kasa hirogete
Ii janai ka KYANBASU wa kimi no mono
Shiroi hata wa akirameta toki ni dake kazasu no
Ima wa makka ni sasou tougyuushi no you ni

KARAA mo iro aseru keikoutou no moto
Shirokuro no chesuboodu no ue de kimi ni deatta

Bokura wa hitotoki mayoi nagara yorisoutte
Are kara hitotsuki oboete imasu ka

ORENJI iro no yuuhi wo tonari de miteru dake de yokatta no ni na
Kuchi wa wazawai no moto
Kuroi fuku wa shisha ni inoru toki ni dake kiru no
Wazato makka ni nokoshita ruuju no ato

Mou jibun ni wa yume no nai e shika egakenai to iu nara
Nuritsubushite yo KYANBASU wo nando demo
Shiroi hata wa akirameta toki ni dake kazasu no
Ima no watashi wa anata no shiranai iro

Translation:

COLORS

Lyrics: Utada Hikaru Translation: Izak Loftus

The mirror reflects the illusions in my soul
And before I’m aware of it, I’m quickly lifted

Where can we go and can we break apart?
The sign of my incomplete wish is entirely gray

Flickering flames paint my dreams tonight
Your brush isn’t dried up yet?

You’ll be able to see the blue sky if you open up your blue umbrella
Is that not good enough? The canvas is yours
I’ll surrender to time and hold the white flag overhead
Now I’m like a matador, enticing you with crimson

Color after color fades under the flourescent lights
I met you on the black and white chessboard

When I lost my way that time, I leaned close to you
Ever since that month, I’ve wondered if you even remember it

Simply watching the orange color of the setting sun with you made me happy
Your mouth was the origin of catastrophe
Black clothes are only worn when praying for the deceased
Crimson is intentionally left behind by the mark of rouge

You say that there are no more dreams to paint within myself
But how many times must I fill this canvas?
I’ll surrender to time and hold the white flag overhead
Now I am the color that you do not know

COVER GIRL is a 2004 album by Tsuji Ayano (つじあやの). In this album, she performs covers of popular Japanese and English songs. Hence the name "COVER GIRL". Although this album is a cover album, it has nothing short of Tsuji Ayano's own style. Simply put, when you're listening to this album, you won't even feel that its a cover version because its so distinct and unique in style.

The album is considered to be something different because it is presented in 2 CDs (Tokyo side and Kyoto side). Her second 2 CD album is CALENDAR CALENDAR which is a compilation of her "Four Seasons" singles. Also, this is her first time singing in English (Never can Say Goodbye by Jackson5), considering the absence of English lyrics in most, if not all of her songs.

Notable tracks worth listening in this album are 黄金の月, シャ・ラ・ラ and Swallowtail Butterfly～あいのうた～. Her best track in this album is 星に願いを(When You Wish Upon A Star) IMO. Its so different from the old version by Louis Armstrong yet it still sounds really cool. Perhaps its her gentle twang of her ukulele that makes the real difference.



Tokyo Side -disc 1-
1. 黄金の月 / スガ シカオ (Kogare no Gatsu)
2. パレード / シュガー・ベイブ (Paredo) [Listen Real Audio] [Listen WMP]
3. シャ・ラ・ラ / サザンオールスターズ(Sha Ra Ra)
4. Never Can Say Goodbye / JACKSON5
5. 年下の男の子 / キャンディーズ (Toshishita no Otoko no ko)
6. ラブレター / THE BLUE HEARTS (Ravureta)
7. 星に願いを(When You Wish Upon A Star) ＜Full Version＞ [Listen Real Audio]

Kyoto Side -disc 2-
1. チェリー / スピッツ〔鴨川土手より〕(Chiari) [Listen Real Audio]
2. 結婚しようよ / 吉田拓郎〔京都市立銅駝美術工芸高等学校より〕(Kekkon Shioyou)
3. プカプカ / 西岡恭蔵〔法然院より〕(Puka Puka)
4. なんとなくなんとなく / ザ・スパイダース〔METROより〕(Nantonaku Nantonaku)
5. Swallowtail Butterfly～あいのうた～ / YEN TOWN BAND〔つじ家より〕
6. 別れても好きな人 / ロス インディオス & シルビア〔Irish PUB fieldより〕(Wakare demo Iki na Hito)
7. お世話になりました / 井上 順〔TK furnitureより〕(Osewa ni Narimashita)

Check out Tsuji Ayano's official site for more previews and a complete list of her works released.

By the way, Tsuji Ayano has released several new albums つじベスト (Tsuji Best) which is a collection of all her best tracks and はじまりの時 (The Time at the Beginning) during the last quarter of 2006. I'll write up a bit on these albums once I've listened to them.

In the mean time, you can read more about Tsuji Ayano on my posts below:
Tsuji Ayano
Balanco
Tsuji Ayano's new Hairstyle

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ, Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta) is a great movie that I've watched for sometime. It was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in 1986 by Studio Ghibli. The OST was composed by none other than Joe Hisaishi (久石譲) who is a frequent collaborator and composer of Ghibli films. The OST for this movie was highly acclaimed by both fans and critics alike.



So here's the piano scores for Laputa's OST:

The Girl Who Fell from The Sky (Laputa theme) (空から降ってきた少女, Sora kara futtekita Shoujo)
[Page1][Page 2]

Memories of Gondoa (ゴンドアの思い出, Gondoa no Omoide)
[Page 1][Page 2]

Discouraged Pazu (失意のパズー, Shitsui no Pazu)
[Page 1]

Sheeta's Decision (シータの決意, Shiita no Ketsui)
[Page 1] [Page 2]

The Moonlit Sea of Clouds (月光の雲海, Gekkou no Unkai)
[Page 1] [Page 2]

Castle in the Sky, Laputa (天空の城ラピュタ, Tenkyuu no Shiro, Ryaputa)
[Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4] [Page 5]


Thanks for Ichigo's Sheet Music for providing the above piano scores.
And do remember to visit Nausicaa.net for a detailed review of the movie and Studio Ghibli's offcial site for more info.

Build Buildings is Ben Tweel, musician, scientist, philologist. Ben was born in Columbus, OH, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. Under the name Build Buildings, Ben makes music with computers, instruments, household noises and records.

Frankly speaking, I don't really know how to classify their music, closest sounding thing would probably be minimal. Though it sounds somewhat minimal, there's not a great deal of droning in the music. Instead, as you listen to Ben's works, you'll be welcomed by ambient-esque electronic blips. Despite this, delicate beats still manage to leave space for external ambient sounds to filter in and play with the music.

Highly recommended.



there is a problem
with my tape recorder

1. 27 Cents
2. Mackerel Scout
3. Dibs
4. Pendulum
5. Servo
6. Notices
7. Test (mp3)
8. Wash
9. Drumspeed
10. tk
11. November (mp3)
12. er+

Check out Build Building's official site for more mp3 downloads and info.

來到今天 ~ 李克勤, 黃伊汶

曲:謝杰 詞:陳少琪 編:劉祖德

(李): 我路過 行李藏著太多的傷痛
那會為誰逗留盛放我笑容

*(黃): 我也路過 既能被你感動　
你都失重 為何將言詞
都鎖進在眼中

(黃): 年紀小 不等於我是錯　
盡情活著 為何代表闖禍
(李): 請別來愛我 我沒法親手　
又再寫多一首昨日悲歌

# (李): 來到今天 就當做記念趁著我們能避免
(黃): 我會勇敢跳進你的空白點
(李): 為何像隔開一光年
(李): 今天我又再失眠
(黃): 今天以後更驚險 都一起脫險
(李): 來到今天 別了別掛念趁著結局能預見
(黃): 我不怕雨天 預備共你的愛＃
用血與淚提煉
(李):如若肚餓了願你細心點 找到合適餐店 *

Repeat *

(李): 只貪溫暖 終於只有更加混亂
如沒有缺陷誰會堅決絕緣
(黃): 明明是愛著要扮到隔開很遠
若愛燒光耗損
(李): 世上都繼續轉 (黃):世上不必轉圈

Repeat #

(黃): 用血與淚提煉 (李):不可並肩
(李): 如若雨未過
(黃): 就算濕透身
(黃): 亦要再遇見
(李): 請等晴天

好多年前嘅一首歌但係都係咁好聽...《來到今天》曾經予2002年獲得「十大勁歌金曲第一季季選」 最受歡迎合唱歌曲之一 。每次聽呢首歌嘅時候都有一份冬天嘅感覺..

Flashcraft TD is a tower defence game. Gameplay is similar to the likes of Element TD I've presented sometime ago.

Interface closely mimics the one from Warcraft, right down to the initial game screen! In this game, you can build and upgrade towers for more attack. Wave after wave of "creeps" pour out the spawning point, each level in increasing difficulty. Place your towers in strategic places to stop the creeps from reaching your base!





Flashcraft Tower Defence Flash Game:

Play it now (Takes awhile to load, pls be patient)

If you liked this game, you might also want to try Element TD which is also another Tower Defence Flash.