23 November 2011

Mogwai, Live in KITEC Hong Kong, 21 November 2011

If I don’t remember wrong, it should be the 3rd time Mogwai coming to have concert in Hong Kong…….I have missed the last 2 times due to some stupid reasons and I finally have seen them playing in Hong Kong this time…..it’s also my 2nd time to see them playing live in this year as I have been seeing them playing in Spain’s Primavera Sound Festival in May this year……of course, their gig in Primavera is just too amazing for me as the festival vibe, big stage set up, huge crowd’s passion and also my holiday mood have made the whole memory of Mogwai’s gig in Spain are just too awesome and memorable for me……

Coming to Hong Kong gig this time, a bigger concert hall, better stage set up, more huge and passionate crowd and also long show of nearly 2 hours playing lot of songs from recent gorgeous album by the band made the gig was still a very memorable and feeling-good show and made audiences loving Mogwai even more……only regret is no beer is for sale and allowed in the gig!! :)

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18 November 2011

Drive 極速罪駕


My Rating: 3.5/5
Watch Movie Trailer

I didn’t know this movie’s director Nicolas Winding Refn was awarded ‘Best Director’ in 2011 Cannes Film Festival previously……nevertheless, I saw/heard lot of talks/hypes on this movie recently especially in the indie scene……so, having lot of expectation to watch this movie last Saturday with my girlfriend in the nice and very-comfortable IFC Broadway cinema…….but the outcome is a bit disappointing!!!

Honestly, the movie is fine enough…....with not bad direction, photography, acting, etc….but I don’t think it’s a great movie and going to be classic like some hypes suggested……..one more thing I want to point out from this movie is you can’t try to be directing a movie cool and acting a role cool in the cool way that all-we-have-seen-before, it's pretentious and will never be a great/classic movie ……a cool great movie we have been seeing in our life time is those with uncommonly characteristic story, direction, acting, etc. and they should be originals!!!……..this movie’s cult and violence scenes remind me David Lynch, and those overly slow motion of conversation, romance and motion of the starring actors, Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan also remind me of those 60s/70s movies…….a bit kitsch overall speaking for me!! (though I heard it’s a tribute movie to 60s avant-garde film maker Alejandro Jodorowsky)
     

12 November 2011

Ladytron – Gravity the Seducer



My Rating: 3/5
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It’s already the 5th album of this electro-synth-pop band which formed in Liverpool since 1999. I really started to aware of Ladytron is their 3rd album ‘Witching Hour’ in 2005 as their music turned out to be really cool, stylish and creative with lot of youthful inspirations and impacts for me, little bit like the same feeling of seeing Depeche Mode’s ‘Music for the Masses’ in late 80s that you can expect something breakthrough to be great in short future …..….but seems things not working out like that for Ladytron…….going to their last album ‘Velocifero’ in 2008, they were starting to stuck and repeat into their own music style making their music become dull and lost……

Ok, coming to this new one, it’s not hard to think they are seeking to change….yes, they did, but seems not really in a good and inspiring way enough to make a career U-turn for them…..the cover art work seems providing answer of their new music direction……. after repeat listening, they tried to add some new wave (or new age also!) and mature (or thoughtful, serious, etc) kind of stuff into their own electro synth sound with slower mid-tempo, chill out lounge and shoegaze approach……...maybe due to the shortcoming of song writing and arrangements (and even imagination I think), the songs are turned out to be a bit flat, dull, regid, repetitive, no-more-cool and bold-but-empty electro lounge chill out sound……a bit disappointing for me!!!

9 November 2011

The Last Hurrah!! - Spiritual Non-believers


My Rating: 3.7/5
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I’m a die-hard fan of Norwegian label, Rune Grammofon, embracing their cool principal in independent and experimental music as well as art…….because of that, I will normally buy their releases even I didn’t hear the band or their songs…….you can say I’m in 100% loyalty and in faith of their music choices and releases as well as their gorgeous cover art!!! Honestly, not really a real let down so far for many of such blind purchase for their new artists, haha!!! So, it’s not surprised I bought this one by a blind purchase again as I never heard of the band and their works!!.......nevertheless, once again after listening, it’s like an exciting adventure, a satisfying and rewarding music adventure that I expect from indie muisc…..   

The Last Hurrah!!, according to Rune Grammofon’s web site, “is a new project from HP Gundersen, a well known producer, artist, musical partner, creative force, mentor and a ture music enthusiast from Bergen, Norway…..Spiritual Non-believers” is a fascinating and lovely mix of acoustic drone guitar, cosmic raga, pure pop and the very local take on country music so special for the west coast of Norway.”……….you can expect something weird from the horrifying but interesting cover art work like dark drone ambient stuff, etc..….but in fact, they are just fake hair and hoodie jacket hanging on the wall and also no dark heavy music here……..after putting the vinyl on my turntable, it is also surprising that the album is packed with those interesting pedal steel drone country/gospel/blue folk with some California surf-rock rhythm and a 60s like lo-fi high-pitch appalachian folk rock female vocal……sometime also weaved with some oddball freak folk vibe!!! (that I’m totally not expecting the album to be like that) ...........a really special album with kinky music style, rich musical arrangements and refreshing music adventure!!!       
  

8 November 2011

Goldmund - All Will Prosper


My Rating: 3.7/5

My favourite young multi-instrumental musician and modern composer, Keith Kenniff, aka Goldmund, Helios and also member of indie band Mint Julep, is really an efficient talent……..under the moniker Goldmund which mainly focus on thoughtful beautiful piano solo, he has just released the gorgeous ‘Famous Places’ last year and now come again for this new album ‘All Will Prosper’………following the intimacy recording approach of last ‘Famous Places’ by putting mic aside the piano’s mechanism, you can still hear the clear and airy mechanism movement sound of the piano in this new album…….this time is no more contemporary compositions, but to have 14 pieces of traditional folk songs during American civil war era to be rearranged by Keith Kenniff played under solo piano and acoustic guitar…….although they are old songs, but Goldmund can just turn them into some rich, bright, nostalgic, intimate and touching modern piano solo works!!! A great time-traveling album by a great contemporary musician!!!   


Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix


My Rating: 3.3/5

I have not really noticed the band and thought they are just those typical Brit-pop band until I took a trial listening on their 2nd album “Flaws” in HMV and I felt so impressive on their works……..those full acoustic folk plays with emotional intensity, poetry intimacy and sun-shining youth remind me Kings of Convenience…….so, I bought back their debut “I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose which was released in 2009 and expected some more beautiful acoustic stuff, but the outcome is disappointing which is just different kind of stuff with those ordinary youthful guitar indie-pop stuff…..

Coming to this 3rd album, I wonder if this London act, Bombay Bicycle Club, will go for beautiful acoustic folk stuff again or the ear-catching guitar indie pop stuff for better commercial success……..the answer is including both with some subtle beautiful finger pick acoustic guitar folk ballads and also the upbeat refreshing guitar indie hits……not a bad album though also not really a special one!!!   

4 November 2011

Roll The Dice - In Dust


My Rating: 3.5/5
   
I have only listened some sample clicks of their 1st album of Roll The Dice under Digitalis label in 2010 and felt they are just ordinary experimental electronic sound artists playing those experimental drone, loops, etc. sound exploration stuff……..a bit too low profile for me……

These two Stockholm-based musicians, Malcolm Pardon & Peder Mannerfelt of Roll The Dice seems going to be more ambitious and mature this time……..moving to a new and more popular music label, Leaf, and releasing new album ‘In Dust’ in 2001 with more clear and expressive approach and also a good cover artwork……..What you see the cover art work is what the vibe of their music want to express……maybe just coincidence, the artwork makes me thinking of the recent protests worldwide against post capitalism greed……in the cover artwork, I interpret human being is just resources and costs for feeding to factory for making even more money for 10% greed people of the world…….little bit like going back to Hilter’s concentration camps situation!!!........Still their electro synth sound creating some cold, despair, isolated but refreshing feeling under some dark industrial vibe……a bit cinematic way of expression…..…reminds me of The Wall of Pink Floyd!!! ……….a good concept album that worth a listen!!!              


 

1 November 2011

Apparat - The Devil's Walk


My Rating: 3/5

I’m not really an Apparat fan, but do feeling quite cool for his early IDM glitch techno stuffs with something unique subtlety in modern beauty and elegance…….since his last album ‘Wall’ in 2007, it is easy to feel that this German musician aka Sascha Ring seems go for a more poppy approach rather than ambitious experimental we expected…..the result is more mellow dreamy electronica stuff with a bit of his cool electronic twists……although not ambitious, I still like “Wall” for the right balance in accessibility and the electronic quest…...   

4 years later, ‘The Devil’s Walk’ is even heading to a one-sided pop direction with no regret……..no more cool electronic twists or glitch, whole album is packed with those all-you-heard-before poppy-ambient dreamy sing-a-long synth sound and white-horse-pop-star-like emotional vocal….such a 80s old school new romantics synth-group vibe like Ultravox, etc……Honestly, I don’t really like such music direction of Apparat……..a bit kitsch!!!