The Emptiness - Alesana

I just bought The Emptiness by Alesana. According to Alesana, they wanted to create the album in the form of a story. They eventually based this album on the poem Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. When i opened the album, i was very impressed to see that they delivered a true concept album. Along with the lyrics booklet, there is another booklet titled, A Story Told Through The Eyes Of A Sketch Artist, which follows the storyline of the album and enriches the storyline of how a sketch artist finds his lover, Annabel, dead, and his actions thereafter.

This album is the first album that new guitarist Jake Campbell has played on. Musically, this change didn't affect their style much. The riffs and breakdowns are still present in this album, but harmonies are significantly lacking.

Vocally, they seem to be taking a more straightforward route. While still present, there are less of the chain screaming which is an identity in most of their songs, namely hits like Apology. Possibly caused by the absence of Adam Ferguson, who contributed his vocals during his presence. If you're beginning to think that Alesana are sounding softer, fear not. They still belt out their signature screams throughout the album. And of course, what is an Alesana album without Shawn Milke's sister, Melissa, who contributes some backup vocals and narration in the album.

The first thing you might notice when flipping through the lyrics booklet is the presence of four interludes which are not on the track listings. Placed at the end of selected tracks, these interludes are narrations which provokes some thought and imagination regarding the album. They let you delve into the mind of the sketch artist as he searches for Annabel's murderer. However, the presence of these interludes sometimes disrupt the flow of the tracks. If you were hoping for a gapless album, hope no more. The album does start off gapless, but Alesana didn't find a way to link some interludes to the next track. I feel they put too much importance into telling the story than making music, sacrificing the musical flow for the flow of the storyline.

The album artwork for The Emptiness are essentially sketches, flashes of the situation that the sketch artist is in. They seem to suggest a little more than the music would, giving a few insights into his mind. The artwork is consistent with the storyline and overall is impressive.

A very good effort from Alesana. What wasn't up to mark musically was made up with the concept and artwork. I give a 8/10.

Support artists, don't download music illegally.

This post is dedicated to the horrific polytechnic that I spent 3 years in, studying for a diploma I will probably never use. I met a lot of shitty people in there, though there were people who were an absolute joy to be and work with. I learned that I really love film. But other than that, uh, I'm just glad I have a bad memory, so I don't really remember much about the place.

THANK GOD I'M OUT.

Sorry for the hiatus, and do look forward to more posts in the days to come!

"When You Were Young" cover by Noisettes

Everyone who knows me well enough knows I'm a big fan of The Killers. My heart was shattered to pieces when they cancelled their Asia Tour just last month. Disappointment is an understatement, and I've been on a Killers diet ever since.

Browsing through YouTube just a while ago made me stumble upon a cover of "When You Were Young" by Noisettes. With their new album Wild Young Hearts, they went on a promo blitz, performing on CW's hit series One Tree Hill and BBC's Radio 1 Live Lounge, amongst many other things. After hearing Peter Gabriel's trashy cover of Bon Iver's "Flume", this is definitely one of the better covers I've heard in a while.

I expect nothing less than even more commercial success from this London indie-rock band in time to come.

Want more?

Click here to check out their myspace page.

fun. - Aim and Ignite.

If a little bird hasn't told you anything about a band named fun., you need to drop everything you're doing and take a good listen to what they have to offer - playful, old school... well, fun.

fun. is an indie music band comprising of Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost. You may have heard of Nate from the band The Format, an indie rock band from Arizona. In the midst of their successful music career, relationships began to deteriorate, which led to their inevitable disbanding in February of 2008. Ruess then teamed up with ex-Anathallo member Antonoff and Steel Train's Dost to produce their début album, Aim and Ignite.

Aim and Ignite can be considered an autobiographical album; with Ruess penning down powerful and reflective lyrics about the break-up of The Format, coming to terms with it whilst still singing about love.

1. Be Calm

The beauty of their first single is that there is nothing calming about this song. Its slow instrumental beginnings is turned into dust when inner turmoil and paranoia sets in, reflected by its rapid tempo and whimsical show tunes. The song almost feels like a roller coaster ride, with it taking you on a wave of highs and lows. There's also something very poetic about the line, "You hate your pulse because it still thinks you're alive".

2. All The Pretty Girls

First of all, I love the music video for this single. Whilst the first half of the music video is a bone chilling reminder of a Jonas Brothers stunt, the video's ending gives a refreshing take on "fangirls". The song has some comedic moments with Nate and the backup vocals' tête-à-tête, and its pop tunes are so easy on the ears you just can't help with clap along.

(Click here to view the music video for "All The Pretty Girls")

3. At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)

The line "I want no Saviour baby, I just wanna have a good time." is the essence of the track. However light-hearted this track may appear to be, it is deeply emotional and perhaps to Nate Ruess, hits the closest to home. Nate gives us a glimpse into his old life in The Format, leaving and not looking back.

4. The Gambler

Valentine's Day is just round the corner, and this sweet ballad's the perfect song for the occasion. Taking a break from the chaos, its score comprising of mere string instruments, piano and the occasional trumpet reminds me a lot "Hey There Deliah" by Plain White T's.

I'm fairly certain one will not be able to find fun.'s album in Singapore, but if you have friends going to the States any time soon, go down on your knees and play the friendship card - that's what I did.

Daytrotter Sessions - Acoustic versions of All The Pretty Girls, Benson Hedges and The Gambler are available for download for free on their myspace page.

Big Night Out 2010 (Muse, Saosin, and Rise Against) - 3rd Feb 2010

note: more videos and pictures will be added as soon as they are uploaded.

so last night was this amazing night where three relatively big bands performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to an almost sold out crowd. Utt was there with this other girl(can't rmb her name) on behalf of MTV(official music channel) as hosts. I'll review the bands in order of their performance.

Saosin

One of my more favourite bands. I had to say that this was a bit disappointing. firstly, they had a few tech problems into their set. all were solved of course. and i'm not sure if its just me, but cove's mic was quite soft most of the time. time constraints limited their set to mostly songs from their self-titled début album. they were about to play deep down from their new record in search of solid ground, but stopped due to the above mentioned reason. even then, they managed to belt out i keep my secrets, their new hits on my own and changing, as well as old favourites like voices and you're not alone, ending with the oldie, seven years. a good effort on their part. cove managed to keep the interest of the audience going.

Rise Against

ok. i'm not exactly a rise against fan, and only have 2 of their songs, prayer of the refugee and give it all, both of which they played to great response. but one thing is for sure, they know how to put up a show. starting off with up tempo melodies, slowing it down toward the end with swing life away, before blasting off again. i loved their energy, and i'm pretty sure its a staple of their shows. if they come again, i just might consider going to watch them.

Muse

headliners of the big night out tour, this was the one everyone was waiting for. anxiously, excitedly, everything. from the moment they're set started, everyone gave utmost attention to them. i've always told people, muse isn't just a concert. its a show. its not just about their music. they capture all your senses. precisely why they've been winning best live act awards over the past few years. their introduction, which lasted a good 2mins, only stirred up your interest so well you can't wait for them to come on stage. and when they finally did, belting out their hit single Uprising, nobody stayed on the ground. the whole stadium echoed during the chorus, singing along. the visuals were even better than their music. along with 2 screens by the sides, showing close ups of the band and the crowd as well. behind each member was a vertical screen as seen in the above picture, changing images aptly to fit the song. from supermassive black hole(above), to sunburn, to exogensis, to time is running out, it was a visual spectacle synced with ear orgasms.
the the laser lights wowed the whole stadium, flashing around in beat with the song. just look at this picture, of when they were performing starlight.
it would be what you would expect from a muse concert. even the seated audience were swept off their feet. the sight of a full house stadium was exhilarating.
muse never gave any hints that singapore was a small city, treating us like we were equivalent to glastonbury. if anyone thought their previous appearance in 2007(i was there too) was a little toned down, they held nothing back this time. matt and dom interacted with the crowd well, and kept the energy going, song after song, like listening to a gapless album on itunes. the setlist was perfect, capturing everybody's attention. there was never a boring moment, never a moment you wanted to do anything other than watch them. you never wanted the night to end.


Overall i rate the event 5/5 stars! obviously. but whatever saosin and rise against lacked(if any), muse more than made up for it. lets hope that big night out next year will be as good as this. and lets hope muse will come back for us again!