Weekends : Nouvelle Vague

Originally, I wasn't planning on introducing the band. All I wanted to blog about was this song, which is, in my opinion, THE perfect tune for Sundays. Unfortunately I can't 'cos of the pesky copyright hawks that have swept all available audio copies of the song off the internet so... here we are.

Nouvelle Vague - which means "new wave" in French, à la the eponymous 60's "new wave" French cinema movement (hence the sexy french cinema screen sirens on the covers)  is a band that does bossa nova covers of punk rock, post-puck music popular back in the days. I feel a little need to introduce the band simply because i'm sure it'll make your sunday better! Like pancakes-in-the-morning-better. Sweet la-dolce-vita better. 

Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans for Nigel

Have a good day!

Tiffany ♫

Frank Ocean/Tame Impala

We're a week + 1 day into the new year and I hope everyone still feeling fresh and new! Never mind if the weather's kinda crazy these days. (It never behaves the way we want it anyway, no?)

As we move further and further away from the beloved 2012, the cool quotient of things discovered in 2012 plummets faster than you can say 'last year' and fades into a dark oblivion, until someone else points it out and make you realize, oh, I really did miss out on some really good things in 2012 huh? This lag normally takes a good 6 months to culminate but I'm feeling it right now, 8 days into the new year. 

I first heard Frank Ocean's Channel Orange someday in  2012 and didn't thought much of it. When it came out tops in many of the "Album of the Year" lists, I gave the album a second spin and finally understood why it's good. Channel Orange sounds like a more subdued and minimalistic version of Neptune's sleek jams and riches that once dominated airwaves circa 2003-2004. If the R&B of those years were an endless MTV of luxurious lifestyle of champagne and candy girls, the first half of Channel Orange exists as an honest introspection to the vanity and emptiness of the obscenely rich (Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Sierra Leone) while the second half laces the usual drugs, sex and a stinging heart with references to really spiritual stuff (Monk, Bad Religion, White). Whoa pretty deep there isn't it. Impressive or what? Great story-telling matched with a great, great voice. 

Tame Impala's Lonerism ranks high in 2012's lists and I'd recommend "Elephant". I'm not a big fan of the rest of their songs but Elephant gets my feet tapping all the time! Forgive me for saying this but I think the lead singer sounds like John Lennon. I always imagine the Beatles jamming to this tune in their preppy suits, which is funny, 'cos unless the Beatles are floating in space, the image really doesn't go with Lonerism's psychedelic soundscapes. 

Listen to Channel Orange here and Lonerism here.

Tiffany♫

想把你拍成一部電影

I've always had a penchant for lanky, bespectacled boys. I guess that's part of the reason why I liked  宇宙人. 

Back in 2009, they burst into the chinese music scene as a bunch of spandex-suited Funk power rangers. It's hard to take them seriously when you're promoting your stuff in that outfit, but I'm glad I gave their debut album a spin. Surprisingly, it was one of those rare few album that I throughly enjoyed from beginning to end (except for that cartoonish space invader theme song made to accompany their ridiculous costumes.) The rest of the album was refreshing and upbeat, blending funk and rock like lemonades in summer, and it made me smile.

I've been replaying the video of their new single - '想把你拍成一部電影' the whole day. There's plenty of 500 Days of Summer references (bittersweet heartbreak, split-screens and sketching checked) familiar memories of those sweet and fuzzy first dates. (Plus, the female lead is so pretty!) A light, mellow tune for your monday night. I hope you like it!

Moving on to Tuesday!

Tiffany

Danielasings on YouTube

Danielasings has been on my YouTube subscription list for quite some time now. I first caught on when I came across her cover of Us Against the World. As a huge Coldplay fan, she really made a great impression. I can't help but feel a little emotional listening to her beautiful voice – just the right amount of huskiness, melancholy and clarity. Her singing just has a way to climb right through your heart, it's so special.

I especially enjoy 'Window Sessions' where she covers amazing songs with a guitar in hand, mic in front of her and the window to her side. A few worth mentioning are: Creep (Radiohead), Islands (The XX) and Youth (Daughter). 

She really does fit the bill for me in terms of a YouTube singer doing covers as powerhouse voices don't really do anything for me most of the times. Really enjoying her right now :)


Check her out at Danielasings.

Cheers,
HL