Debate
I used to be in one of those little Asian cliques my freshman year. Now I hang out with Americans and don’t talk to them anymore. Well, I’m convinced that America is a salad bowl. Not a particularly good one, but that’s not the question.
Take my friend Sam for example. His favorite pastime activity is prank calling, and when he does that, he employs an alternate personality. He has two of them. One is a Hispanic gardener, and the other is a woman in a heavy ebony accent. He is a white American.
When I talk to my American friends, I don’t like to emphasize my Korean heritage. They do enough of it for me.
In a salad, if you are a piece of tomato, you probably don’t know what lettuce, onion, cheese, or Italian dressing tastes like.
My other schoolmate, Will, assumes that I haven’t seen Titanic or Independence Day because I’m from another culture. I have seen both movies more than twice each. Will is a white American, too.
This ignorance of cultural difference can be seen everywhere. Go to Google and type in the word “why.” The second suggestion is “why are black people so loud?” Go to your school’s cafeteria. You’ll see a Caucasian table. An African-American table. An Asian-American table. Would you still say America has successfully merged its diverse cultures together?
I <3 informality
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Brett Anderson Review
6.8/10
Suede sounds so British. They came out in the Britpop rush of the 90’s, and they sure sound like it. Although they were no Blur or Oasis, Suede does relate to nothing else but Britpop.
With his third solo album, however, Brett Anderson declares he doesn’t want to be associated with Suede. Well, Brett Anderson honestly sucked. It got stuck somewhere in between Suede and contemporary pop and ended up with a sound that doesn’t really go with the cover (yes, album artwork matters). Turns out Anderson did know that Brett Anderson went a bit downhill, and he did a pretty good job restoring his musical credit with Slow Attack.
I wasn’t really sure what I would expect from a mature Brett Anderson. I figured it wouldn’t be the typical Suede stuff. So I started blank. First thing I noted—more like freaked out over—was that it did not sound like Suede. Or, on that matter, Brett Anderson himself. The sharp annoying metrosexual voice is pretty much gone, although there are some places you can tell it’s the former Suede singer. In other words, you will never ever hear another “Beautiful Ones” or “So Young” in this album or, I suspect, any future album from Anderson. He’s made a statement: he won’t take magazine cover photographs in front of the Union Jack anymore. He sings more plainly, maturely, and calmly. This could be a good thing or bad thing depending on who you are. If you are a rabid Suede reunionist, you won’t like what this album shouts out: I am not in Suede anymore. If you are unbiased, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll like this album. If you are the kind of person who likes calm but not depressing music, you will love this album.
It was a pleasant surprise to hear classic instruments such as clarinets used throughout the album. As a lover of the clarinet family, I should adore Anderson’s decision to put an effective sentimental touch to the album with clarinets and, I believe, oboes. The minimum usage of the guitar makes me wonder whether he was trying to make a statement to his former guitarist Bernard Butler. Other than the oboes and clarinets, the instrumental arrangement is pretty standard with a guitar, drums, a piano, and strings. Anderson seems to put more emphasis on his voice. The sound is like cold air through the window on a winter morning—you know you are in a warm place, but it’s sharp and fresh.
The album is consistent, and with this style, no one would expect much variation. However, the placement of “Julian’s Eyes”—at all—detracts much from the overall consistency and atmosphere of the album. I would recommend cutting it off the album playlist. Ironically, it is the track that sounds closest to Suede.
Although the album is quite brilliant overall, Brett Anderson probably would not want to continue producing this style of music, as it will get old and sound the same as the listener deposits more plays. Anderson has proven he can be good and not be Suede at the same time. Now, we would like to hear more.
Suede sounds so British. They came out in the Britpop rush of the 90’s, and they sure sound like it. Although they were no Blur or Oasis, Suede does relate to nothing else but Britpop.
With his third solo album, however, Brett Anderson declares he doesn’t want to be associated with Suede. Well, Brett Anderson honestly sucked. It got stuck somewhere in between Suede and contemporary pop and ended up with a sound that doesn’t really go with the cover (yes, album artwork matters). Turns out Anderson did know that Brett Anderson went a bit downhill, and he did a pretty good job restoring his musical credit with Slow Attack.
I wasn’t really sure what I would expect from a mature Brett Anderson. I figured it wouldn’t be the typical Suede stuff. So I started blank. First thing I noted—more like freaked out over—was that it did not sound like Suede. Or, on that matter, Brett Anderson himself. The sharp annoying metrosexual voice is pretty much gone, although there are some places you can tell it’s the former Suede singer. In other words, you will never ever hear another “Beautiful Ones” or “So Young” in this album or, I suspect, any future album from Anderson. He’s made a statement: he won’t take magazine cover photographs in front of the Union Jack anymore. He sings more plainly, maturely, and calmly. This could be a good thing or bad thing depending on who you are. If you are a rabid Suede reunionist, you won’t like what this album shouts out: I am not in Suede anymore. If you are unbiased, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll like this album. If you are the kind of person who likes calm but not depressing music, you will love this album.
It was a pleasant surprise to hear classic instruments such as clarinets used throughout the album. As a lover of the clarinet family, I should adore Anderson’s decision to put an effective sentimental touch to the album with clarinets and, I believe, oboes. The minimum usage of the guitar makes me wonder whether he was trying to make a statement to his former guitarist Bernard Butler. Other than the oboes and clarinets, the instrumental arrangement is pretty standard with a guitar, drums, a piano, and strings. Anderson seems to put more emphasis on his voice. The sound is like cold air through the window on a winter morning—you know you are in a warm place, but it’s sharp and fresh.
The album is consistent, and with this style, no one would expect much variation. However, the placement of “Julian’s Eyes”—at all—detracts much from the overall consistency and atmosphere of the album. I would recommend cutting it off the album playlist. Ironically, it is the track that sounds closest to Suede.
Although the album is quite brilliant overall, Brett Anderson probably would not want to continue producing this style of music, as it will get old and sound the same as the listener deposits more plays. Anderson has proven he can be good and not be Suede at the same time. Now, we would like to hear more.
Passion Pit Review
Passion Pit was one of the best discoveries of 2009 for me. And I believe many others—I bet I can form a little legion of Passion Pit followers almost instantaneously with a few text messages. The best part is that the hype is not quite overrated (Merriweather Post Pavillion, tsk tsk).
I don’t know whether starting from scratch helps forming a sheer and unbiased (or should I say totally biased? It’s my uninfluenced opinion, after all) conception of an album. Assuming this is true, I say the album is pretty much amazing. Its appeal does not lie in its genre, lyrics, or sound. Manners appeals to everyone. From a compulsive Pitchfork follower like myself to a Lady GaGa lover, Manners has its moments.
To start off, Passion Pit does electronica. Yes, it is an awfully broad definition for a genre. I will do my best describing it. It’s not heavily ambient at all, so do NOT expect something like Aphex Twin (you would have figured this when I said a Lady GaGa fan would like this). One opinion of mine that will probably bring contention from the majority is that there is something is common between Manners and Sigur Rós. Furthering this analogy, I don’t think as many people would object that Passion Pit is the extremely poppier and synthesized version of Animal Collective (go listen to Lion in a Coma). The whole album relies heavily on synthesizers which give it the dance floor touch. I am no expert in musical instruments, but I hardly hear any acoustic sound in this album. I am also pretty sure the beats are done on a drum machine, which certainly is not always bad. One thing I never bothered to figure out is whether the guys distort the vocals which sound like kids. The distorted (or not) vocals do pose an obstacle in my understanding of the lyrics, so I will skip lyrical analysis. Not that it matters much these days.
I figured track-by-track analyses are not the best way to write reviews, but I will study two of my favorite tracks: “The Reeling” and “Sleepyhead”.
“The Reeling” is a catchy repetitive track. Many happen to associate repetitiveness with pop and therefore crap, but not when you find yourself listening to the track on repeat and find the song sitting on the top of your Last.fm top tracks stats. It is very addictive and has a sweet video as well. Like all other tracks in this album with the exception of maybe “Sleepyhead,” “The Reeling” has a danceable rhythm, although it does fall on the calm side of the album. It is one of the tracks in which the vocals are slightly more emphasized than the synth and all else.
“Sleepyhead” is recognizable as “that song from the Palm Pixie ad.” The irony is that this track is one of those which stick out of the album and is distinguishable from the rest of the album which is pretty much the most cohesive I’ve encountered in a while. The creepy vocals is the beauty of “Sleepyhead.” I feel like I would appreciate it much if I could hear the lyrics but the song is incomprehensible.
However, Manners could have done with a lot more variety within the album. When I discovered “Sleepyhead” was on the Palm commercial, I immediately texted my friend, who loves Manners as much as I do and plays “Little Secrets” all the time, because I thought “Sleepyhead” was “Little Secrets.” I gave up trying to memorize track names and distinguish them from each other a long while ago.
Passion Pit certainly generated an Album of the Year competitor with Manners (well, yes, 2009 is over, but whatever). I see much potential in it, and anticipation runs high for Passion Pit in the indie scene. Manners is, after all, more than promising enough.
I should probably not try to make excuses for bad writing, after all, this is my friggin' second language. Oh, and I gave this album a 8.6/10.
I don’t know whether starting from scratch helps forming a sheer and unbiased (or should I say totally biased? It’s my uninfluenced opinion, after all) conception of an album. Assuming this is true, I say the album is pretty much amazing. Its appeal does not lie in its genre, lyrics, or sound. Manners appeals to everyone. From a compulsive Pitchfork follower like myself to a Lady GaGa lover, Manners has its moments.
To start off, Passion Pit does electronica. Yes, it is an awfully broad definition for a genre. I will do my best describing it. It’s not heavily ambient at all, so do NOT expect something like Aphex Twin (you would have figured this when I said a Lady GaGa fan would like this). One opinion of mine that will probably bring contention from the majority is that there is something is common between Manners and Sigur Rós. Furthering this analogy, I don’t think as many people would object that Passion Pit is the extremely poppier and synthesized version of Animal Collective (go listen to Lion in a Coma). The whole album relies heavily on synthesizers which give it the dance floor touch. I am no expert in musical instruments, but I hardly hear any acoustic sound in this album. I am also pretty sure the beats are done on a drum machine, which certainly is not always bad. One thing I never bothered to figure out is whether the guys distort the vocals which sound like kids. The distorted (or not) vocals do pose an obstacle in my understanding of the lyrics, so I will skip lyrical analysis. Not that it matters much these days.
I figured track-by-track analyses are not the best way to write reviews, but I will study two of my favorite tracks: “The Reeling” and “Sleepyhead”.
“The Reeling” is a catchy repetitive track. Many happen to associate repetitiveness with pop and therefore crap, but not when you find yourself listening to the track on repeat and find the song sitting on the top of your Last.fm top tracks stats. It is very addictive and has a sweet video as well. Like all other tracks in this album with the exception of maybe “Sleepyhead,” “The Reeling” has a danceable rhythm, although it does fall on the calm side of the album. It is one of the tracks in which the vocals are slightly more emphasized than the synth and all else.
“Sleepyhead” is recognizable as “that song from the Palm Pixie ad.” The irony is that this track is one of those which stick out of the album and is distinguishable from the rest of the album which is pretty much the most cohesive I’ve encountered in a while. The creepy vocals is the beauty of “Sleepyhead.” I feel like I would appreciate it much if I could hear the lyrics but the song is incomprehensible.
However, Manners could have done with a lot more variety within the album. When I discovered “Sleepyhead” was on the Palm commercial, I immediately texted my friend, who loves Manners as much as I do and plays “Little Secrets” all the time, because I thought “Sleepyhead” was “Little Secrets.” I gave up trying to memorize track names and distinguish them from each other a long while ago.
Passion Pit certainly generated an Album of the Year competitor with Manners (well, yes, 2009 is over, but whatever). I see much potential in it, and anticipation runs high for Passion Pit in the indie scene. Manners is, after all, more than promising enough.
I should probably not try to make excuses for bad writing, after all, this is my friggin' second language. Oh, and I gave this album a 8.6/10.
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