Archive for the ‘Sodagreen’ Category

Ashin’s Guide to Music for Running

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

[Ashin has a newish (August 12) blog entry on a subject very close to my heart: music for jogging and running. As a result, I had to translate, but I could not help having a lot of editorial comments - always identified by the brackets - and I'm adding some of my own favorites on the end. :D ]

In so many things we bring music along to keep us company, so no matter how hard they get, they can still be pleasurable.

A long, solitary road trip, an endless wait, because of what’s collected in the mp3 player, is transformed from being dry and dull to being a marvelous journey.

Jogging, with the addition of your favorite music naturally becomes twice as enjoyable!

I’ll share with everyone my “Running Playlist,” version 1.0:

“Welcome to the Jungle,” Guns ‘n’ Roses [amusingly, Ashin misses the plural on the end]
My high school idols, that fierce sounding voice was instantly popular with us “soon-to-be adults.” In this song there’s a rarely seen shift from slow to fast tempo, it’s well-suited for warming up and and accelerating.

[This is a great running song, I agree, though it starts out so fast I can't quite see it for the very start of a run! Two notes. First of all, look how young Axl Rose looks in that video! Amazing. Second of all, Ashin would have been what, 12 when this song was released? 11? I know, because i was 9. 'Course, that same year was the formal end to Marital Law in Taiwan; this makes me wonder if the song only got there when the boys were in high school, or if that's just when he discovered it.]

“Who Am I, Who Am I, Who Am I (我是誰我是誰我是誰),” Magic Power
Magic Power’s songs often have a very steady beat, driving one step in front of the other, very well suited to listening to while jogging. Everyone is occasionally seized by a sense of listlessness; jogging is not only a physical activity, but also kind of therapeutic. I’m just me; when I’m feeling lonely and useless, I can take myself jogging and push all my troubles to the back of my head.

[Preach it! I've always run much more for stress relief than physical health. When I was finishing up my dissertation in grad school, I'd get my best ideas out jogging; for about six months there, I never went without a pen to scribble ideas down on my hand. Of course, that was summer in DC; by the time I'd get home, I'd have sweat them all away!]

“Get Out,” Magic Power
Another MP song, just like “Who Am I, Who Am I, Who Am I” (that song title is so long!), the song “Get Out” is really inspiring when you’re getting tired and short of breath.

[I don't know Magic Power at all - no opinion one way or the other, as I confess looking up these links was the first time I've listened to any of their songs. I'm always a little skeptical of a band with a designated DJ - it's just not my kind of music usually. But if they've got good songs for running, perhaps I should give them a try. I did not fail to notice, of course, the heavy emphasis on B'in Music artists on this list, though....]

“Jump – Remix by Stone,” Mayday
Listening to one of our own songs while running seems weird, I’m always a little worried that I’ll be out on the road and start singing along. But Stone’s remix fills me with energy.

“To Be With You,”
Mr. Big

In high school, this band was the idol of everyone in a band, every musician’s skill honed to perfection. As it turns out, an incredible band can get huge fame starting from a single, simple love song, ha.

[I don't think there was anyone at my school who was not obsessed with this song. We all thought it was so romantic and poetic, especially "waiting on a line of greens and blues...."]

“Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy,” Mr. Big
Another of Mr. Big’s famous songs. These days, following my mi Coach day and night, I think a lot of people will find the mi Coach to be just as close as your “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy.”

“SHERO,” S.H.E
Because of producing responsibilities, a mid-production version of this song has always been with me. What makes it different from your version is that mine has S.H.E singing an a cappella version of [erm] “Beethoven’s Fifth” at the beginning.

[Did S.H.E have a song called, "命運交響曲"? Are there, um, lyrics to this? Now, as much as it kills me to confess this, I can sort of see the chorus of "SHERO" being good to run to, at least for people unlike me who do not feel compelled to pull their own hair out every time S.H.E starts singing. For me, the song might interfere with my pacing.]

“My Adidas,” Run DMC
Don’t be skeptical; a heavyweight American music group really did once write a song called “My Adidas.” And it’s absolutely not any kind of advertising song – it was because in African American society, having a pair of Adidas shoes was apparently like having wealth to flaunt and collect, hah.

[Of course, Ashin does not mention that the song was originally released in 1986. On a somewhat related note, I often wish I could get Ashin to come and audit my general history courses. I just sort of think he could use a better grounding in such things, if his lyrics are any indication.]

“Night Cat (夜貓),” Della Ding

When I first heard 831 band member Uplee’s demo for this song I liked it right away – I’ve always liked music that combined rock + dance music elements. This song’s dance moves are really interesting; next time Show Luo “pays his respects to a queen of dance” he could add this dance. :)

[Hahaha... I *love* Snarky!Ashin. So much fun. And at least he recognizes that this song was just Ding Dang channeling Jolin....]

“Let’s Break Up (分手吧),” Della Dang
Another one having to do with producing; I have three production versions of this song on my Walkman. Uplee took charge of the arrangement – it starts as an acoustic guitar ballad, then suddenly turns into rock at the chorus. The bridge is particularly unusual; every time I hear it I smile as I run.

[That's all well and good, but my running playlist has the original A-yue version of this song, and I admit I do prefer it. Though this song does raise the question: did B'in Music buy up all of A-yue's back catalog for Della to cover??]


“Love Foolosophy,”
Jamiroquai

This band’s music has a kind of lasting charm no matter when you hear it. Disco+Funk style, combined with wearing my [Adidas] “Clima Cool [cool breeze]” shoes, makes each step like a bursting cool breeze.

“Cosmic Girl,” Jamiroquai
Another Jamiroquai song; I have to wonder whether this band’s drummer might also be wearing “cool breeze” shoes while hitting the bass drum?

[Wow, Ashin gets his funk on. This begs the question: does he by any chance have a little ABBA in there to run to?]

Okay then, next time I have a chance I’ll share more with everyone.

If you have any running advice of your own, you’re welcome to stop by and leave a message. I’ll also share my experiences with you! :)

http://www.runyourselfbetter.com

Mayday’s 5K Challenge is underway!

***

Okay, that’s the end of Ashin’s playlist, but here are a few of my own favorites for running:

“City (城市),” sodagreen

In spite of the fact that they never seem to play it in concert, this is one of my favorite sodagreen songs, and one I like no matter what the occasion. As it happens, though, this is also an awesome warm-up song. Start with stretches, getting out the door, maybe walking a bit to get going, and then by the second verse, start the jog. By the time it swells near the end, you’re running.

“A Petal of Freedom,” Glay
This song maintains a decent beat all along, has a few tidbits of English that are nice for those of us with no Japanese and therefore no real sense of what the song is about, and in a couple places the music swells to a climax that makes me want to run faster and – if at all possible – embrace the air. It’s hard to describe, but it just makes me feel happy. Must be all that “Don’t Worry” business – I mentioned earlier that I run to relieve stress, and this song really helps.

“Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse
This is a good early-to-mid run pacing song. Nice beat, not too fast, fun to listen to.

“OK,” A-yue

When I’m running, the rule is: if it’s A-yue, I want to hear it. :P

“Prince Noodles (王子麵),” Kid & Dream (i.e. Mayday’s Monster and Ashin + Stephanie Sun)
I switch up the Mayday songs on my playlist pretty frequently, and I admit for running I lean more old-school: “Motor Rock,” “Chu Chu Chu” (even with its annoying slow-down on the bridge), “People Life, Ocean Wild,” etc. But this song seems to stay on the list no matter how much I move around the others.


“Lover, You Should Have Come Over,” Jeff Buckley

Another song which, despite the frequently meloncholy tone of the lyrics, just makes me almost perversely happy with the swelling of the music. It’s an odd choice for exercise, I imagine, but I love the lyrics and the feel of it so I’m always glad to have it come on.

“I’m Not Jay Chou (我不是周杰倫),” Totem Band

Another good pacing song, and I do love the touch of cowboy-oriented snark as they mumble the lyrics. :)

“Them (他們),” P.K.14
Another great pacing song with a good beat. Admittedly, the switch up at the chorus can throw you off a bit, but I run around a lot of corners so they never seem to faze me.

“Loved Wrongly (愛錯),” Leehom Wang
This is my running uphill song. Seriously. The good beat doesn’t really kick in until over a minute in, but it always gives me a push when I’m at a “heartbreak hill” (i.e. something steep and near the end of a run). It might be that I’m picturing all the sweaty shirtless boxing in the video, but hey, whatever motivates you, right?

“Mama Told Me Not to Come,” Three Dog Night
Near the end of a run, this is a great song for keeping momentum. Actually, I’ll run to just about anything Three Dog Night, with “Let Me Serenade You” scoring high as another favorite.

“Bad Romance,” Lady Gaga
Admittedly, this is the only Lady Gaga song I know. I’m a little behind on the English Top 40 at the moment, but this is a GREAT song for the end of a run. I always look for it on my iPod shuffle for the last half mile, when you want to speed up and finally sprint in.

Anyway, here’s hoping Ashin posts some more of his running suggestions! I’m always on the lookout for good songs for the playlist.

New from sodagreen: “Once in a Lifetime”

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

sodagreen might be dealing with some personnel issues while A-gong is off being militarily inclined, but that hasn’t stopped them from producing new songs.

The band will release it’s second live CD and concert DVD this month, showing off the 2009 concert tour in all its glory. If you missed seeing them, I think it’s worth watching the DVD just because Qingfeng’s on-stage charisma is a force to be reckoned with. The CD set will contain two new songs and a Mandarin version of “No Sleep”

Can we just pause for a moment and think quietly to ourselves about how awesome it is that sodagreen’s last two albums (Spring and Summer) are available for download in the US-based Amazon.com store?

…(we’re ignoring that they write the band name as “Soda Green”)…

And we’re back. One of the new songs, “Once in a Lifetime (十年一刻)” already has a music video out. (The other new song, “Laughing World (笑鬧人間)” can be heard in live form on YouTube as well.)

For the “Once in a Lifetime” video, the band (which is clearly short someone who did not get furlough for filming) featured the art of world class airbrush artist Li Xi-jian. Li is one of the last of his generation doing this kind of art in Taiwan, and he willingly agreed to not only paint his signature clouds and sky for the video, but to do so in the video. He mentioned that there are so few young people in Taiwan taking up the trade that he tried to get his son to follow in his footsteps, even offering to send him to Russia for training. (Erm, is Russia famous for airbrushed art?) But alas, his son has no interest. I daresay that computer design has killed more than one such skill.

Anyway, enjoy the video. The CD/DVD set will be out at the end of the month, and it’s already up for preorder on YesAsia. I have not yet seen news on what everyone is wondering about, that is when the Fall album will be out. That seems a little tricky with A-gong away to me, but then, I would not have guessed their Liverpool trip would be possible, so what do I know?

[Note: So this is a new one. I wrote this two days ago and forgot to hit "post"!]

Golden Melody Results

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

I forgot to mention it before I left, but I’ve been out touring Vietnam and assorted other locations for the last week, and – gasp – did not bring my computer with me. I’m heading stateside tomorrow, and traveling still through July Fourth, but somewhere in there I should manage to get caught up with the news.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at the results of the Golden Melody Awards this past Saturday night. Winner in each category is bolded.

Song of the Year (最佳年度歌曲獎):

“Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Lala Shu《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Lala Shu]
“Come If You Dare (好膽你就來),” A-Mit 《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]
“Singing in the Trees (在樹上唱歌),” Singing in the Trees《在樹上唱歌》[Claire Kuo]
“Desperado (亡命之徒),” North Bound《北上列車》 [Superband]
“Fish (魚),” Immortal《太陽》[Cheer Chen]

Mandarin Album of the Year (最佳國語專輯獎):

If You See Him (若你碰到他) [Tanya Chua]
Hui Wei (回蔚) [Karen Mok - I can't find an English title, but the second character is part of her name, so like "returning to Karen"]
Lala Shu (徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯) [Lala Shu]
A-MIT (A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯) [A-mei Chang]
Immortal (太陽) [Cheer Chen]

Best Music Video (最佳音樂錄影帶獎):

“Master (主人),” Innocent《赤子innocent》 [Mavis Fan & 100%]
“Daylight (日光),” Daylight of Spring 《春.日光》[sodagreen]
“Eat What You See (看見什麼吃什麼),” Senses Around《感官 世界》[Yoga Lin]
“Jimmy Baby (吉米寶貝),” Seven Days《七天》[Crowd Lu]
“I Come to the Seaside (我行來海邊),” Celebrations of Our Incomparable Selves – 2009 Taiwan Original Music Awards Album《98年臺灣原創流行音樂大獎作品輯「風神之歌」》[沈懷一]
“Come If You Dare (好膽你就來),” A-MIT 《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]
“A Trouble Like This (這樣的一個麻煩), Fifth Floor Bliss《上五樓的快活》[Eason Chan]

Best Composition (最佳作曲人獎):

Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), “Parabola (拋物線),” If You See Him《若你碰到他》
Shu Lala (徐佳瑩)、Su Tongda (蘇通達), “Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Shu Lala《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Shu Lala]
Qingfeng Wu (吳青峯), “Lost It (掉了),” A-MIT《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]
Chen Xiaoxia (陳小霞/), “Singing in the Trees (在樹上唱歌),” Singing in the Trees《在樹上唱歌》[Claire Kuo]
Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), “Fish (魚),” Immortal《太陽》[Cheer Chen]

Best Lyrics (最佳作詞人獎):

Yao Ruolong (姚若龍), “Needle in my Heart (心裡有針),” Dreamers《愛作夢的人》[Ricky Hsiao]
Lin Xi (林夕) “Getting Straight to the Point (開門見山),” A-MIT《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》
Qingfeng Wu (吳青峯), “Lost It (掉了),” A-MIT《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei Chang]
Superband (縱貫線), “Desperado (亡命之徒),” North Bound《北上列車》[Superband]
Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), “Fish (魚),” Immortal《太陽》[Cheer Chen]

Best Arrangement (最佳編曲人獎 ):

“Daylight (日光),” Daylight of Spring《春.日光》 [sodagreen]
“Slippery Love Song (溜溜的情歌),” Hui Wei《回蔚》[Karen Mok]
“A Tale of Two Chens (雙陳記),” A Tale of Two Chens《雙陳記》[Sandee Chan and Kimmy Chen]
“Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Shu Lala《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Lala Shu]
“Come If You Dare (好膽你就來),” A-MIT 《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]

Best Album Production (最佳專輯製作人獎):

Ricky Hsiao (蕭煌奇), Dreamers (愛作夢的人)
Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), If You See Him (若你碰到他)
Will Lin (林暐哲), Daylight of Spring (春.日光)
Zhang Yadong (張亞東), Hui Wei (回蔚)
Adizai (阿弟仔), A-MIT (A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯)
Zhong Chenghu (鍾成虎), Immortal (太陽)
Li Yunling (李昀陵)、Shi Jiahao (石家豪)、Yachun Asta Tzeng (曾雅君), Yachun Asta Tzeng (曾雅君)

Best Production of a Single (最佳單曲製作人獎):

“A Tale of Two Chens (雙陳記),” A Tale of Two Chens《雙陳記》[Sandee Chan and Kimmy Chen]
“Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Shu Lala《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Lala Shu]
“Master (主人),” Innocent《赤子innocent》 [Mavis Fan & 100%]
“Mulan’s Passion (木蘭情),” Hua Mulan Original Motion Picture Soundrack《花木蘭電影原聲帶》[Stephanie Sun]
“Not So Simple (沒那麼簡單),” Tiger Huang, Simple or Not?《黃小琥 簡單/不簡單》[Tiger Huang]

Best Male Mandarin Artist (最佳國語男歌手獎):

J.J. Lin (林俊傑), J.J. Lin 100 Days (JJ林俊傑 100天)
David Tao (陶喆), Opus 69 (六九樂章)
Eason Chan (陳奕迅), Fifth Floor Bliss (上五樓的快活)
Khalil Fong (方大同), Timeless (可啦思刻)
Jam Hsiao (蕭敬騰), Princess 王妃

Best Female Mandarin Artist (最佳國語女歌手獎):

Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), If You See Him (若你碰到他)
Karen Mok (莫文蔚), Hui Wei (回蔚)
A-mei Chang (張惠妹), A-MIT (A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯)
Deserts Chang (張懸), City (城市)
Tiger Huang (黃小琥), Simple or Not (黃小琥 簡單/不簡單)
Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), Immortal (太陽)

Best Band (最佳樂團獎):

Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤), Kou Chou Ching Presents: Unsung Heroes (拷秋勤Presents:無名英雄)
Superband (縱貫線), North Bound (北上列車)
sodagreen (蘇打綠), Summer/Fever (夏/狂熱)
sodagreen (蘇打綠), Daylight of Spring (春.日光)
Mavis Fan & 100% (范曉萱、100%樂團), Innocent (赤子)
Totem Band (圖騰樂團), Shephard Boy (放羊的孩子)
1976, Manic Pixie Dream Girl (不合時宜)

Best Performing Group (最佳演唱組合獎):

Katncandix2 (棉花糖), Fly Away (小飛行)
Come On! Bay Bay! (來吧!焙焙!), Fearlessness and Tolerance (無所畏懼與寬容)
DaXiMen (大囍門), DaXiMen X Album (大囍門X專輯)
SUPER JUNIOR M, SUPER GIRL
Power Station (動力火車), Moving On (繼續轉動)

Best Newcomer (最佳新人獎)

Shadya Lan (藍又時), Shadya Lan Secret First Album (藍又時 秘密 1號創作專輯)
A Chord Hsieh (謝和弦), Nothing But A Chord (雖然很芭樂)
Shu Lala (徐佳瑩), Lala Shu Self-composed Album (徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯)
Alisa Gao (高以愛), Alisa (Alisa高以愛)
Soft Lipa Dan Bao (蛋堡), Soft Lipa presents: WINTER SWEET

The Superband received a “judges award,” but they and sodagreen were pretty much shut out by the A-mei’s sweep. I dunno, because I have not heard AMIT, but looking at so many other strong albums, I have the same sense of doubt I always do when one artist sweeps like this. That wasn’t all there was in the industry, and it’s not even all that was good in the industry, so why not look beyond that one album and notice the rest of the field?

As suspected, the double nomination for best band probably hurt sodagreen, but it’s hard to mind when the award goes to 1976. Manic Pixie Dream Girl – aside from being creatively titled – was an excellent album.

In which the Chinese media is just a tad too invasive

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Do you ever read stories about hospitalized American (or Canadian, or British, or Australian) stars and think to yourself, “What this story really needs is a good photo of said star stretched out on a hospital bed. In a hospital gown…. And with an IV if at all possible.” If so, then this story is for you.

As you may know, sodagreen recently took part in a big music festival in Liverpool, England. (I was in Liverpool earlier this year, actually. I would like to take a moment to highly recommend a visit to the Merseyside Maritime Museum; skip all that Titanic business and go straight to the Battle of the Atlantic exhibit and the Transatlantic Slave Trade exhibit; both are really worth your time.) Qingfeng was not feeling well on the plane (I would leave it there; the story itself details frequent in-flight diarrhea leading him to arrive pale as a sheet and sickly, and after a night’s improvement experiencing a return of the diarrhea which eventually turned to constipation. I would like you to take a moment to appreciate every news report you’ve ever read that has cited vague health problems or simply “fatigue” and not gone into all the gory details. Do we really need to know all this?)

Qingfeng soldiered on in spite of all this, adhering to the festival schedule and, among other things, playing two shows. Crowds of Chinese exchange students cheered them on, some in their best wigs (practically a must at a sodagreen concert, you know). But as the work came to a close, he was getting dizzy, coming close to heat exhaustion, and (I’m so sorry for this) “vomiting from the top and leaking out the bottom (上吐下泄).” There’s a hell of a new idiom for you. Finally, Will Lin and sodagreen manager Yan Rou-yi attempted a Chinese medicine technique called “skin scraping (刮痧)” on his back to help him, but finally in the middle of the night sent him off to the emergency room.

Because it was a weekend in the middle of the night, the emergency room was full of people who’d had drunken accidents, and the not obviously injured Qingfeng was thought to be a non-emergency, forced to wait for three hours. He went through two bottles of an IV drip before seeing a doctor. When he finally did, the doctor (of South Asian heritage) was shocked by the red marks on his neck and back from the skin scrapping, leading Yan Ruo-yi to quickly try to explain the principles of the Chinese medicine to the doctor’s satisfaction. In the end, Qingfeng was treated, and when they went to settle the bill, they were shocked to learn that the treatment was covered by England’s health system, so they didn’t owe any money. In the end, A-gong had to race back to his military service (he’d had a temporary pass allowing him to travel with the band) full of worries for his band’s lead singer, but was reassured to learn – as I’m sure we all are, at this point – that Qingfeng is quite recovered.

Okay, as bizarre as the level of detail is here, I really feel for Qingfeng in this situation. I was ferried off to the emergency room in the middle of the night in South Africa once, and there is something about being emergency-room-level sick in a totally foreign country that makes it a thousand times scarier. And I don’t even have a manager that takes me places (or scrapes my skin in the hotel room… that seems to work both ways.) Anyway, if you’re not feeling like a voyeur already, be sure to visit the story page for handy pictures of Qingfeng in the Royal Hospital, Liverpool. Here are some pictures of the band in Liverpool, and Qingfeng is looking a bit under the weather.

Imagine Ashin’s suspenders flying straight at you… in 3D!

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Okay, it’s that time of year for me – when all I do is eat, sleep, and grade papers – but I took a little break tonight to check in on the boys. And oh my, but I’ve been missing a lot.

First of all, there are plans afoot to film the concert in Taichung this summer in 3D, creating Asia’s first ever 3D Concert Film. Here’s what I’m not getting: is it going to play in theaters? You can’t watch 3D at home, right? (Confession: I’ve never seen a movie in 3D. And no, I skipped Avatar – I saw Dances with Wolves, aren’t they pretty much the same thing?) (Oh, I’m just kidding – I’m sure I’ll watch it this summer.) (Oh, second confession: I didn’t watch the video I just linked to – it wouldn’t load – so if the answer to that question is in there, please let me know.)

Now, in other news, Mayday is going on the Mandopop equivalent of the “Couch to 5K” program; the band followed up their concert in Wuhan last weekend by attending the “Adidas 2010 Popularize Running Plan” launch in that city. Mayday’s recent world tour proved a major challenge to the band members’ stamina, and they have discussed the need to engage in a bit more physical training. Adidas created an 80 day training plan for the band, to help them train to run over five kilometers starting on June 1. Actually, I should take a look at that plan – I have a 5K coming up in July, and my running schedule has gotten really spotty while I’ve been in China.

They’ll report on their progress through photos, video, and web diaries. You can follow their progress here. The decision to get Mayday to run 5K, according to Ashin, must come from the five in “Mayday,” though he jokes that if that’s the case, at least they aren’t named “5566.” Heh.

Now, here’s the fun part of the news: Mayday plans to challenge sodagreen to a race. :D The band was asked if they feel a lot of pressure because sodagreen was nominated not once but twice for best band at the Golden Melody awards this year. Ashin replied that it was fine; playing music is like a very long marathon, so Mayday asking sodagreen to run with them is a way to invite them to take this long run with them, so they can enjoy the run together. Well said, Ashin.

So speaking of Wuhan, that concert seems to have gone well. I hate to say it, but if you’ve been following along on this tour at all, you pretty much know the whole story already; the band played a five-song encore (the standard set that ends with “Tenderness”) and the crowd didn’t want to leave. You know. So far, though, I haven’t been able to find news articles on the Australia/New Zealand tour; I’ll keep looking though.

In other news, the band has now scheduled a new concert for Nanjing in July. (I find it interesting that Mayday is back in Nanjing – and Beijing, and Australia – all in under a year. They must be planning a decent length hiatus after the DNA tour, don’t you think? Otherwise why all the double stops?) So normally, I would be all over this Nanjing concert, but… after two years in China, I’m moving back to the United States at the end of June. I’m sorry to miss this concert (and a few other interesting tours this summer), but it is time to move back home.

21st Golden Melody Awards Nominations

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

I missed this coming out on Friday, though that’s not terribly shocking since my nifty Google Alerts have gone haywire given all the Google trauma here lately. Plus I spent all day yesterday at the Shanghai Expo (forget what anyone else tells you; the REAL “can’t miss” pavilions are Mongolia, with its awesome dinosaur bones, and North Korea, which features a propaganda video in which a woman ice skates while juggling live birds. The mind boggles), so I wouldn’t have had time to translate even if I’d seen it. But the time has come to consider the list, which has so much to bring joy to the masses.

First of all, Cowboy Jay didn’t release an album last year, so he’s absent from the whole thing. Yes, he’s been absent before, and yes, so are Mayday and Leehom (who also did not release albums), but a cowboy-free (and S.H.E./Fahrenheit-free) year is still meant to be savored. Second of all, look at sodagreen! Not to mention the Superband, Tanya Chua, Cheer Chen, Deserts Chang, David Tao, Crowd Lu, 1976, and Totem Band. There’s a lot to like here. I’m not sure I get the logic behind nominating sodagreen twice for Best Band – it’s not like an award for a specific song or album, and the number of nominees is rather high this year. Plus, it could end up working against them, like Ashin last year with the best lyrics dual nomination – it splits their vote. Of course, if it split their vote and, say, 1976, Superband, or Totem won, then no worries from me. :D

Now for my annual disclaimers: I’ve tried to use official English titles where I know them or can easily find them; otherwise, you get my best guess. I often give the name of the artist in brackets after the entry. Once we get into production categories, I list the songs or albums nominated, not the people (since for most of them, we don’t have any reason to know the producers). I also edit the list for the categories I’m interested in and where I know the artists (i.e. I leave out classical and non-Mandarin categories); you can see the full thing here. So without further ado, the nominations.

Song of the Year (最佳年度歌曲獎):
“Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Lala Shu《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Lala Shu]
“Come If You Dare (好膽你就來),” A-Mit 《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]
“Singing in the Trees (在樹上唱歌),” Singing in the Trees《在樹上唱歌》[Claire Kuo]
“Desperado (亡命之徒),” North Bound《北上列車》 [Superband]
“Fish (魚),” Immortal《太陽》[Cheer Chen]

Mandarin Album of the Year (最佳國語專輯獎):
If You See Him (若你碰到他) [Tanya Chua]
Hui Wei (回蔚) [Karen Mok - I can't find an English title, but the second character is part of her name, so like "returning to Karen"]
Lala Shu (徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯) [Lala Shu]
A-MIT (A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯) [A-mei Chang]
Immortal (太陽) [Cheer Chen]

Best Music Video (最佳音樂錄影帶獎)
“Master (主人),” Innocent《赤子innocent》 [Mavis Fan & 100%]
“Daylight (日光),” Daylight of Spring 《春.日光》[sodagreen]
“Eat What You See (看見什麼吃什麼),” Senses Around《感官 世界》[Yoga Lin]
“Jimmy Baby (吉米寶貝),” Seven Days《七天》[Crowd Lu]
“I Come to the Seaside (我行來海邊),” Celebrations of Our Incomparable Selves – 2009 Taiwan Original Music Awards Album《98年臺灣原創流行音樂大獎作品輯「風神之歌」》[沈懷一]
“Come If You Dare (好膽你就來),” A-MIT 《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]
“A Trouble Like This (這樣的一個麻煩), Fifth Floor Bliss《上五樓的快活》[Eason Chan]

Best Composition (最佳作曲人獎)
Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), “Parabola (拋物線),” If You See Him《若你碰到他》
Shu Lala (徐佳瑩)、Su Tongda (蘇通達), “Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Shu Lala《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Shu Lala]
Qingfeng Wu (吳青峯), “Lost It (掉了),” A-MIT《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]
Chen Xiaoxia (陳小霞/), “Singing in the Trees (在樹上唱歌),” Singing in the Trees《在樹上唱歌》[Claire Kuo]
Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), “Fish (魚),” Immortal《太陽》[Cheer Chen]

Best Lyrics (最佳作詞人獎)

Yao Ruolong (姚若龍), “Needle in my Heart (心裡有針),” Dreamers《愛作夢的人》[Ricky Hsiao]
Lin Xi (林夕) “Getting Straight to the Point (開門見山),” A-MIT《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei Chang; song title is literally, "Open the Door and See Mountains."
Qingfeng Wu (吳青峯), "Lost It (掉了)," A-MIT《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei Chang]
Superband (縱貫線), “Desperado (亡命之徒),” North Bound《北上列車》[Superband]
Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), “Fish (魚),” Immortal《太陽》[Cheer Chen]

Best Arrangement (最佳編曲人獎 )
“Daylight (日光),” Daylight of Spring《春.日光》 [sodagreen]
“Slippery Love Song (溜溜的情歌),” Hui Wei《回蔚》[Karen Mok]
“A Tale of Two Chens (雙陳記),” A Tale of Two Chens《雙陳記》[Sandee Chan and Kimmy Chen]
“Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Shu Lala《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Lala Shu]
“Come If You Dare (好膽你就來),” A-MIT 《A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯》[A-mei]

Best Album Production (最佳專輯製作人獎)
Ricky Hsiao (蕭煌奇), Dreamers (愛作夢的人)
Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), If You See Him (若你碰到他)
Will Lin (林暐哲), Daylight of Spring (春.日光)
Zhang Yadong (張亞東), Hui Wei (回蔚)
Adizai (阿弟仔), A-MIT (A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯)
Zhong Chenghu (鍾成虎), Immortal (太陽)
Li Yunling (李昀陵)、Shi Jiahao (石家豪)、Yachun Asta Tzeng (曾雅君), Yachun Asta Tzeng (曾雅君)

Best Production of a Single (最佳單曲製作人獎)

“A Tale of Two Chens (雙陳記),” A Tale of Two Chens《雙陳記》[Sandee Chan and Kimmy Chen]
“Riding a White Horse (身騎白馬),” Shu Lala《徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯》[Lala Shu]
“Master (主人),” Innocent《赤子innocent》 [Mavis Fan & 100%]
“Mulan’s Passion (木蘭情),” Hua Mulan Original Motion Picture Soundrack《花木蘭電影原聲帶》[Stephanie Sun]
“Not So Simple (沒那麼簡單),” Tiger Huang, Simple or Not?《黃小琥 簡單/不簡單》[Tiger Huang]

Best Male Mandarin Artist (最佳國語男歌手獎)

J.J. Lin (林俊傑), J.J. Lin 100 Days (JJ林俊傑 100天)
David Tao (陶喆), Opus 69 (六九樂章)
Eason Chan (陳奕迅), Fifth Floor Bliss (上五樓的快活)
Khalil Fong (方大同), Timeless (可啦思刻)
Jam Hsiao (蕭敬騰), Princess 王妃

Best Female Mandarin Artist (最佳國語女歌手獎)
Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), If You See Him (若你碰到他)
Karen Mok (莫文蔚), Hui Wei (回蔚)
A-mei Chang (張惠妹), A-MIT (A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯)
Deserts Chang (張懸), City (城市)
Tiger Huang (黃小琥), Simple or Not (黃小琥 簡單/不簡單)
Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), Immortal (太陽)

Best Band (最佳樂團獎)
Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤), Kou Chou Ching Presents: Unsung Heroes (拷秋勤Presents:無名英雄)
Superband (縱貫線), North Bound (北上列車)
sodagreen (蘇打綠), Summer/Fever (夏/狂熱)
sodagreen (蘇打綠), Daylight of Spring (春.日光)
Mavis Fan & 100% (范曉萱、100%樂團), Innocent (赤子)
Totem Band (圖騰樂團), Shephard Boy (放羊的孩子)
1976, Manic Pixie Dream Girl (不合時宜)

Best Performing Group (最佳演唱組合獎)
Marshmallow Katncandix2 (棉花糖), Fly Away (小飛行) [I'm totally making up their English name - I tried to find it, but came up empty. (Thanks for the help, hobielover!)]
Come On! Bay Bay! (來吧!焙焙!), Fearlessness and Tolerance (無所畏懼與寬容)
DaXiMen (大囍門), DaXiMen X Album (大囍門X專輯)
SUPER JUNIOR M, SUPER GIRL
Power Station (動力火車), Moving On (繼續轉動)

I skipped the new artists – I just don’t know any of them and have lost momentum on looking things up. If I find the time, I may add it later!

Update: Christine very kindly supplied the new artists translation in the comments (thanks so much, Christine!):

Best Newcomer (最佳新人獎)

Shadya Lan (藍又時), Shadya Lan Secret First Album (藍又時 秘密 1號創作專輯)
A Chord Hsieh (謝和弦), Nothing But A Chord (雖然很芭樂)
Shu Lala (徐佳瑩), Lala Shu Self-composed Album (徐佳瑩 LALA創作專輯)
Alisa Gao (高以愛), Alisa (Alisa高以愛)
Soft Lipa Dan Bao (蛋堡), Soft Lipa presents: WINTER SWEET

You’re in the army now!

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the day we have long expected is now upon us: sodagreen’s A-gong has been inducted into the ROC army.

He was ordered to report for duty on March 1, something which has been confirmed by the band’s manager. They say they fully encourage him fulfilling his duty, and note that a composer always benefits from new and diverse experiences as they make his creativity flourish. Will Lin agreed that military service is the experience that turns each Taiwanese boy into a man (tough luck there, Qingfeng) (hah! You know who else never served? Cowboy Jay. That explains so much….), and A-gong should enjoy the experience and learn from it. Because A-gong has a Master’s degree from the Taipei National University of the Arts, he won’t be in the standing army, but will instead complete his year of service in a musical group. (Sadly, just being sodagreen doesn’t seem to be service enough for the boys, which strikes me as an error in judgment. Surely the existence of sodagreen is good for morale on Taiwan!) When asked if the band would seek a temporary replacement for the keyboard/viola player, their manager quite rightly replied that no one can replace A-gong – he’s unique. So, by the way, is his dancing.

The band is on its Chinese New Year break right now, but they’ll soon get together to figure out what this news means for their plans to record the album Autumn, the latest installment in the Vivaldi Series already in the preparatory stages.

A-gong suffers from chronic headaches and sleep apnea, along with being severely myopic; the rest of the band teased him about his usefulness in the army. In January, he nearly fainted from the pain of his headaches and ended up in the hospital undergoing surgery (sounds like something sinus related, but I could be wrong). Fans wondered (hoped?) about whether his ailments could prevent him from serving in the army, but the doctors said that after a short period of rest and recuperation he’d be fine.

Presumably, we’ll have to repeat this news with A-fu, Jiakai, and Xiao Wei before long; I’m not sure what happened to the plan to try to have everyone serve together. The band received an extra-long break for the holiday this year in celebration of last year’s successes: 14 awards on those two albums, along with their concert tour. Qingfeng enjoyed part of his holiday in Japan, Jiakai went home to Xinchu to see his family, Xiao Wei had a rare opportunity to head home, but his father was away on a missions trip. In addition to his surgery, A-gong had a rare opportunity to meet his idol, pianist Lang Lang. A-fu and Xinyi apparently weren’t doing anything interesting and worth reporting.

Right before the break, the band went to Malaysia to accept assorted awards; when the connections between the instruments and the speakers stopped working right before their performance, Qingfeng did a bit of “No Sleep” a cappella. Jiakai celebrated his birthday on that trip, and fans there prepared a cake with the score of “Little Love Song” on it. Okay, the whole musical score on a cake? That’s impressive. Jiakai is engaged in more body building, by the way, so expect more shirtless moments (that’s all well and good, but I’m still convinced that Xiao Wei is the REAL band hunk) (again, sorry Qingfeng).

“Fat Mum Rises”?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

In January, some sort of “Golden Melody Awards Committee” – which is not, I believe, actually affiliated with Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards – named their ten best Mandarin (and Cantonese, etc.) albums of 2009. I though this list was particularly worth sharing, largely because a full five of the albums on it were also on my list, and there’s usually not that much overlap.

Ten Outstanding Mandarin Albums (国语十大):
1. Wang Feng (汪峰) Belief Flies in the Wind (信仰在空中飘扬)
2. Zuoxiao Zuhou (左小祖咒), Big Deal (大事)

Right. So these two were obviously not on my list. I’ve at least heard of Wang Feng, though I never listen to him, but the second one had me stumped. I looked up his website, and look, he’s a Nanjinger! Like P.K.14, and me, in my heart of hearts. But the fact that I didn’t know either of these albums serves as a reminder that I’m neglecting mainland Chinese rock.

3. Cheer Chen (陈绮贞), Immortal (太阳)
4. sodagreen (苏打绿), Daylight of Spring (春·日光)

Kudos to them for being able to pick one of the two sodagreen releases from 2009; I suspect this one really is better – at the very least, the melodies are a lot more original than Fever – but I rarely listen to it on its own.

5. Eason Chan (陈奕迅), 5/F Blissful (上五楼的快活)

I keep saying that I’m going to give Eason Chan a try. Then I don’t.

6. Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), If You See Him (若你碰到他)
7. David Tao (陶喆), Opus 69 (69乐章)
8. Icy (曹方), Hum a Song as the Sun Sets (哼一首歌 等日落)

Erm, Icy? But seriously, how many singers are there from Xishuangbanna? That’s pretty cool.

9. A-mei (张惠妹), Amit (阿密特)

I forgot that came out. I had meant to listen to it….

10. Deserts Chang (张悬), A City (城市)

Now the really cool thing about this particular awards article is that they listed all the albums nominated that didn’t win. Right away, Crowd Lu’s latest album Seven Days popped out at me – I meant to buy that! It was on my list of albums I wanted last year, but since that list is not an actual list but rather something I think to myself every so often when I’m doing odd tasks, I forgot all about it. Hmm, I wonder if it would push an album off my 2009 list, or if it’d be settling for honorable mention?

But then, there’s more: I had not realized that both New Pants (新裤子) and Hedgehog (刺猬) came out with new albums last year. See, I told you I’ve been neglecting mainland Chinese rock. Other than periodically wondering if Fusion still exists, I haven’t been doing much to keep track of the mainland scene, and as a result, I’m missing things. (To be fair, I think it’d be a hell of a lot easier to keep track of the mainland scene if I lived in Beijing or Shanghai. I’m just saying.) For another example, I’ve never heard of Re-TROS (重塑雕像的权利) before, but I admit I’m a little intrigued by the idea of an album called, Watch Out! Climate Has Changed, Fat Mum Rises…. On the Modern Sky label, of course. Couldn’t you just tell?

The Superband and sodagreen also made the nominated list, along with the latest from reality show stars Jam Hsiao (萧敬腾) and Yoga Lin (林宥嘉) (not having been bowled over by the earlier efforts from either of these guys, I did not pay much attention to those albums when they emerged). Karen Mok is back, I see; I’m still bitter that she beat out sodagreen for that best album award two years ago. I’ll let it go when I’m ready to let it go, okay?

Cosmos People (宇宙人) is on the list of nominees; that’s another one I keep meaning to sample to see if I like. On the other hand, I’m having a hard time buying the DNA Live album as a best album nominee. To me, that’s starting to get into the “okay, what WASN’T nominated?” territory. (With my apologies to Mayday.)

Maybe I need a real list this time, not a mental one.

2009: Total Girl Power Year

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Yeah, I absolutely didn’t realize it at the time. But I was just trying to think of my 10 favorite Mandopop album purchases from the last year, and I came up with (in no particular order):

1. Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), Immortal (太陽)
2. Deserts Chang (張懸), A City (城市)
3. Tizzy Bac, If I See Hell, I Won’t Fear the Devil (如果看見地獄,我就不怕魔鬼)
4. Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), If You See Him (若你碰到他)
5. Mrs. This (這位太太), Am I Not Good Enough (我是不是還不夠好 )
6. Won Fu (旺福), Won Fu Loves You (旺福愛你)
7. Joanna Wang, Joanna & 王若琳
8. sodagreen (蘇打綠), Daylight of Spring / Fever – Heat of Summer (春.日光/ 夏.狂熱)**
9. Totem Band (圖騰), Shepherd Child (放羊的孩子)
10. David Tao (陶喆), Opus 69 (六九樂章)

Honorable Mention: Superband (縱貫線), North Bound Mega EP (北[上]列車). It didn’t make the list because it’s only an EP (albeit a six-song “mega” EP), not a full album. But seriously, “Desperado” is fantastic, as is pretty much anything those four men touch. I smile every time I remember their concert in Chengdu.

**To be totally honest, I’m not sure if sodagreen’s Spring or Summer would make the list by itself on its own merits, but my iPod playlist that combines the two and leaves out the really bizarre English sections from the latter album is pretty great, so I cheated and included them as a duo. I continue to suspect that all the “Vivaldi Project” albums together will probably equal either one stellar disc or a great two-disc set… leaving the rest of the songs inescapably as filler. Thanks to Xinyi, though, sodagreen is part of the Girl Power trend, making it an impressive 8 out of 10. Compared to my list from last year (below), that’s a HUGE change.

Now, I’m sure there were other fantastic albums released last year, but these are my top ten based on what I know and have heard. Somehow, even living in China has not prevented me from being perpetually behind on new releases, probably because I work to much. (And that, by the way, is the Official Blogging Theme of 2009, because my post count was way down this year. My new year’s resolution: post when I can, and stop making excuses for the rest of the time.) But anyway….. what good albums did I miss??

Now, just because I never did manage to post it, here’s my list of my top ten album purchases in 2008:

1. Mayday (五月天), Poetry of the Day After (後。青春期的詩)
2. Fusion, If the Future (如果未來)
3. P.K.14, City Weather Sailing (城市天氣航行)
4. backQuarter (四分衛), World (世界)
5. 1976, Asteroid (這個星球)
6. Milk@Coffee (牛奶@咖啡), The Older, the Lonelier(越长大越孤单)
7. Crowd Lu (盧廣種), 100 Ways of Living (100種生活)
8. sodagreen (蘇打綠), Sing With Me (陪我歌唱)
9. Cape No. 7 Original Movie Soundtrack (海角七號 電影原聲帶)
10. 13 Band (拾參樂團), The Horse-Faced Sailor’s Summer (馬臉水手的夏天)

Honorable Mentions: Xu Wei (许巍), Love Like Youth (爱如少年). The Bob Dylan of mainland Mando-rock/pop/easy listening. Leehom Wang (王力宏), Heart.Beat (心。跳). Half cheesy pop, lots of dodgy lyrics, some innovations that don’t quite work, but man, the boy can sing. And he is constantly reinventing himself, which I admire and respect even when I don’t like the outcome.

Albums I’m looking for in 2010: Fusion’s second album will come out eventually, right? Leehom should be releasing something new soon, and he’s supposedly staying with the “chinked-out rock” concept, which I like in theory even if I cannot stand the first effort (“What’s Wrong with Rock… and the whole world when I’m hearing this song…”). Autumn and/or Winter should be on deck from sodagreen over the course of the year (late in the year, I’d imagine). I haven’t seen Peng Tan’s acoustic album (slated for December) yet, so we’ll see when that materializes. Hmm, I must be missing people, but I’m not sure who. Certain cowboys who shall remain nameless have albums coming in the next two months, but that’s more of a “can’t turn away from a train wreck” curiosity than actual anticipation.

Welcome to 2010!

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

Happy New Year! Seriously, I cannot understand where this last year has gone. I finally have my “top ten albums of 2008″ ready to go, and here we are with another one down. On the bright side, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the ever-changing nature of modern life, take some comfort in the world of Mandopop, where a remarkable consistency can be seen. For example:

1. Ashin is filming awkwardly “romantic” scenes with new girls he can’t quite look straight in the eye again; this time, it’s a 7-Eleven commercial with Penny Patty Hou and there’s no kissing, so the attempt is at least respectable. (Except when he’s supposed to have his arms around her in the print ad; sad, Ashin, so NOT rock-n-roll!) Penny Patty, on the other hand, gets all the best gigs ever since she had the good sense to get dumped by Cowboy Jay; she also sang with A-yue back on his OK album. I think her star continues to rise. Also, 7-Eleven commercials seem to provide a very rare opportunity to see Ashin out of clothing with large cartoon bears or Hello Kitty on it.

2. Ashin was, however, running around rehearsing for the Taipei New Year’s concert in the official Bad Pants Choice ‘09, the jeans with the words “StayReal” in huge letters across the ass. In 2010, Ashin, Just Say No to dodgy denims. I’m very busy, but I’d be willing to consult if it would keep you away from these poor choices in trousers. (Apologies if you started watching that and got blasted with an unexpected bout of S.H.E. halfheartedly singing along with their soundtrack.)

3. Most of the news this week was taken over by the annual “who was performing where on New Year’s” thing, which is always just a little bit dull. But, spicing things up a bit this year, here’s sodagreen’s performance on the Jiangsu Satellite Television New Year’s Show, which was broadcast the other night (even if it wasn’t taped, then, ahem. Sodagreen was performing in Guangzhou for the night itself). That show was headlined by the Superband, offering the nation an opportunity to ogle A-yue, which essentially means it was fifty-thousand times better than the Hunan Satellite Television New Year’s show, which was mostly boy bands and poplets. *sigh* If only the Jiangsu Satellite Television New Year’s show had been on New Year’s, and, you know, in Jiangsu. I could have pilgrimaged out to see all my favorite boys (and Xinyi).

4. Speculation is flying over the girl accompanying Leehom out to the New Year’s concerts. This, of course, is a favorite party game: who is Leehom dating? (Played with the accompanying bonus round, “Is Leehom gay?” which he then periodically denies in song.) Well, rest assured fangirls, it was his cousin. (Um, yawn.) In that article he also talks about seeing his nieces and nephews, who are still small but have clearly defined gender roles: the boys like trains and cars and the girls like princess outfits and ballet dancing. Suggestion, Uncle Leehom: buy those girls a cool science kit. They’ll thank you later. (Leehom has some interesting stuff going on right now; his movie with Jackie Chan is coming out at some point, he’s the spokesman for the Taipei pavilion at the Shanghai Expo next year, and he recently recorded a duet with Teresa Teng to serve as the theme song for the pavilion. She’s been gone for many years, of course, but modern technology is a wonderful thing. Coincidentally, I *also* love Taipei.)

Then, of course, in every bit of consistency there must be at least one glaring exception; oh, but my dears, what an exception.

Cowboy Jay did not release an album in 2009.

Oh, it’s glorious. A year without him dominating the awards ceremonies in spite of all the reasons why his latest album is derivative and boring and totally undeserving. Ah, the sound of silence. And to think I mocked his acting career; I take it all back. Sadly, I think he’s going to hit us early in 2010, and even more sadly, he supposedly wrote his latest in his “free time” while recording two films and a panda-themed superhero soap opera, which in general does not bode well. But I remain hopeful that the pattern of knee-jerk accolades will have been broken, and we will return to the early years when Cowboy Jay was actually – *gasp* – judged on his merits. Oh, I can hope.