M Nasir Sang Pecinta

Sang Pecinta, Sun 31 July 2013, Istana Budaya

Another M Nasir concert - always a joy to attend.

Overall, 25 songs were played (according to NST) And it stretched to more than 2 hours, how generous of him. He seemed not to realize this at all, enjoying himself throughout the concert.

The set started with a backdrop of CGI to the instrumental tune of Cermin Mimpi, followed by a recital of poem.

The first song kicked off with M Nasir and his musicians performing behind a translucent screen where you could see the performers' silhouette a la wayang kulit.

He's backed by the Orkestra Seni Kebangsaan for the strings section and Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia for the gamelan ensemble; apart from his very able band of course.


He played a mix of his own songs and his compositions for other artistes. According to here, he played a whopping 25 songs which stretched more than 2 hours! Thank you for being so generous :)

Here's the setlist (not according to order, searched from here) by the mix of genres: (at least from my personal opinion)

Intro / Poem
Cermin Mimpi

Strings / Orchestra
Dalam
Bahtera Raudah
Apokalips
Keroncong Untuk Ana
Hidayah
Rajawali Terbang Tinggi
Perang Yang Lagi Satu
Hijab Kekasih
Mentera Semerah Padi

Acoustic (Unplugged)
Layang Layang Putus Talinya
Meniti Titian Usang
Srikandi Cintaku
Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud
Aku dah Bilang (new song, I liked it)

Contemporary

Akar Kita
Buka Hatimu
Wadi
Mustika
Sahabat Gua
Ada

Traditional / Gamelan
.....probably some mixed up with the contemporary set. I can't recall, and did not take any recordings

Jazz
Sesat di Kuala Lumpur
Sentuhan Listrikmu


Encore
Hati Emas
Mentera Semerah Padi (reprise)

Reza Salleh DFP Spotlight

I've heard his name before, but never bothered to check his songs out...then I found out about his show at DFP just a few days prior. It was a sold out show!
Bravo to him ;)

He brought with him his entourage of live band. They were really good. His songs were not bad too, wish I knew his songs prior to going, or I would have enjoyed them more ;)

Check him out here

I can't seem to find his setlist. Will post them if I find it.

Sound of music

24.06.11

Re-blog from zu :)

These are a few of my favourite things...it was sweet and cute - especially the youngest of the Von Trapp clan (there are 7 of them mischievous ones!)

Oh, it was my first musical actually. Luckily I did my homework before going. Sweet!

Read the review here

The Flaming Lips (I Wish!)

Agagagag...I was stuck here in KL due to work and so missed The Flaming Lips' concert in SG last night at the spanking new Marina Bay Sands

The gig was sure as heck mind blowingly epic! There's Zorbing, a bear(!), giant laser-emitting hands, lots of balloons and confetti! Note: Background music of the video is "Do You Realize?"

A friend of mine Nut from SG got lucky to have won a pair of tix to the gig! His winning story is here (find ewoksoldier's entry)

And he got a lucky break again that the tix had to be picked up from Junk's office in PJ (but he's based in SG!) when another tix winner from M'sia offered to pick up the tix for him & met up with him & they had a blast going to the gig! I'm not kidding, here's his account:

On that night itself, some dude named Omar email-ed me about joining him and his friend for the road trip down to Singapore for the show (he must've gotten my email from the Junk website). So I replied that I'm in Singapore and asked him if he can be arsed to help a stranger and get me my tickets from Junk HQ, highlighting the fact that he can run away with them and that I can do nothing about it. In return, I'd treat him and his friend to supper after the show. He replied with a very sincere "yes"!

So this super-duper nice fella did get me my tickets at 10am SHARP thurs morning, and gave me a call right away to assure me that he's not running away with it! Such a nice fella right..

I brought my lucky friend along and we met Omar and his friend at Marina Bay Sands (it was their first time driving into Singapore and kudos to him for finding his way through this extremely confusing place) after work. I think he's the last human being of this kind (helpful, selfless, honest). I received my tickets and he said he'll take a smoke while my friend and I go look for something to eat (but we didn't in the end). Apparently there isn't a single fast-food restaurant in that bloody huge place. Not a big fan of fast-food but we needed to bite into something light just before the show, so we ended up with coke.

Then we went to the exhibition hall and there was a queue. Went to check out the merch stalls and I bought a tee. I loved it. We decided to join the queue but soon after, Omar came and called us to his BIG group of friends who came down from KL too, and they were near the front of the queue!! Then I spotted my colleague (who's a freelancer so I had no idea she was attending the show too) on the other side of the queue, where we were a minute ago and I did the right thing by passing along the good deed, so I pulled her to our huge group of cool people (apparently some of them are in a Malaysian band called Flocks, if i heard correctly... google isn't giving me any result so I must have heard wrongly then). Then it was 8pm and we were ushered into the hall and it was the beginning of a lot of surprises for me.

Moral of the story: Do good unto others. It's infectious :-D

Postcards from a Young Man

Love the Manics. Postcards from a Young Man. To be released 20.9.2010

New single (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love already leaked on you tube. Sounds quite poppy. An abrupt departure from their very intense previous album Journal for Plague Lovers

Shiny Happy People

Just wanted to share the 'theme song' for POPY
Shiny Happy People by R.E.M.
A very young Michael Stipe there.. LOL at his dancing!

Song released in 1991 from the album 'Out of Time'

Operation Placebo Stalking - Success!

Gosh... I couldn't believe I did this!!

Gotta thank my informants! Without you I'm nothing ^_^

Placebo were here to perform on 16.3.2010 at KL Live

Since it's very rare to get bands to perform here, me & my lovely gig mates decided to meet up with Placebo, so we did some research on the band's whereabouts while they are here in M'sia!

Our prediction of the band's arrival at KLIA was correct ^_^ (Sunday, 14.3.2010 @ 8pm)

But I didn't go cos my lovely mates were not available at the time, so I chickened out

See their arrival here

Then, the next day, we got another info. The press conference will be held at Hotel XX on gig day, but at what time, we did not know.

Me & mates reconvened, but then ,F was only coming for the gig proper, while L said that she wasn't free until about 3pm

I thought to myself, since I already have the info (although without knowing the exact time), what the heck, I'm just going to take my chance!

So with a little bit of guessing - I thought the press conf should finish by lunch time around 1pm

I sneaked out of office at noon (syhhh this is a secret!), bought a silver marker pen, to be signed on the Placebo t-shirt I got the previous day (it comes with buying early bird tickets).

Arrived at Hotel XX at 12.30, found out that there's a media conference at Level 6, and Meet & Greet, also at Level 6. (There was a Meet & Greet contest organized by Fly Fm, but I wasn't a winner, heck, I didn't even enter the competition!)

At first I hung around the lobby, contemplating should I go up or not? I texted L on my situation, and she told me to "Just go up there and pretend you're someone important!"

I thought again, I've come all this way, just do it!

So I mustered all the courage I had, and went up Level 6. I saw a Fly Fm rep there and asked her if she knew what the schedule was like (I told her I was a stalker!). I was thinking of approaching the band once they were done with the interviews.

But then I was given a pleasant surprise! Allison (I have to mention her name, such a sweet girl!) of Fly Fm told me that some of the winners were not there yet, although it was almost time for the meet & greet session. Although they eventually turned up, she still let me in! I can't thank her enough!!!!!!!!!!!

So there I was - in the Meet & Greet session. Got to meet the band and got our stuff autographed.

It was a reaaallly shooort session, lasting about 10 minutes only. We shook hands, greeted a little, got the autographs, had a group photo and that's about it. But then again, I'm grateful that I got the lucky break to meet them ^_^

After the group photo, Brian & Stefan immediately left, while Steve still hung around, obliging to the fans for individual photos. I was too late to take a pix with him though.

Anyway, here's a link to the press conf with Junk
More pictures of Meet & Greet from Fly Fm here

Here's my signed t-shirt ^_^



**Post Gig**
We got our informant to reveal their flight departure as well (17.3.2010 @ 4.30pm) . But we got it quite late (I asked for it quite late actually). So we only went to Hotel XX when they were checking out, but was restrained (ahem!) by security.

Well we didn't do anything untoward actually. I just asked the security lady nicely if we could meet up the band again, but she said No. So I just gave her the Thank You card we bought for the band to be passed to them. Hope it makes through! (It will probably be kept by Steve I think)

Come back again, soon!

Note: I know I sound like a starstruck 19-year old. But it's true really, I have waited since I was 19, so I was 19 again that day ;-)

...And some promise of 2010

As for 2010, Plastic Beach by Gorillaz doesn't sound too bad, (not for those who dislikes rap/beats/drum machines. It's not all rap here though. A mish mash of genre bending but melodious tunes. But I might be biased here, I've always liked Damon Albarn's works -he of Blur fame, he's part of Gorillaz ^_^)
Sample here
Edit: Current fave track: Empire Ants, On Melancholy Hill, Stylo, Rhinestone Eyes (nevermind the titles :-p)

After a few listens of the sampler, I'm being reminded of Massive Attack's 1991's brilliant album -Blue Lines which pioneered the trip hop genre.
And then I found out Massive Attack also has a new album out- Heligoland.
And lo and behold, Mr Albarn is on here too! So too are loads of others (Mazzy Star, Hope Sandoval, Elbow & Portishead personnel etc). Real drums on here.
Sample of Paradise Circus (1st single) here
I'm having my ears full. Bliss.
Edit: Current fave track: Paradise Circus (can't get enough of this), Pray for Rain, Psyche, Saturday Come Slow (it's Albarn!).

Top 3 Records of 2009

~Quite late,this ~

Aha! Since James from Manics made his Top 10 Records of 2009 list here (and he didn't put his own band on the list), I'm making mine ;-)

But just a Top 3 (in order of date of release)

1. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers

2. Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

3. Flaming Lips - Embryonic + Remake of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon

A Cultured Aural Experience

Gah! Pretty lame of me only to finally set foot into the DFP after years of its existence!
And pretty lame an excuse too, as I finally did it because of free tickets lol! Shame on me...

We were there to see Irama Warisan Kita by MPO, conducted by Dato' Johari Salleh with orchestral musical arrangment of ethereal Malay songs such as Getaran Jiwa, Tunggu Sekejap, Bahtera Merdeka and also more modern songs such as Hijau and Cindai (I preferred the evergreen ones though. As for Cindai, I felt it was quite odd)

Being a first timer in the DFP, I found out that I loved the acoustics. (Gah! If only I could sneak in recordable instruments ...syyhh...) I could hear almost all the intricate layers of each of the instruments clearly. (And it makes me want to pick up an instrument and join the MPO this instant, if only just to play the tambourines or the cymbals ...I think I could manage that :-p)

It's quite a small hall, so you feel intimacy with the performers. You could see their hands/fingers fiddling with the instruments. (Reminds me of my friend Liz' obsession with musicians' hands lol!)

I guess it's inevitable for me to sooner or later delve into more 'cultured' music when my knees will start to fail me so I have to sit tight and watch performances without going monkey ape bonkers :-p!

Everyday is like Sunday

Was stoked that Bfm 89.9 played The Smith's Everyday Is Like Sunday and Placebo's cover of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill

Note: The Smiths are no more, but lead singer, Morrissey is still performing as a solo artiste

Stainless Style

I absolutely love Super Furry Animals (SFA). Absurd song titles/lyrics, but brilliant music!
Their new album Dark Days/Light Years is out now.



More info on them here
Interesting note: The actor Rhys Ifans was briefly the vocalist for SFA

1. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (In Space)
Note: title refers to a village in northwest Wales (It's in Welsh or Cymru)
2. If U Don't Want Me To Destroy U
3. The International Language of Screaming
4. Chewing Chewing Gum
5. The Placid Casual
6. Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)
7. Alternate Route to Vulcan Street
8. Receptacle for the Respectable
9. Happiness Is a Worn Pun
10. Gypsy Space Muffin
11. Psyclone!
12. Baby Ate My Eightball
13. Carbon Dating
14. Stainless Style
15. Ice Hockey Hair

Journal for Plague Lovers

Cover painting by Jenny Saville

Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers

1. Peeled Apples
2. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
3. Me and Stephen Hawking
4. This Joke Sport Severed
5. Journal for Plague Lovers
6. She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach
7. Facing Page: Top Left
8. Marlon J.D.
9. Doors Closing Slowly
10. All Is Vanity
11. Pretension/Repulsion
12. Virginia State Epileptic Colony
13. William's Last Words" / Bag Lady (Hidden Track)
Japan-only bonus tracks
14. Alien Orders/Invisible Armies
15. Primitive Painters

Juxtaposed With You

Let's associate the songs with the words now. I'm only putting excerpts, the full lyrics would be too long :p
Just click the button to reveal the lyrics / click again to hide

I read bad poetry
Into your machine
I save your messages
Just to hear your voice

At my most beautiful
I count your eyelashes, secretly
With every one, whisper I love you

I cannot be without you
Matter of fact
I'm on your back

If you walk out on me
I'm walking after you

My heart is yours.
It's you that I hold on to.
That's what I'll do

If I told you a secret
You won't tell a soul
Will you hold it and
Keep it alive

If the world isn't turning
Your heart won't return
Anyone, anything, anyhow

I wanted to run but she made me crawl
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Eternal fire, she turned me to straw
Oh oh, the sweetest thing
You know I got black eyes
But they burn so brightly for her

(en plein amour)
You and i
Just collapsed in love
And it looks like we might have made it
Yes, it looks like weve made it to the end

(en plein soleil)
(en plein soleil)

And oh if you stay I'll chase the rainblown fields away
We'll shine like the morning and sin in the sun
Oh if you stay
We'll be the wild ones, running with the dogs today

And it's a shame the plane is leaving on this sunny day
Cos on you my tattoo will be bleeding and the name will stain

the atlantic was born today and i'll tell you how:
the clouds above opened up and let it out.

I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
when the water filled every hole.
and thousands upon thousands made an ocean,
making islands where no island should go.
oh no.

those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats.
I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat.
the rhythm of my footsteps crossing flood lands to your door have been silenced forever more.
the distance is quite simply much too far for me to row
it seems farther than ever before
oh no.

I need you so much closer

I fell in love again
all things go, all things go
drove to Chicago
all things know, all things know
we sold our clothes to the state
I don't mind, I don't mind
I made a lot of mistakes
in my mind, in my mind

I drove to New York
in a van, with my friend
we slept in parking lots
I don't mind, I don't mind
I was in love with the place
in my mind, in my mind
I made a lot of mistakes
in my mind, in my mind

Happy Songs for Happy People

I meant to do this for Azni & Shahril's wedding, but I never got to finish it, so I'll pass it on to Zal then.

But urm, they are not your conventional soppy love songs
Click the song title to sample them :

1. REM - At My Most Beautiful
2. Foo Fighters - Walking After You
3. Coldplay - Sparks
4. Travis - Love Will Come Through
5. U2 - The Sweetest Thing
6. Air - Cherry Blossom Girl
7. Blur - To The End
8. Suede - The Wild Ones
9. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
10. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago : This is not really a love song, but I love it so much, I'm putting it here

Manics

Click click clicky...

lagi tentang musik

Another post on my fave topic.

Coldplay just gave out free downloads of their new single, "Violet Hill", which expires today (so hurry, if you haven't already, go to coldplay.com ). 2 free shows lined up for Brixton Academy & Madison Sq. come June (those lucky people!)

I really respect these musicians who are doing it for artistic reasons, who just want to share their material with the whole world, and sending messages at the same time. And being vocal about it. Radiohead even went as far as letting fans download their last album, In Rainbows, for whatever amount they want, even for free.

Anyway, back to Violet Hill. It's quite broody, and angrier, unlike what they have released so far. I guess it's the frustations of the current situation of the world bottled up; this is them venting it out. Just look at their new album title (released 16 June) - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, and look at the artwork, don't tell me they aren't angry.


This artwork is the copyright of Coldplay/the artiste they hired and is a reproduction of the artwork on their website

Also, an interesting video by Radiohead for their song "All I Need", about exploitation of child labours. Listen carefully at the start of the video on the right screen.

Yuna. - Subang Jaya. Kuantan. Kangar. - Alternativa - Acústica - Folk Rock

Just want people who comes here to check out Yuna - a girl singer-songwriter from Subang Jaya who's really cool ! Her demos are quite good, I especially like "Firework & After Midnight"
(Now I must really learn to play instruments! )

Her link
http://www.myspace.com/yunaroomrecords

Do also check out her videos at you tube - just search "yuna"

This is her profile:

The first four letters of her name is Y.U.N.A. She writes a couple of songs, and basically picks out the best out of the bunch to share it with the world. Nothing really mindblowing. It is what it is, you dont have to like it.Best listened when you're lying on grass in a quiet afternoon, your toes in the sand facing the ocean, or when you're in the car watching trees go by.

Other than that, she's pretty much a very normal person. Who loves 60's, 70's music, Jimi Hendrix, Alanis Morissette, and Feist, iced Milo and goofing around. Besides music she has a life as a student, a daughter, a friend, and a person who tries to do one good thing every single day.

Introducing...Lazy Ants

It's my cousin's band.. made up of the brothers Reza, Azlan & Aizat, with their cousins & friends. Reza on guitar, Azlan singing & drums, Aizat bass/drums.

They showcased their talent for the first time last Saturday nite. Not bad at all!!!! Probably I should be band manager hehe...(since I'm already Event Manager for Gang Ketat Kerteh)

Their setlist last Saturday was Dashboard Confessional's Vindicated, Earth Angel by The Penguins, Cranberries' Animal and Coldplay's Fix You

To watch the video (ending part of Fix You..sorry not really good quality video) click below

2005 bangin' choons

here are albums I've got for 2005 - not in order of preference

1. franz ferdinand - you could have it so much better - 5/5 ace !
2. feeder - pushing the senses - 5/5 top ace !!
3. athlete - tourist -5/5 top ace !!
4^ the posies - every kind of light - 5/5 top ace !! melodic band from the US, doesn't exactly jive does it?
5* beck - guero - 5/5 ace !! - oh yeah, he's from the US
6* the killers - hot fuss - 5/5 top ace !! also melodic, electronic tinged band from the US
7. embrace - out of nothing - 4/5 only listened twice, got to listen some more
8. starsailor - on the outside - 3.5/5 will give it more chance
9* sigurros - takk - unrated - definitely have to digest more - they grow on you
10. gorillaz - feel good inc - 4/5 a bit inconsistent - but there are majority stand out tracks - go damo & inc !
11. coldplay - x&y - 4/5 - good, but they could have it so much better (hehe, borrowing franz's album title)
12. chemical brothers - push the button - 4/5 ok, but chem bros fans might diss me for not being as appreciative
13. kasabian* - kasabian -5/5 ace !!
14. the bravery - the bravery - 5/5 ace !!
15. doves* - some cities - 5/5 ace !!
16. kaiser chiefs* - employment - 3.5/5 imho overrated, but some fun, radio friendly songs though
17. bloc party* - silent alarm - 4.5/5 promising

* monetary credit to big bro - he bought 'em
^ effort credit to big bro