Ice Cold Truth

Choices

2009-11-30T22:22:00.001+08:00

“Quick someone call the police,” shouts a woman loudly trying to overcome the loud music from the nearby speakers.

There is a huge crowd of people standing outside of a shop in Bukit Bintang Plaza. They are chatting loudly and some of them are pointing at something hidden in front of them. As I squeeze myself through the crowd. I can see a slightly overweight, old man with a huge white beard. His eyes are closed, as he lies motionless on the floor. I stare at him and I realize that I could go forward and help him, perhaps even save him when I feel my CPR card at the back of my pocket in my navy blues pants.

“Remember to sign your name on the back of your card,” said Mrs. Larios cheerfully as she handed us our CPR certificate card.

I flipped the card over and I proudly signed the card, hoping that I could one-day use my newly gained knowledge to save someone. I could still remember clearly the procedure. Breathe in the air and compress the victim’s nose. Tilt the head back and blow deeply into his mouth. Do those actions twice and then place both hands over the victim’s heart and press down. I had practiced that on the dummy many times before however I was afraid that I might mess up and kill the old man instead of saving him.

What if I mess up on the procedure and instead of saving, kill him? I stand there with that thought in mind while my conscience fights with me…a left jab…a right hook…left punch to the chest…left jab to the face…and a sucker punch to finish me off. My conscience loses as I walk away. Without even looking back, I abandon him.

“What a poor guy, someone stole his money and no one even offered to help him.” I hear my mum comment on an article in a late edition newspaper.

I peek over her shoulder and I realize that she is talking about the old man that I could have saved. Earlier that day, according to the paper, the old man had withdrawn some savings from a nearby bank, however, a young man stole his money. When the old man tried to stop him, he had a heart attack.

The newspaper also stated that if someone had performed CPR on him, he might be alive now. That made me feel sad. I have the skill and knowledge to save his life but I did not. Now I only wished that I could go back to the past.

Tribute to Randy

2009-08-07T21:21:00.001+08:00

To Be With You

2009-08-01T00:15:00.000+08:00

The Chaos Path

2009-07-30T12:04:00.001+08:00

The Death Of Love

2009-07-28T11:57:00.001+08:00

Painting My Horror

2009-07-26T11:50:00.000+08:00

Clouds Over California

2009-07-24T11:44:00.001+08:00

Only for the Weak

2009-07-22T11:41:00.000+08:00

Headcrusher by Megadeth

2009-07-20T11:40:00.000+08:00

2009-05-18T23:05:00.000+08:00

Cultural Perspective by icecoldluci

Over the years, there has been a number of different eras and cultures. Throughout all this centuries music has constantly been evolving and frequently represented the feelings and learnings of a era. The purpose of this essay is to explore how two different composer from two different culture and era portray their feelings and ideals through their music. The two composers that I will examine will be Niccolo Paganini from the Romantic era and Jimi Hendrix from the Hippie culture.

Paganini is born in Italy and is from a poor family. (Ewen 1937 pg 320) He is sickly throughout his entire life and his father is known to be very abusive and forcing Paganini to practice long hours. (Ewen 1976 pg 320) When Paganini was sixteen years old, he ran away from home so he could get away from his abusive father and was able to support himself by giving performance around Lucca, Northern Central of Italy. (Ewen 1937 pg 321) Paganini is frequently describe as pale thin looking, eagle eye, hook nose, long flowing black hair and always dressed in black. (Ewen 1937 pg 321) His pale thin appearance is most likely due to his poor health but however because of this, Paganini is often associated with the devil. His incredible technique on the violin is often cited as a exchange of his soul with the devil.

Italy was never really unified until Napoleon conquered and crown himself as the Emperor of Italy in 1804. (Killinger 2002 pg 96) Prior to Napoleon's invasion of Italy, there was a period of Enlightenment in Italy due to the French Revolution. However as the French Revolution slowly became the Reign of Terror, the Italian's enthusiasm died off as well. (Killinger 2002 pg 94)

When Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796, he drove most of the nationalist out of Italy and based his government on the French model. (Killinger 2002 pg 95) One of the first few things that Napoleon did was to confiscate the Church land and redistributed and there was legal equality. (Killinger 2002 pg 96) Napoleon also created roads and docks to promote trading as well as implementing French style civil laws. (Killinger 2002 pg 97) The overall living condition in Italy improved and more wealth was generated, education is better and as a result the middle class expanded. (Killinger 2002 pg 97)

When Napoleon invaded Italy, there were many changes and a lot of this can be reflected in Paganini's music and performance. The very first is Paganini's association with the devil, if Napoleon did not invade Italy and the Church's power was reduced, the chances of Paganini being exiled or killed is extremely high. Obviously this is a great time for self expression and individualism. The public are willing to pay and watch this kind of performance. I have googled on the internet for pictures of Niccolo Paganini and all of them shows him dressed in black, long hair, long sideburn and a pale face. This is most likely because Paganini never appears in the public dressed in any other style, hence there are no other pictures of him dressed otherwise. I think of it as his stage persona and most likely it probably helped with the ticket sales as well.

Part of Paganini's repertoire includes a piece entitled Le Streghe which translates into Witches Dance. Just from the title of the piece, I'm very sure some one from Paganini's era would be wooed into watching him perform. Le Streghe has elements of folk and gypsy influence in it gives it a very mystical and sometimes a very dark minor feel to it. I actually find Le Streghe to be rather progressive with many different sections to it. Some parts grand, some parts waltz's like, some part sad. The Le Streghe is almost like mimicking Paganini's life, each section describing a part of this life, from a poor and abusive childhood to a very well known performer, from rag to riches style story. I very strongly believe that with the decline in the church's power in Italy, it paved the way for musician's to explore other forms of music like gypsy and folk music.

One of the reason's why Paganini is known to be the greatest violinist is not just because of his stage persona and association with the devil but because of his great violin techniques. I personally believed that Paganini's great techniques did not come from his pact with the devil but rather from his long hours of practices as a child. I also believe Paganini uses different techniques as a medium to release his frustration and anger he suffered from his abuse by his father as well as his sickness. Paganini is also very well known for imitating the nature and you can find references of nature in his music.

I feel that Paganini probably suffered from some emotional as well as physical abuse effects from his father as well as his sickness. I feel that this is very strongly portrayed in Paganini's Caprice 24 Opus 24. This particular piece is in the key of A minor thus giving it a very sad feeling to it. It is widely considered to be one of the most difficult violin piece. This piece contains a main theme and eleven variations of the theme and I feel that each of the theme represents a different feeling.

The rhythmic structure of the main theme feels very military like and I personally feel that the main theme is not really sad but rather more of a uncertainty. Napoleon ruled Italy with a iron grip like a military coup which is represented by the rhythm and the uncertainty if it is for better or for worse. Another possible interpretation could be the abuse that Paganini suffered as a child, his childhood is probably very military like, long hours of violin practice and he is probably uncertain of his future.

The first variation feels like a bird singing. Paganini is well known for imitating various animals and I feel that this is a representation of it.

The second variation uses some chromatics, although one can still feel the key, I find that it is quite dissonance. It is really giving me the sense of pain which I assume is from his measles attack. Due to the lack of medication, the measles attack is probably a very painful one.

The third variation is probably the saddest theme. Paganini is plagued with ill health since a young age. This is probably also a flashback of the physical abuse he suffered as a child.

The fourth variation contains a lot of chromaticism and actually feels a little similar to Flight of the Bumble Bee.
The fifth variation contains a lot of wide intervals and sounds extreme dramatic. I feel that this is a representation of Napoleon's invasion of Italy where he brought about a lot of changes to the country.

The sixth variation sounds very angry. I feel that way is mainly because of the slides in the variation. The violin is a fretless instrument hence it is able to play all the notes in between like ¼ tone, 1/16 tone. When playing a slide on the violin, it is extremely chromatic and you do not really hear the tonality but really a whiz or blur of notes fly past. I feel that it is very similar when someone is angry, you don't really think so much but rather just speak out without thinking.

The seventh variation sounds very much like a horse galloping. When Napoleon invaded Italy he built a lot of roads. Paganini is well known to use horse carriage for his travels and the road and horse carriage is like one of the greatest technology of that period.

The eighth variation uses a bowing technique call Collé. Collé actually uses one small part of the bow to stroke the strings. The technique actually gives a more percussive and brighter tone to the violin. This variation gives me the feeling of anger and frustration which I would accredit it to his abusive childhood and the sickness that he suffers.

The ninth variation is another violin technique call pizzicato which is basically using your fingers to pluck the strings on the violin. It gives a very percussive high pitch staccato feel to the notes. I find that this style of playing is very unnatural does not really feel good and is actually eerie to a certain extend. If Paganini played this all dressed in black and with candles, it should be pretty eerie and even more strongly establish his pact with the devil.

The tenth variation is played extremely high on the violin and contains the highest note found in the entire piece. I personally feel that this is an extension carrying over from the ninth variation because the tenth variation is pretty sad and when played so high it is still very eerie and gives that feeling of mysterious which is part of Paganini's stage persona.

The eleventh variation is probably the most epic and contains many fast runs and poly rhythm as well as double stops. I have always personally felt that fast runs is really a way of releasing your anger and displeasure. If you take a look at the above description of the Caprice 24, Paganini although well known is plagued by illness and a abusive father and lived in a country where there is a lot of uncertainty. In order to release all this tension and unhappiness, playing at a very fast breakneck tempo really give a sense of release.

Jimi Hendrix is from a fairly poor family and his parents divorced when he was nine years old. (Jimi Hendrix Wikipedia 2008) Most of his brothers and sisters was given away and Jimi Hendrix would occasionally be put up at his grandma's place. (Jimi Hendrix Wikipedia 2008) Hendrix has his own share of run ins with the law and was given the choice of going to prison or be enlisted in the army and Hendrix chose the latter. (Jimi Hendrix Wikipedia 2008) Hendrix although very popular in England, was not successful in America until his performance of “Wild Thing” in 1967. (Jimi Hendrix Wikipedia 2008)

Hendrix probably had pretty tough and unhappy childhood and ended being drafted into the Army. It would not be surprising if he embraced the Hippie culture. Hippies generally will be under the influence of drugs, typically LSD to try to achieve another state of consciouses, often using music to express their feelings and in general are against the use of nuclear weapons and war. (Hippie Wikipedia 2008)

I strongly believe that you can find traces of the Hippie culture in Jimi Hendrix's music. I feel that the song Purple Haze is a representation of Hendrix's feeling while under the influence of drugs. The song starts off with a augmented fourth interval also commonly known as “The Devil's Interval” An augmented fourth interval is considered to be the most dissonance interval in music and many heavy metal bands like Slayer and Ozzy Osbourne will frequently make reference like its their favorite interval and the most evil interval in music. Using such a strong, dissonance interval as the intro of Purple Haze gives me the feeling of tension and displeasure. I feel that this can be traced back to his unhappy childhood and probably his struggling career as a musician prior to releasing his hit album, “Are You Experienced”

As the song goes into the first verse, the vocal is panned more to the right probably seventy right and thirty left. This sort of panning gives a sense of unbalanced, inequality and can be represented as Hendrix's frustration when not under the influence of drugs. However at the end of the first verse there is a shift in the panning of the vocals moving from the right to the left. The vocals from the left can be heard from clear to being more reverberant which can be represented as Hendrix experiencing another state of consciouses from using LSD, there are a many types of LSD and coincidentally there is a variant known as Purple Haze. Hendrix could also be heard shouting help me as the vocals from the left starts to become more reverberant, this can be seen as Hendrix wanting to get away from reality.

In Jimi Hendrix's version of Star Spangled Banner, it is typically viewed as the ultimate war protest against the Vietnam war. The American's in the Vietnam war used a lot of napalm bomb to burn the villagers and in return Hendrix used a lot of noise and feedback to perform the Star Spangled Banner. At the very start of the piece, it actually sounded like those warning siren going off before a air strike. The piece is also performed fairly slowly giving it a more sad and melancholy feel. Hendrix has never been known for his whammy bar technique but however he used it very liberally in the Star Spangled Banner and it actually sounds to my ears like people screaming from the burning effects of the napalm bomb. When Jimi Hendrix ended the piece, he never really resolved it back to the tonic, but rather he chose to let the guitar bled into a feedback. Feedback in audio engineering is considered to be unacceptable and painful to the ears and the Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States and hence the ending of this piece can be considered as Jimi Hendrix burning and mocking the national flag of United States.

Music as a whole can really be seen as a platform for musicians to express their feelings although the way it is accepted by the society can be very different..The Romantic era is a great time for musicians to experiment with different musical ideas like incorporating nature as well as other musical influences into their music due to the decline in the power of the Church. One of the greatest difference in the Romantic era is the fact that music is frequently performed in public and not commissioned like it was in the Baroque era. Therefore, a composer will have more creative control. Paganini is really exploring with his personal life. For example, in some of his pieces, he uses a rhythm that sounds very similar to a horse galloping and Paganini is well known for using a horse carriage for his travels. He also used many different violin techniques to portray different feelings, some giving a very angry harsh feel, some giving a very sad moody vibe. I dare say that Paganini's music is more intrinsic by nature because they affected him personally.

However it can be said that it is very much different for Hendrix's case, he is really expressing his feelings on the current issues. They are actually more extrinsic by nature. For example in his reinterpretation of Star Spangled Banner, he is really showing his anger at the United States for being in the Vietnam war but however he is not really personally involved in the war at Vietnam. I feel that Hendrix took drugs to forget his unhappy childhood and memories. Although I have interpreted Purple Haze as what Hendrix felt while under the influence of drugs, Hendrix has very openly rejected that idea and say that it is a dream of Jesus saving him. I feel that either way it is still extrinsic because the trip you get from taking drugs is momentary hence extrinsic.

In conclusion, music is influenced by the people and culture that you live in. Musicians will draw their inspiration from their personal lives as well as the culture and current issues to use in their work. However it may or may not have affected them personally and can be intrinsic or extrinsic force by nature.

References

Ewen, David, and David Ewen, eds. Composers of Yesterday: A Biographical and Critical Guide to the Most Important Composers of the Past. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1937. Questia. 16 Oct. 2008 .

Hippie. Wikipedia 2008 .

Jimi Hendrix. Wikipdia 2008 .

Killinger, Charles L. The History of Italy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002. Questia. 17 Oct. 2008 .

Between The Buried And Me

2009-02-15T23:08:00.002+08:00

John 5

2008-07-27T01:00:00.000+08:00

Steve Morse

2008-07-25T01:00:00.001+08:00

Yngwie Malmsteen

2008-07-23T01:00:00.000+08:00

Paul Gilbert

2008-07-21T01:00:00.002+08:00

Opeth

2008-07-19T01:00:00.001+08:00

Patrick Rondat

2008-07-17T01:00:00.000+08:00

AC/DC

2008-07-15T01:00:00.003+08:00

Iron Maiden

2008-07-13T01:00:00.001+08:00

Sepultura

2008-07-11T01:00:00.002+08:00

Black Sabbath

2008-07-09T01:00:00.002+08:00

Pantera

2008-07-07T01:00:00.002+08:00

Metallica

2008-07-05T01:00:00.001+08:00

Metallica is heavy baby!!!

Megadeth

2008-07-03T01:00:00.000+08:00

Slayer

2008-07-01T01:00:00.000+08:00

How can this be a fricking metal blog if there isn't any Slayer?

Apocalyptica

2008-06-29T01:00:00.002+08:00

Amazing metal band from Finland

Machine Head

2008-06-27T01:00:00.001+08:00

Songs I first heard as a student

2008-06-25T01:00:00.003+08:00

These are the first few songs I heard and i got addicted to rock/metal.

Mike Campese

2008-06-23T01:00:00.001+08:00

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2008-06-21T01:00:00.001+08:00

Rock Opera at its Beast

Animations from Poland

2008-06-19T01:00:00.000+08:00

Chen Lei 陈磊

2008-06-17T01:00:00.000+08:00

Circus Maximus

2008-06-15T01:00:00.000+08:00

Vinnie Moore

2008-06-13T01:00:00.001+08:00

Francesco Fareri

2008-06-11T01:00:00.000+08:00

Not really a big fan of his but incredible technique.

Hollyhell

2008-06-09T01:00:00.000+08:00

Featuring two very great guitarist, Joe Stump and Tom Hess.

Rusty

2008-06-07T01:00:00.001+08:00

What is the world of shred without some Rusty Cooley?

Not much vids on youtube but its better than nothing :p

Happy Bday Steve Vai

2008-06-06T20:07:00.001+08:00

June 6, Mr. Steve Vai's Bday

Mr. Scary

2008-06-05T01:00:00.001+08:00

Not a big fan of his music but he is after all a legend in the biz.

Jake E. Lee

2008-06-03T00:50:00.000+08:00

Joe Stump

2008-06-01T01:00:00.000+08:00

Violin Shredding from Steve Vai Band

2008-05-31T01:00:00.000+08:00

Until It Sleeps

2008-05-30T12:43:00.003+08:00

Singapore's very own Wonderwoman, Molly Lee passed away yesterday morning. She was battling cancer. She is a very well known blogger and provided much inspiration to other cancer victims.

This is a very special subject for me because my father is battling 4th stage lung cancer as well.

RIP Molly

With this let me end this post with Metallica's Until It Sleeps, written by James Hetfield. Jaymz's parents died of cancer as well.

Carina Alfie

2008-05-29T01:00:00.000+08:00

Amazing Pianist

2008-05-27T20:03:00.000+08:00

I usually dun post piano stuff but they are freaking amazing!!!

Im Alright

2008-05-26T00:03:00.002+08:00

I recorded a small part of Neil Zaza's I'm Alright. This goes out to all the earthquake victims in China, Sichuan. Hope everyting is Alright!

Plz remember to donate some money to the earthquake victims in Sichuan

Phantom of the Opera

2008-05-25T01:00:00.002+08:00

Theatre of Tragedy

2008-05-23T01:00:00.002+08:00

Some European Goth rock for ya'll

Kiko Loureiro

2008-05-21T01:00:00.002+08:00

I dun really dig is playing...technique wise, ya he is good but melodic wise...not my cup of tea

For the Earthquake and Cyclone victims

2008-05-19T13:41:00.001+08:00

脫掉

2008-05-15T00:05:00.000+08:00

我只在乎你

2008-05-12T20:52:00.000+08:00

Shred Violin

2008-05-06T20:56:00.000+08:00

Iron Man Is Here

2008-05-04T00:25:00.000+08:00

Batio VS Guitar Hero

2008-04-30T20:36:00.000+08:00

Thought this is really funny lol.

Cavalera Conspiracy - Sanctuary

2008-04-28T20:47:00.000+08:00

Breadstick and Lost In A Dream

2008-04-23T15:13:00.000+08:00

Great Stuff by Neil Zaza

He is Really ROCKING!!!

2008-04-18T16:28:00.000+08:00

Come Together

2008-04-11T17:30:00.002+08:00

Which one do you like?

Simple Mystery By Marty Friedman

2008-04-07T00:00:00.001+08:00

Check out the new single by Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman playing Qi Li Xiang by Jay Chou

Deja Voodoo Spell

2008-04-04T12:13:00.001+08:00

Clips of DVS playing. They are a really awesome band from Malaysia.

Rainforest by Michael Angelo Batio

2008-03-24T19:42:00.001+08:00

Great technical skills and I like the riffs and the changes :)

Pull Me Under Remix 2007 by The Caveman

2008-03-22T16:14:00.002+08:00

Rhino is offering you the chance to hear the new Pull Me Under Remix

Personally I think that it sounds alittle too dry especially the drums but its unfair though since this is streaming through the Net, I will be able to hear it more clearing after I get the CD

Watch SouthPark for FREE

2008-03-20T20:28:00.002+08:00

Now you can watch Southpark for free legally!!!

OMFG They killed Kenny!!!!

I Just Wana Rock

2008-03-18T21:26:00.003+08:00

Hear the new single from Joe Satriani's new album. I Just Wana Rock

Not a bad tune...didn't really make me go wow...but I dig the talkbox effects though

Ken Lee?

2008-03-12T20:37:00.002+08:00

This is pretty funny

Jeff Healey RIP

2008-03-03T19:09:00.002+08:00

I heard of this guitarist but however I"m not familiar with his works. Anyway below is a clip of this cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps and press release on his death.

Gocie Guo Mei Mei

2008-02-17T23:40:00.001+08:00

I think she is so freaking cute!!!

Refuse/Resist

2008-02-12T20:45:00.000+08:00

Very nice cover of Refuse/Resist

Rick Miller

2008-02-09T22:45:00.000+08:00

Funny Shit

More Travis Barker Vids

2008-02-08T20:48:00.000+08:00

I like the intensity of his druming, the whole energy that is flowing out of him :)

Dream Theater Vids

2008-02-06T19:02:00.001+08:00

If you have yet to watch some of the vids by Dream Theater, head on to their website to watch it

Dream Theater Vids

2008-02-06T19:02:00.000+08:00

Ann Marie Calhoun - "The Pretender"

2008-02-03T16:56:00.000+08:00

If ya wondering who she is, she plays violin for the Steve Vai Band

Feature on Joe Bonamassa

2008-02-01T22:46:00.000+08:00

Can't say enough bout how good this guy is.

So check the feature out!!!

Forsaken on MTV

2008-01-29T21:38:00.000+08:00

Dream Theater's new video, Forsaken is out.

You can check out the vid at Headbanger's Ball

Little Wing

2008-01-20T21:52:00.000+08:00

I know I know ya'll probably be thinking, this song is like freaking overplayed but this is a really kool version

so Enjoy!

Ethan Winer

2008-01-19T00:01:00.000+08:00

Concerts in Singapore

2008-01-16T22:04:00.000+08:00

There are a lot of note worthy concerts to attend this year!

Tomorrow and thats, Jan 17, its gonna be Dream Theater Live in Singapore!!!!
We also have The Police Live in Singapore on Feb 4 2008
We also have the one and only Santana Live in Singapore on Feb 18, 2008
We also have the incredible Lee Ritenour Live in Singapore on Mar 8 2008
We also have one of my personal favorite Raul Midon Live in Singapore on Mar 11 2008

Most of ya'll probably won't be familiar with Raul Midon but he is an incredible guitarist and vocalist so here is a clip of him on Youtube

Dream Theater Live 17/01/08

2008-01-14T20:42:00.000+08:00

If you did not get ur tix, get it now!!!! Dream Theater live at Fort Canning this Thursday, be there or be square!

Check out Constant Motion from RoadRunner!

Liquid Tension Experiment

2008-01-08T20:47:00.000+08:00

Juz saw a vid of Mike Portnoy, he said that after the current Dream Theater tour, LTE is gonna reunite and do some shows together!

Mike said it might be possible that they will have a live DVD out!

Anyway here is some of their own shit to keep ya entertained! Btw most of their live clips are take with a viewcam and such so dun expect great quality

North Sea Jazzfest

2008-01-03T18:06:00.000+08:00

Joe Bonamassa has a couple of vids from this live gig at North Sea Jazzfest.

Enjoy

PS. I juz wana add that I'm a freaking huge fan of Joe Bonamassa's tone/playing and I rate his tone right up there with Eric Johnson and Jeff Beck!

The Memphis Monster

2008-01-01T12:18:00.000+08:00

Found this killer version of All Along The Watch Tower by The Memphis Monster Shawn Lane and Target

Enjoy

NIN Remix

2007-12-25T10:50:00.000+08:00

For all of ya who dun know, you can get NIN's raw wav files for remix.

Go check it out and remix some shit!

Trio of Doom

2007-12-14T10:22:00.000+08:00

Trio of Doom consists of John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius and Tony Williams. This is a jazz/rock album and the first five songs are live takes from 1979's Havana Jam in Cuba. the rest of the album are recorded in the studio.

For a album recored in the late 70's/early 80's everything sounded really nice and clean.

Listening to this album is like listening to three great masters playing individually but yet they compliment each other really well. Tony Williams ferocious hi hat and snare rolls combined with McLaughlin's violin like guitar and Jaco's fat and rounded bass tone seamlessly fits in.

The dynamics of this album is incredible. When listening to modern albums, you will hear a lot of heavy compression, everything is very much at one volume or a particular place in the mix. However Trio of Doom is different, you can hear the dynamics very succinctly and clearly for each player.

Anybody who is a jazz/rock fan should get this incredible album.

9/10

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos 5.1

2007-12-13T12:06:00.000+08:00

Systematic Chaos is ballsy and dark but dun be mistaken its not heavy like Train of Thought. The overall theme is like sadness, you have songs that talks about monsters, people dying and stuff.

As expected the longest song on this album clocks in at 16:38 and the shortest song is 5:35. Songs like Constant Motion and The Dark Eternal Night are extremely heavy and ballsy. The song Forsaken feels out of place, it sounds like something you will hear on the radio and not on a Dream Theater album.

For the 5.1 mix, you mainly have vocals and bass coming from the center speaker, front left/right contains the drums, guitars and keyboard. Back left/right is mainly backing vocals and some acoustic guitars/keys. One of the immediate difference of a 5.1 and a stereo mix is, 5.1 feels more spacious everything is spread out nicely.

8/10 for this great progressive rock album

Travis Barker

2007-12-13T00:47:00.001+08:00

Travis Barker is the ex Blink 182 drummer and this is his version of Soulja Boy's Crank That. This is some intense drumming!

AC/DC Live

2007-12-12T11:39:00.000+08:00

This is an old classic live album. I still remember back in 1992 when I bought the cassette version of this album...ya I'm that old :/

This is a new remastered 2 CD set. This album was remastered by mastering guru George Marino from Sterling Sound. If ya wondering whats mastering, well here is a pretty good article on mastering by The G-man.

For those who are unfamiliar with AC/DC they are a very well known rock band from Australia formed in 1973. Some of their well known hits include Thunderstruck, Shoot to Thrill, Hells Bell, Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

I dun particularly like the way Brian Johnson sings but however I really dig some of the guitar riffs by Malcolm and Angus Young. In alot of their songs, you can hear that they are very much influenced by the blues. High energy arse kicking riffs!

7/10 for this great album!

Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes

2007-12-11T22:55:00.000+08:00

I've never been a huge fan of these Swedish progressive metal masters, Opeth. Its probably because they down tune too much, it makes everything sound really bassy and dark, even the way the album was mixed, its really dark too, the cymbals are way in the background, at first I was like shit is my hearing gone? I can barely hear the highs.

By the way this is the first Opeth album I bought. I've had heard some of their stuff from friends and via the web. It didn't make me go wow but they definitely did not make me go yucks. In particular I like The Night and the Silent Water, Windowpane and Blackwater Park. Did I mention that this is a live album? But it does not feel like an live album. You dun hear the audience a lot.

This seems to be the current trend at the moment. You dun really hear the fans as much now, only at the intro, outro and when the band ain't playing. It feels too clean :(

Overall I would say the mix and feel of this live album fits Opeth. I'm very interested to get the 5.1 mix of Ghost Reveries I've never heard a 5.1 mix of a progressive death metal band, should be interesting to check them out.

6/10 for this album

Stunts

2007-12-11T17:37:00.000+08:00

Oh man check out some of the stunts, crazy stuff.

Rain/Zouk

2007-12-10T18:44:00.000+08:00

Man its been raining like crazy for the past couple of days in Singapore, a typical day for me...I leave my apartment, dry and reach my destination, wet.....

And I'm using an umbrella, the rain is juz too fucking overwhelming....

Anyway, I'll be doing FOH at Zouk this coming Thursday for the SAE party.

So be there or be deaf

Transformer Cosplay

2007-12-09T22:19:00.000+08:00

I'm not a huge fan of cosplay but this is some serious shit!

Guitar Pickups and Snare Drum

2007-12-08T12:32:00.000+08:00

Check that out...freaking kool :)

Face Book

2007-12-05T20:57:00.000+08:00

Facebook addicts check it out its for ya'll

Art?

2007-12-03T16:45:00.000+08:00

This is pretty kool so check it out!

Live Earth DVD + CD

2007-12-01T19:40:00.000+08:00

Went to the record store today, Live Earth DVD + CD is out in Singapore, bought it straight away cuz its for a good cause!

Plus you get to listen to some really cool music and learn ways to save the earth too :)

Support Live Earth!

MDA Rap

2007-11-29T11:20:00.001+08:00

MDA is Media Development Authority and they are in charge of censorship in Singapore.
I juz wana say this is pretty awkward but still pretty hip. I actually went through the whole clip.

World Community Grid

2007-11-28T16:59:00.000+08:00

I've been involved with World Community Grid for over one year.

And quoted directly from their website:

"World Community Grid's mission is to create the largest public computing grid benefiting humanity. Our work is built on the belief that technological innovation combined with visionary scientific research and large-scale volunteerism can change our world for the better. Our success depends on individuals - like you - collectively contributing their unused computer time to this not-for-profit endeavor."

WCG is involved with several projects like Help Conquer Cancer, Fight AIDS @ Home Project.

I urged everybody to take part in this very meaningful projects :)

Radio mix/Stereo mix...handphone mix?

2007-11-27T13:50:00.000+08:00

If ya not in the music industry, you probably won't know that, we have different audio engineers doing different mixes. Some audio engineers specialize in doing mix for radio, some for movies, some for CD...etc etc

When I was going home last night on the subway, some kid was blasting some song on his cellphone like real loud and it occurred to me, I should really be taking advantage of the technology, its no longer cool to juz use a iPod, dude its like back in the 80's, ur only kool if you carry a huge boom box around!(except you use ur cell phone now!)

Maybe I should start pitching myself as "Specialize in Cellphone mixing"

Catch ya all later!

Part time or Freelance?

2007-11-23T13:50:00.000+08:00

I've been working in Singapore for a number of years and been to a lot of interview.
According to some reports, it takes an average of six months for someone to find a new job in Singapore.

Other than asking the typical questions like "Tell me more about yourself?", "Tell me why you are suitable for this job?" and my favorite question or sometimes they will tell you straight in the face, "You will most likely be required to work OT(overtime) and we don't pay OT, you MIGHT be given off in lieu, whats your opinion on this?" or more subtly "What do you think of working OT?"

I get the usual oh you mainly did part time work, in our company we don't count part time work as experience.....

Even though my part time work is directly related to job I've applied for....

I realize that when you say "Part time" in Singapore it roughly translate into something like working at Mcdonald's or waiter/ess. Basically it means, you work when you are free and you dun need any specific skill set.

A better way to term yourself is to use the word "freelance" Apparently by using "freelance" it gives you that "WoW" factor, I've people telling me, "I heard freelancing is really hard in Singapore you muz be really good to freelance!"

And NO, I'm not trying to LIE....I'm juz trying to get credit for my experience and I dun really like it when people tell me oh you dun have experience cuz you did work part time so we can only give you entry/basic pay......

Hence by using the word "freelance", it seems like its giving me a slight edge :)

Cheers