Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
039. tiffany - you and me
from Jetsons: The Movie Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1990)
As I was looking up images of eighties pop idol Tiffany, most of my search results were her nude Playboy pics. What's funnier about this is that years after Tiffany displayed the goodies, her eighties rival Debbie Gibson did as well for the same magazine. Moving on from the tit trivia, Tiffany Renee Darwish was born in 1971 and grew up in California. After performing at multiple venues at a young age, Tiffany scored a contract with MCA in 1986. Thanks to an extensive mall tour, her self-titled debut featured several top ten singles, and she was making fellow teen star Debbie Gibson pretty nervous. Legal troubles between Tiffany's parents and manager took a toll on her career, and her 1988 comeback didn't match her first album's sales. Years later, Tiffany is still recording. I'm not joking. If you happen to frequent clubs that play terrible dance remixes, you've probably heard it. Yeah, her new songs rank decently on the dance charts. In 1990, The Jetsons were brought to the big screen. Tiffany was supposedly chosen to sing Judy Jetson's songs only, but she then became Judy's speaking voice, too. Tiffany's raspy voice had really grown since "I Think We're Alone Now", and the Jetsons movie soundtrack features some of her best work to date. Granted she didn't write any of the three songs she recorded. "You and Me" is a wonderfully girlish synthrock number that gets me pumped every time. This and the stellar ballad "I Always Thought I'd See You Again" just reassure me that the eighties and nineties had better songs from kids' movies.
038. peter gabriel - out out
I was born in the eighties, but grew up in the nineties. Most of my fondest memories of my birth year are non-existent, and the years to come I do remember are just as fuzzy. I do know, though, that I love a dark little Christmas tale called Gremlins. There's been a longstanding controversy over the lack of release of a complete soundtrack. Nonetheless, "Out Out" is one of the few songs recorded with vocals. Surprisingly, it's performed by former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel. The track is a good understanding of Gabriel's quirky solo style at the time, and should be rediscovered by fans of Gremlins.
037. som2 - bah rae
바래 [Bah rae; Pray]
Korean 3:36
Dance Pop, Europop, K-Pop
from The Paradise Girl (2003)Dance Pop, Europop, K-Pop
After the success of exporting South Korean teen singer BoA to Japan, labels shuffled to replicate the phenomenon by training their own Korean talents. Most of them failed and rightfully so. Seo Mi Rim, born in 1989, didn't arrive in Japan until 2007 so she was a few years behind the fad. Under the name "MEILIN", she only recorded three Japanese singles that very year. Prior to this, Mi Rim went under the name "Som2" in South Korea, and released one album in 2003. Singles from the album were "Bah rae" (Pray) and "I Turn to You". After Mi Rim's less-than-popular appearance in Japan, she returned to her homeland and dropped two single EPs in 2008 and 2010 respectively. This time, she retained the name "MEILIN". I have no idea what she's up to nowadays, or why her releases had such odd timing. I can see why Japan wasn't too keen on her; MEILIN's Japanese music was irritating. Her sharp voice in combination with blase pop wasn't worth the translation. "Bah rae" was a good if not frivolous debut, and its energy masked the shrillness of Mi Rim's vocals.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
playlist: january 2011
131 MB
75m15s
1. 채정안 - 무정 (3:25)
2. Cocteau Twins - Frosty the Snowman (2:57)
3. Da Brat - Funkdafied (DJ Club Mix Rated R) (3:47)
4. Deerhunter - Game of Diamonds (3:14)
5. DJ Deckstream - Life Is Good feat. Mos Def (4:14)
6. Five - Keep on Movin' (Radio Edit) (3:18)
7. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Something That I Want (2:43)
8. J.Viewz - Far Too Close (Radio Edit) (4:16)
9. JASMINE - ONE (3:22)
10. Jurassic 5 - Ducky Boy (2:08)
11. Lauryn Hil - Ex-Factor (Radio Edit) (4:36)
12. Mai-K - 's All Right (DJ ME-YA Radical Beat Mix) (4:54)
13. 白鳥マイカ - Someday (5:08)
14. Mexican Institute of Sound - White Stripes (3:22)
15. Neko Case - I'm an Animal (2:21)
16. NLX - Find Love (5:51)
17. Pocahaunted - Echolocation (5:32)
18. 睡蓮 - 月に泣く (4:29)
19. to-ya - 봐 (3:46)
20. Wise Blood - B.I.G. E.G.O. (2:34)
Monday, January 31, 2011
036. slothbear - no dialogue
English 5:00
Indie Pop, Rock
from Qids (2010)I can't hate a band named after an adorable (albeit dangerous) animal. If it was a band made up of cute animals, I'd probably die of ecstasy. Well, Slothbear isn't that so I'm still alive. This Long Island based foursome is not exactly going to be remembered ten years from now for renovating New York indie rock, but "No Dialogue" is relaxed yet steady pop rock.
035. jasmine - one
Japanese 3:22
J-Pop, Electro R&B, Synthpop
from ONE (2011)
Urban music has resurfaced globally after taking a sidebar for other genres (acoustic and emo come to mind). However, it's a different ballgame today. Producers have really become eccentric, and they definitely know how to jump a bandwagon. In the land of the rising sun, R&B still struggles to bridge east and west. Most efforts come off too mocking whereas others cannot even be classified as anything other than "J-Pop". Toshinori Yonekura, Toshi Kubota, Ken Hirai, MISIA, DOUBLE and Hikaru Utada helped redefine R&B for the Japanese. Quite a few of these singers have since abandoned the style for the most part. Sony's latest young female starlet is simply dubbed "JASMINE" (real name "Asumi", born in 1989). Deeply channeling a young Utada, JASMINE has already captivated listeners. Including this jaded reviewer. Her voice isn't a barritone, which is often associated (or even deemed necessary) with urban music, and is really not that far off from JASMINE's high-pitched femme comrades. It's still clear that she's taken cues from western singers, and loves to pour emotion into every song. After her debut album sold 50,000 last year, JASMINE took a break until now to release her fifth single (in Japan, singles precede albums) "ONE". The title track was composed by Norwegian team Stargate. They've been behind songs by artists like Katy Perry, Rihanna and Ne-Yo. Yeah, but thankfully "ONE" is actually good. Combining a synth line with electro R&B, Stargate have given JASMINE a track that doesn't deviate from her past work. It's modern and groove friendly, and a friendly reminder that some Japanese singers can make it work in the country's musical slump.
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