Friday, April 8, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 8.

Day 8: A song that you know all the words to: Third Eye Blind - Motorcycle Drive By. (1997)



One of the most beautifully written song ever. Love how this song really comes alive midway through. Could be a painful song to listen to at times too because of the imagery... But then what good is a song if it doesn't evoke your emotions?

And there's things I would like to do
That you don't believe in
I would like to build something
But you'll never see it happen

And there's this burning
Like there's always been
I've never been so alone
And I've, I've never been so alive

Runner up: Third Eye Blind - Wake For Young Souls. (2003)

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song: Fergie - Fergalicious.
April 3 - a song that makes you happy: Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams.
April 4 - a song that makes you sad: U2 - Walk On.
April 5 - a song that reminds you of someone: Hellogoodbye - Two Weeks in Hawaii.
April 6 - a song that reminds you of somewhere: Hot Hot Heat - YVR
April 7 - a song that reminds you of a certain event: Green Day - Holiday
April 8 - a song that you know all the words to: Third Eye Blind - Motorcycle Drive By.
April 9 - a song that you can dance to:

Thursday, April 7, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 7.

Day 7: A song that reminds you of a certain event: Green Day - Holiday. (2005)



Oh yes. Every time I listen to Holiday I couldn't help but be reminded of a Canucks game. More specifically, when the Sedins do insane things like this:



Or this:



And of course, this:



"Daniel to Burrows to Daniel to Henrik HE SCORES! Oh what a thing of beauty!"

I want to hear Holiday being played over and over again come playoffs. Oh yes.

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song: Fergie - Fergalicious.
April 3 - a song that makes you happy: Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams.
April 4 - a song that makes you sad: U2 - Walk On.
April 5 - a song that reminds you of someone: Hellogoodbye - Two Weeks in Hawaii.
April 6 - a song that reminds you of somewhere: Hot Hot Heat - YVR
April 7 - a song that reminds you of a certain event: Green Day - Holiday
April 8 - a song that you know all the words to:

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 5 & 6.

Day 5: A song that reminds you of someone: Hellogoodbye - Two Weeks in Hawaii. (2006)



Never had a song that rings more strongly about a person than this one. This is the song that will always remind me of you.

Definitely one of my favourites.

Runner up: Third Eye Blind - Water Landing. (2009)
(this song comes pretty darn close too, but Two Weeks in Hawaii is better)

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Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere: Hot Hot Heat - YVR. (2010)




Another band that is very underrated. Hot Hot Heat is quite an awesome alternative band that has a distinctively West Coast Vancouver sound (which is appropriate since they are from Victoria). I mean, watch the video. Can't get any more Vancouver than that, can it? And it's called YVR for christssakes. And it heavily features the world renowned BC bud...

And sure enough this song does not exactly sound like your typical alternative song -- and nothing wrong with that really, as Hot Hot Heat is neither the most radio-friendly band out there nor do they try to be. This song is not very catchy, yet somehow it grew on me. (and yes I play this song every time I drive near the airport)

Fly into YVR
Get myself in a car
Get to the people that will keep me alive
Frostbitten drunken skids
You make it howl, kids
Something about you, I just trust you tonight

Runner up: Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle. (1987)
(this song should be LA's official anthem)

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song: Fergie - Fergalicious.
April 3 - a song that makes you happy: Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams.
April 4 - a song that makes you sad: U2 - Walk On.
April 5 - a song that reminds you of someone: Hellogoodbye - Two Weeks in Hawaii.
April 6 - a song that reminds you of somewhere: Hot Hot Heat - YVR
April 7 - a song that reminds you of a certain event:

[Whoops -- too busy yesterday working on my presentation that I didn't have time to update the 30-day song challenge. Consider the blogging streak over?]

Monday, April 4, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 4.

Day 4: A song that makes you sad: U2 - Walk On. (2000)



Somehow, this song always reminds me of my old friend Bernard whom I've known since elementary school. On June 10, 2004, he took his own life at 15 years of age. He was a victim of Hong Kong's failed education system.

I miss you buddy.

Runner up: Third Eye Blind - The Background.

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song: Fergie - Fergalicious.
April 3 - a song that makes you happy: Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams.
April 4 - a song that makes you sad: U2 - Walk On.
April 5 - a song that reminds you of someone:

Sunday, April 3, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 3.

Day 3: A song that makes you happy: Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams (1981)



Who said there's no good music in the 80's?

Listening to this when essays and presentations are slaughtering me really brightens up my day... Such as now.

And yes (500) Days of Summer couldn't have portrayed this song better.

Runner up: Jackie Wilson - I Get The Sweetest Feeling. (1968)
Just listen to it. You can't not love this song.

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song: Fergie - Fergalicious.
April 3 - a song that makes you happy: Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams.
April 4 - a song that makes you sad:

Saturday, April 2, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 2.

Day 2: Your Least Favourite Song: Fergie - Fergalicious. (2006)



My oh my. Where do I begin.

Yesterday it took me about 10 minutes to figure out which song is my current favourite. This one though? Oh, I don't know, about a minute?

This is what's wrong with popular culture -- the lack of substance, a music video that make my eyes bleed, the absurdity of the lyrics, the lack of skills all around. Listening to this song gives me a brain hemorrhage -- and frankly Fergalicious isn't even remotely the worst out there. It's close, but it's not the worst. Fergalicious is just hilariously bad. So bad that it makes Video on Trial's review that much more awesome.

Listening to this song is like listening to the sound of a truckload of kittens crashing into an orphanage. It's an insult to my ears. It's evil. It's what the Third Reich would come up with. But hey, the good news is there are much worse out there.

There are just some that is so bad that it is no longer entertaining to laugh at it. Songs that are so bad -- so bad that it's just utterly putrid that one can't even get worked up about it anymore but to totally give up any hopes on humanity. Songs like this; or this; or this -- all of them so engineered you'd be surprised if the artists don't have an electronic voice box in their bloody throats. Fair enough, I've had a loathing for this new-age pop / hip-hop nonsense for a while now, so I am willing to admit that I am biased. Seriously though, whatever happened to the old-style hip hop that was all about social injustice and empowerment? As they say now, hip hop is now all about bitches and hoes. Nothing more than a corporate sell-out.

Not to mention that stuff like autotune will continue to destroy music until it becomes something like an apocalyptic ruin.

Sigh, what has this world come to?

Runner up: Crazy Frog - Axel F. (2005) It's just so horrible. Nothing annoys the bejesus out of me more than this crap.

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song: Fergie - Fergalicious.
April 3 - a song that makes you happy

Friday, April 1, 2011

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 1.

Yes, I have succumbed to the devil.

I am never really that big on doing anything that probably no one really cares about -- like those online quizzes and what not. After all, it's not like I don't have enough on plate already, why should I spend half an hour doing a quiz that doesn't serve anything other than being an adrenaline shot for my ego?

But you know, my good friend (and worst enemy) Sonia Mak is doing this on Facebook and she was trying to persuade me into doing this, and I thought: Why not? It's not like I don't have 2 presentations and an essay coming up next week; another two the following week; and a final by the end of this month anyway... But then, the whole point of this is about music -- which is something I definitely love (and unfortunately very talentless in).

... And I really want to go back to blogging again. Really, this shouldn't take me too long to write.

So starting today until April 30, here's my 30 songs that... do something to me. Just read the bloody list at the bottom.

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Day 1: Your Favourite Song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires. (2008)



It's not just this song, really. Death Cab For Cutie has always been a very underrated band -- considering how deep and melodic a lot of their songs really are. In the age of auto-tune and the soulless, top-40 bullcrap (more on that tomorrow) that most mainstream artists make these days, you've really got to respect what DCFC represents -- the rawness and simplicity of their music that is not adulterated by digitization. The Narrow Stairs album in 2008 was a particularly brilliant one (and sadly, one that I only discovered late last year); and Grapevine Fires is one of the finest songs in it.

Sure enough, the music video itself is a tad eccentric -- but it certainly meshes well with their style. The sadness, the incredible imagery, and the profound helplessness in the face of tragedy -- all coupled together in this song. At the end, if all else fails and nothing could be done, sometimes the only thing we can really do in is to sit back and hope for the best. No matter what, life goes on and everything will eventually be all right.

And the news reports
On the radio said it was getting worse
As the ocean air fanned the flames
But I couldn't think
Of anywhere I would've rather been
To watch it all burn away
Burn away

This song -- for now anyway -- is my favourite song.

Runner up: Third Eye Blind - Semi-charmed Life. (1997)
(simply because Third Eye Blind is the best band ever and I've always loved this song since high school)

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April 1 - your favorite song: Death Cab For Cutie - Grapevine Fires.
April 2 - your least favorite song
April 3 - a song that makes you happy
April 4 - a song that makes you sad
April 5 - a song that reminds you of someone
April 6 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
April 7 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
April 8 - a song that you know all the words to
April 9 - a song that you can dance to
April 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
April 11 - a song from your favorite band
April 12 - a song from a band you hate
April 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
April 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
April 15 - a song that describes you
April 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
April 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
April 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
April 19 - a song from your favorite album
April 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
April 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
April 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
April 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
April 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
April 25 - a song that makes you laugh
April 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
April 27 - a song that you wish you could play
April 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
April 29 - a song from your childhood
April 30 - your favorite song at this time last year