We didn’t eat rice over there. We had Pringles. Enough cans to make the Pringles man’s moustache even curlier.

In the eyes of any Malaysian worth his sen who has been spoiled with every type of asian ethnic cuisine imaginable, the city of Glasgow (or in fact any city in the UK) would seem like a gourmet jungle. It’s rather baffling to think that the fourth richest city in the world would commit such atrocity to their stomachs. I would have thought that in a country blessed (or cursed?) with constant rain, the people would be busy indoors either concocting some delightful dishes, or whiling away their time enjoying a meal that would cheer them up. Instead I had stepped foot on a land of greasy fish and chips, even greasier kebabs, where meat pies reign supreme. I could write a thesis on the state of food in the UK, but we’ll leave that for another time, for I had digressed too much. And to their defence, the food scene seems quite cheerful in London where cosmopolitan and affordable food is relatively easily available. Gourmet pubs that serve chef-prepared food instead of the typical sausage and mash are good choices for choice eats too.

What’s depressing about eating in the UK is that cheap and cheerful does not appear in their dictionaries when it comes to food. Unless in London where good affordable eats can be found, I realise how difficult it was to look for a nicel decorated place that served good food unless you paid through your nose for it. So no Kim Gary’s or Little Penang equivalents over there, just the greasy takeaways for the penny-counting thrifts. Cooking for ourselves was not an option, but a necessity. And so, the supermarkets became my best friend. These are the five items without which I wouldn’t last a year.

1. Walkers Sensations
Vintage Cheddar & Red Onion Chutney;Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon & Thyme; Slow Roasted Lamb with Moroccan Spices; Gently Infused Lime & Thai Spices;Thai Sweet Chilli. Some of the best potato crisps. Ever.

2.Walkers Poppadom bites
One step before entering heaven (Walkers sensations are for eating when IN heaven). Light and airy bite-sized poppadoms with a non-overpowering infusion of spices. I brought chips, not chicks, to my bedroom every night.

3. Semi-skimmed fresh milk
When I was growing up, I tried drinking a glass of plain fresh milk ONCE, and never did it again. Not until I went to the UK, where the milk tasted gooood. It was because somehow the milk over there do not smell of cow. Till today I still miss the simple habit of buying a pint of milk, ubiquitously capped in green to indicate semi skim from Sainsbury’s or the Co-op(I never bought full fat milk, but it didn’t seem to help my weight one bit).

4.PESTO!
Ahhh. What would my life be without pesto. That wonderful jar of blended basil, cheese, pine nuts and olive oil. Perfect on toast, pasta and salmon. Probably the Italian version of a non-spicy sambal. My world changed the day I met this humble little jar containing a suspect looking green coloured mush as I was skimming through the Sainsbury spice racks, and decided to buy it out of curiosity. Thank you, pesto.

5. Kikkoman teriyaki marinade
Another time saving concoction for the busy (and lazy) students. What do you call a bottle of soy sauce that you pour over your chicken, grill it for 20 minutes and call it a meal? Genius.

Honorable mention:
Pringles. Muller Corner Crunch. Twix. Kettle Chips. Peckhams sesame bagels. Alrite. Someone send a box over full of Walkers Sensations tqverymuch.

Don’t you know that I’ll be around to guide you
Through your weakest moments to leave them behind you
Returning nightmares only shadows
We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright for now
Crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders
The sirens inside you waiting to step forward
Disturbing silence darkens your sight
We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright for now
Crosses all over the boulevard
The streets outside your window overflooded
People staring they know you’ve been broken
Repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces
Ignore them tonight and you’ll be alright
We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright

-from LyricsMania.com

Following the success of his first single, “Heartbeats” eversince it was used as the background song to the amazing Sony Bravia advert (see my earlier post), Jose Gonzalez has been (in his quiet singer-songwriter sort of way) riding high on the music radar. In his home country Sweden (he’s from Gothenburg), he is quite a well-known artiste already, but the news of his talents have finally reached beyond Scandinavian confines after his TV exposure in the recent months. It has also reached here in the UK, where Channel 4 aired a musical special on him a few months back, not to mention a sold out concert just two nights ago here in Glasgow. Since watching the TV special, yours truly has been on a futile search for the song, “Crosses”, which was a single that was released back in his home country before his international recognition.

Finally, thanks to the smart marketing and revenue-mining brains of his record company, this previously Sweden-only single has been re-released internationally. Good music is always blog-worthy, so I am implore anyone who gives this blog a visit to please click the links below to give his music a listen. The melancholic beauty of his songs hidden beneath just his voice and a guitar needs not much convincing, but merely needs to be shared.

“Crosses”
Jose Gonzales

Click here to watch the video
Click here to get the mp3

On the topic of exceptionally talented singer songwriter’s, I’ve also been listening to Sufjan Stevens. I have yet to muster enough cash for his album, “Illinois”, but it’s at the top of my wishlist along with Jose Gonzalez. Here’s a link to a song from the upcoming album “The Avalanche: Outtakes And Extras From The Illinois Album” that comes out this July. (Oh man, that makes three albums in my CD wishlist). The song is called “The Henney Buggey Band”, all folksy and upbeat. Enjoy.

Click here for Sufjan Stevens’ “The Henney Buggy Band”

Heads up to m3 online for showing me how blogs can be sources of fresh music (no, am not referring to own blog.am no narcissist). Will update blog with links to many other music blogs in future.

Other great finds: Sleaze rock gods Louis XIV. Double entendres with matching attitude. Twee pop fellas Boy Least Likely To. Give them a Google!

A while ago a friend sent me this song, claiming it to be good and apparently meaningful. I scoffed at his ravings, dismissing it as blind love for a song just because he liked the anime (This song is the ending theme of the hugely popular anime “Bleach”). I took a first listen to it rather superficially, without going into the lyrics, but it did not bowl me over then. I thought his judgement of this song as ‘meaningful’ was overrated, that he arrived at this conclusion just by listening to the first line, “Nobody knows who I really am”.

In retrospect, I have to admit that I have underestimated my friend’s(/s’) musical tastes, and my musical snobbery (OK, I am admitting to this) has taken a beating. The thing about soundtrack songs is that you may not appreciate the song until you have seen the TV show/anime/film and are then able to understand the context in which the song was used. Sometimes it may be to a particular scene in the show while other times it could be the overall theme of that show. For instance, after watching a scene in the OC where two characters, Seth and Summer slow-danced to cover version of ‘Wonderwall’ by Ryan Adams, I searched everywhere for the song. Similarly for this song, it was after I began to watch the anime that I understood why this song was chosen to represent its characters.

The song possesses a soothing melody, beautifully delivered Rie’s mellow vocals. Her rhythmic yet non-intrusive piano chords were reminiscent of Carole King’s musical styles, which later came as no surprise as Rie mentioned her and Joni Mitchell (both are 1960’s folk legends) as her musical influences.

Personally, it was the lyrics that markedly changed my perception about the song. As the title suggests, the song employs seemingly simple imagery, yet at times the symbolism can ring so true that they inevitibly induce nods of agreement from yours truly. Apparently, Rie penned this song after her pastor likened life to a ride down the river, where we encounter things that will soon pass us by. And so my friend was right after all, this song is pretty meaningful.

Anyway I’ll cut the crap, watch the video and listen to the lyrics. Half of the song is sung in intelligible English (Rie was raised in Maryland), while for the Japanese lyrics, check out the translation that I have put out below.

Life is Like a Boat
Rie Fu, “Life is Like a Boat” single

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along,
Who’s gonna comfort me, and keep me strong?

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on coming and we can’t escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you through another day

Each breath escaping my body becomes transparent and goes far away
And even when I think everything’s dark, I’m only blindfolded

Offering a prayer, I wait for a new day to come
Until the reflection of the sunrise sparkling on the sea disappears completely

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don’t give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

People’s hearts are constantly changing, peeling away fresh layers
with each new phase of the moon

And every time I see your face
The ocean heaves up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars, and soon
I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I’d feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along,
I will follow you, and keep you strong

And still, the journey goes on, even on these calm days
And still, each new phase of the moon reflects its light onto my heart

Offering a prayer, I wait for a new day to come
Until the reflection of the sunrise sparkling on the sea disappears completely

And every time I see your face
The ocean heaves up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars, and soon
I can see the shore

We are all rowing the boat of fate, the waves keep on coming and we can’t escape
Even that is a beautiful journey; even anything is a beautiful journey

Translation taken from Sarah/Frecklegirl

The Strokes in Glasgow

Originally uploaded by dazedconfused.

So why did the Strokes gig on the 8th of February in Glasgow Carling rock my socks off? Electric is the word. The only analogy I could use to describe my experience that night is to compare it to being subjected to electro-convulsive treatment. The moment the band came on stage was sufficient to give me the goosebumps already, to be given a chance to see the band perform live. The realisation that prior to this, watching them was just an intention I’d never expect to fulfil, and then seeing them in the flesh, that sent another shock through me.

They opened with a song unfamiliar to me, probably a B-side or something taken off their latest album which I haven’t yet had the luxury to purchase. It might not be the best choice of an opener, considering the song wasn’t familiar to the crowd, and neither did it possess the catchiness to get the crowd going. Nevertheless, I was still stunned for a couple minutes by their presence, so it didn’t really matter to me what they were playing.

But the second song definitely brought the house down. They played their fantastic first single of their latest album, a song called “Juicebox”. The wicked opening bassline riffs, and the verse only served to tease the crowd and heightened their anticipation to mosh violently to Julian’s wailings of “Why won’t you come over here, We’ve got a city to love”.

The rest of the gig saw more of the crowd (me included) jigging to the upbeat rhythms of favourites like ‘The Modern Age’, ‘Soma’, ‘Barely Legal’ i.e the whole tracklisting of their first album “Is this it?”. It was only after realizing that the band played 10 out of 11 songs from the first album, that I discover how strong “Is this it?” was as an album compared to their sophomore effort “Room on fire” from which only a select few tracks were played in the gig. But it has to be mentioned that the song that killed the crowd most besides ‘Juicebox’ was the song ‘Reptilia’ taken from their second album. The deafening screams of the audience matched the band’s powerful rendition of this song.

While the band maintained their cool composure by being living statues throughout their performance, they let their music do the talking. Setting the pace for the night were the unrelenting rhythms from drummer Fabrizio Moretti and thumping basslines from Nikolai. The guitarists meanwhile, “Jew-fro”-ed Albert Hammond, Jr and Nick took turns playing the lead and rhythm parts. Albert Hammond struck me more as the guitarist responsible for the driving rhythms and electric sounds in songs like ‘Last Night’, ‘Reptilia’ and ‘The Modern Age’ while Nick Valensi’s forte was in noodling about during the solos. Combined, they were great. Last but not least, there’s Julian Casablancas who delivered his duty which was look cool and sing like he’s drunk (which he probably was anyway).

The audience is part of the reason why it was such a great night. Even Julian himself said towards the end of the gig,”We love you Glasgow, we’ve never played to such a loud crowd before.” That’s what Glaswegians are, loud but receptive.

Of course there were not-so-good moments as well, like instances where the guitars were out of key from the bass, and a few rather bland performances of expectedly upbeat numbers. But what a night it was.

Attending the concert of your favourite band does things to you and your eardrums. Case in point, it is two hours after the concert and I am sitting here in front of the computer screen, oblivious to the fact that I have a test in less than 48 hours or that I haven’t taken my shower. Instead I am sharing my awesome ear sweetening experience to the blogosphere, still buzzing on the inside.

I been crazy about the Strokes eversince I got hold of the song ‘Barely Legal’ via the net while I was still in high school. At a time when anything resembling rock is almost always preceded by the word ‘rap’ (the band L— B-z–t comes to mind, but let’s not mention them at good times like these), it almost seemed that rock was dead. Some guys in my class were into Westlife and the Backstreet Boys for crying out loud. Upon listening to the opening riffs for this mp3 from some unknown band called the Strokes, it gave me the impression that I accidentally downloaded something 60’s, like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, what with their simple 4/4 drumming, repetitive chords that led to a very retro sounding melody in the chorus. Yet at the time when “Rollin’, rollin’ rollin’ rollin’” was everywhere on the radio, they definitely sounded fresh to me despite utilizing and reusing the musical style of the 60’s. Soon, I learnt that the Strokes were part of the garage rock revivalists in the vein of the Velvet Underground and The Stooges. Alongside other bands such as The Hives and The White Stripes, they were a new musical trend taking over the god-awful rap rock over in the West.

Maybe it’s the case of me listening to the Strokes first, but I always thought less of the other garage revivalist bands, considering them as jumping on the bandwagon led by the Strokes. Music critics may consider the Strokes as the ‘boyband’ of the garage revivalists, a band with the right look and the right style, the chosen representatives to be marketed to the MTV-watching masses. While it is undeniable how the Strokes have successfully reintroduced the garage rock trend and skinny jeans and Converse sneakers along the way, it only takes a ticket to a Strokes concert to shut up any detractor denying the Strokes any more credibility than hyped up pin-up boys.

Truth to be told, my excitement for the concert has been piling up eversince I secured a ticket.

Never in my lifetime would I expect to see them in person, they’d never include Kuala Lumpur in their tour dates and I’d never go to the States just to watch them. It was only after I came to the UK that I discovered so many genuinely talented musicians holding live performances throughout the year, one after another. This came as a really pleasant surprise, considering how seldom Kuala Lumpur gets live acts from English-speaking artistes. And back home where most western music is pop, the possibility of a band considered left-field by Malaysian standards (even by American standards) like The Strokes to perform there is zilch. Thus I promised myself to go to at least ONE gig of any bands I listen to but may never reach the Malaysian airwaves.

I have God to thank for letting me be at the right place at the right time. That the year that I was in the UK was also the year when the indie revival is everywhere in the UK, where The Strokes gain mainstream acceptance and thus choose to tour it. Also the perfect timing for me to be able to buy a ticket just TWO days before the concert when it was already sold out within half an hour on the first day of sale.

to be continued…

Picture taken from Sony Bravia- The Advert website.

Seen this ad? It’s the ad where thousands balls in a myriad of colours make their way down the steep streets of San Francisco. Visually stunning, I found myself mesmerized when it came on air.

The music chosen for the commercial was equally remarkable- the folk guitar track “Heartbeats” by Jose Gonzalez. The song is the perfect complement to the ad; modest in a way that does not overshadow the commercial.

All my raves do not do justice to the commercial, so experience it yourself by visiting the Sony Bravia advertisement site.

Click here to watch the ad.