It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Rufus Wainwright released his debut album. I remember reading all the raves about him on a discussion list and finally getting a copy myself. Addiction came quickly, and the one song I found myself keep listening to was In My Arms. It’s the most sparingly orchestrated and nevertheless the most gripping song on the album; I remember getting goose bumps all over when midway a most sensual voice joined Rufus’. “WHO IS THAT!” I asked myself and immediately grabbed the CD booklet for information: the voice belongs to someone called Martha, who also shares Rufus’ family name. I had been waiting for a full-length from her ever since.
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Popularity: 30%
June 13th, 2008
Posted by
em8chel <<
the hound of music, thought for food >>
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Actually “favorite 5s” would be a much more appropriate term; it’s not like I’m grading or anything. Besides, there are still heaps of movies and albums I haven’t got to see/listen to. Nevertheless, the following is a compilation of some of my favorite movies, music, books, music videos and various YouTube clips of 2007:
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Popularity: 64%
December 21st, 2007
Posted by
em8chel <<
judge a book by its lover, the hound of music, thought for food >>
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The wait is finally over: my Radiohead In Raibowns discbox arrived on Wednesday!
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Popularity: 66%
December 14th, 2007
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em8chel <<
the hound of music, thought for food >>
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After Bloc Party’s rather lukewarm, uninspiring sophomore album last month, I awaited Arcade Fire’s follow-up to their stunning debut funeral with apprehensive anticipation. Making a second album after a critically acclaimed first has never been easy: bands are under pressure to “mature”, and at the same time still deliver whatever it was that drew the fans to listen in the first round. The curse of sophomore slump often leaves artists either trying too hard to prove or doing nothing to improve. Take the latest release from BP for example, A weekend in the city finds Kele Okereke crooning instead of roaring, the melody dictating the rhythm instead of the other way around, and the unbridled energy of Bloc Party smothered by cloying grandeur of a post-Achtung-Baby U2. Blame it on Jacknife Lee I guess.
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Popularity: 39%
March 17th, 2007
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em8chel <<
bruising my religion, the hound of music, thought for food >>
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When “Dancer in the Dark” saw the light of day in 1999, it drew as much ardent applause as trenchant vitriol. Devotees hailed the emotionally charged social commentary and its experimental realism, while disparagers hissed at the fatalistic sentimentality and its dubious provocation. Despite the polarizing views, two things the critics did agree upon: Björk delivered a memorable performance, and this is probably one of those love-it-or-hate-its with nothing in between. My reaction to the film was of torn ambivalence: the urgency of story seems genuine but vicious and vengeful; the condemnation may well be justified but the sneering is almost callous to the point of distraction. I remember having left the movie theater with eyes red, and a bemused resentment of Von Trier’s unmitigated manipulation.
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Popularity: 27%
January 12th, 2007
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em8chel <<
the hound of music, thought for food >>
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