My heart is going to shatter into a gazillion pieces when this band breaks up.
1. SUPERBAND EP HAS BEEN RELEASED IN SINGAPORE ALSDHKFKHSDLHDSLFHSDKLFHALHSDSAAS. I wasn't expecting this - they talked it up for a late August release in their concert, and then the release date kept getting pushed back, until it was 7 September and I checked a Chinese forum and it apparently still was nowhere to be found, even in Taiwan stores. So I wasn't holding out much hope when I went to Vivocity for a movie today... I even briefly contemplated NOT walking over to the CD store (which are SO HARD TO FIND in Singapore these days, so many of them have shut down!) and just grabbing dinner before my movie instead. I'M SO FUCKING GLAD I DECIDED TO CHECK ANYWAY. Because, OMG SHINY AND NEW:
OBSESSED.
Okay, so the CD packaging in Singapore isn't QUITE as epic as in the picture - it's normal CD-sized, in cardboard. But it's nice and compact and black and white and I love it. What I love less, however, is the dreaded Taiwanese tendency to engage faily proofreaders (more likely NO proofreaders) to correct the English they use in their products. Honestly, naming Dayou's gorgeous gorgeous 天使的眼淚 as 'Tears of an ANGLE'? I hated math/geometry, and even I can tell you that angles don't cry. :P
Whatever, we're getting this CD before China and Taiwan, am I really going to spend all my time fussing over the packaging? Clearly NOT.
OKAY. It's just an EP, so there're only six songs - which is kind of a bummer, since I kept holding out hope that they'd do Superband covers of at least one of each band member's hit songs... because they do that in their concerts, and I LOVE IT WHEN THEY SING ONE ANOTHER'S SONGS. But... I'm totes fine with it, because I love love love having official studio versions of these songs, which so far I only have as bootlegs (thank fuck for my recorder, seriously) or leaked demos. ♥ Also, the songs are EPIC. Like, every single one of them I LOVE, and can listen to on repeat, which I plan to do all weekend anyway.
But of the six songs, I had two reasons in particular to flail my head off in my car when I listened to the CD for the first time. It's not that I don't love the other songs, but well, I've had the studio version of 亡命之徒 (or 出發, so schizophrenic this song's name) since it was their first official single and was released months ago. I also have the leaked demo versions of 天使的眼淚 and 抱著你, which I would otherwise be OVER THE MOON ABOUT - because the first song is GORGEOUSNESS itself, and features Emil on harmony (which I only JUST spotted in the Singapore concert as that's when it was incorporated), and the second I am CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH because of Emil and A-Yue and the way their voices blend. 公路 also makes me happy, obviously, because YAY OFFICIAL VERSION. But I've been listening to the video since I found it, so...
THE TWO OTHER SONGS. OMG OMG.
縱貫線兄弟姊妹!!!! previously known by bootleggers as 鄉親父老 - it's the stomping rock anthem that they use to open their show, and for the longest time I had wondered who wrote the song, because it's the only one of their new songs thus far that couldn't be definitively attributed to one band member or other. (亡命之徒 is the only true collaboration, with rap by A-Yue, lyrics by Jonathan & Dayou, Emil contributing the melody; but 公路 had been released as a solo demo by A-Yue, 天使的眼淚 is chiefly sung by Dayou and he'd given it to Jeff Chang to sing before; and 親愛的Baby is clearly Emil's song. Found out through the CD that 抱著你 is written by A-Yue, but that makes me flail a little less.) I DIGRESS. Personally, having listened to Emil's music for fifteen years and appreciating the unusual hooks he puts into his music, I had the strongest suspicion that he'd written this song. But of course, everyone in the band kept claiming all their songs were collaborations and they weren't going to identify the chief songwriter... ahahahaha, lies. They broke it down in the lyric booklet, and omg I FLAILED SO HARD RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOPPING CENTRE when I saw that Emil had written this and I was riiiiiiiight! ♥
(It does confirm that Jonathan needs to GET BACK TO HIS PENCIL IN TAIWAN, OMG. He's the only one who didn't contribute a song! I mean, we've known this all along, but oof. I WANT NEW JONATHAN SONGS SUNG BY SUPERBAND.)
Beyond that, however, I'm SUPER HAPPY with this song because it's the only one of their songs that hadn't yet been made available via SOME kind of studio version - and OMG I SQUEED MY HEAD OFF WHEN I LISTENED TO THIS SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME. Because all four of them siiiing, and you can hear them and it's so CLEAR and they've made it into such a fantastic rock song, with audience applause bookending the entire thing, and FUCK I LOVE IT SO MUCH. They make it sound so much like a live version - I don't THINK it is, it's too professionally mixed - but OMG THEY ALL SING, DID I MENTION THAT. OBSESSED.
And then AND THEN. 親愛的Baby!! I didn't think it'd be possible for me to flail over this song anymore - I should be completely tuckered out and bored by now, or so one would think. Because this song was a Easter egg demo on Emil's website quite a few months back, even before he started the tour with Superband, and I flailed over it THEN for how absolutely beautiful and simple it was, just Emil and his acoustic guitar. ♥ Then I realised he was making it a Superband song, and got to see him perform it live, and cried all over the song, and THEN the demo was leaked, a different recorded version! Which went a different route from the guitar-led demo - it was very lush, with proper orchestration and, like, a choir of female back-up voices. I figured that would be the version on the EP, since the other leaked demos made it intact onto the CD. OMIGOD DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I FLAILED WHEN THE FIRST NOTES STARTED TO PLAY, AND IT WAS DIFFERENT???? I have to say I wasn't bowled over by the leaked demo, as I love the acoustic version so much more. This version sort of treads a middle path - it's very simple, guitar-led with a bit of a stronger rhythmic base, but it sounds SO AMAZING, and I have to confess... I almost started to cry in the car, because this song is so sad and sweet, for one thing, but also because Emil sounds simply gorgeous on it and omigod. THEN I hit the end of the song, and it turns out the Superband guys sing back-up for Emil. HOLY FUCK, WAY TO MAKE IT MORE AMAZING, SUPERBAND.
And I think just the thrill of being able to buy a legit new CD featuring Emil just sent my heart into overdrive. It's been THREE YEARS since his last album, guys. Just having this in my possession makes me giddy. ♥
Wow, I wrote a thesis. D: HAVE SOME PICTURES, BECAUSE I EFFING LOVE THIS BAND.
This is when they came to Singapore to LAUNCH OUR TRAIN STATION (omg, cheesy publicity gimmick) and noldoparma and I stupidly went to see them live hoping they would perform. NO DICE. AUGH. I still find it amusing how amused THEY are coming through the turnstiles though. XD
♥ ♥ ♥
I... don't even KNOW what they're doing here, but omg it's kind of ridiculously cute.
HEAVEN. ♥
FAVOURITE. Honestly I could not love this band more.
ESPECIALLY when they're goofing off and having fun with one another. XD
2. I SHOULD really talk about the important message movie I watched - The Cove - which was really good, although not quite as heart-stoppingly tense as the reviews would have it. I must admit that I came awfully close to wanting to disavow eating sashimi after watching it, because omg those dolphins, wtf. Those final blood-soaked scenes were BRUTAL. But I'm weak and selfish, with no self-control, and I need my regular doses of mercury poisoning, so.
3. Couldn't bring myself to work ALL of yesterday and after spam post, I attended a two-hour meeting (a lot of it completely pointless), which means I am SO EFFED next week... but argh, I am TAKING my weekend off, I don't bloody care. Especially since my boss informed me that I would have to keep working until I drop dead. I think this was said at least PARTLY in jest... one would hope, anyway :P I was going to go to the doctor tomorrow morning and get my ear cleaned out for good, but... I can't TELL if I'm just used to the tinnitus now and don't notice it anymore, or if the problem's cleared itself up. ARGH. I think it's kinda still there, but not as bad as it was earlier in the week? IDK. I'll probably go to the doctor anyway. IF I CAN HAUL MY ASS OUT OF BED.
4. OMG why am I so hungry now even though I had a Carl's Jr burger and fries for dinner. I guess it IS seven hours later. Maybe THAT'S why... OKAY, BEDTIME.
OBSESSED.
Okay, so the CD packaging in Singapore isn't QUITE as epic as in the picture - it's normal CD-sized, in cardboard. But it's nice and compact and black and white and I love it. What I love less, however, is the dreaded Taiwanese tendency to engage faily proofreaders (more likely NO proofreaders) to correct the English they use in their products. Honestly, naming Dayou's gorgeous gorgeous 天使的眼淚 as 'Tears of an ANGLE'? I hated math/geometry, and even I can tell you that angles don't cry. :P
Whatever, we're getting this CD before China and Taiwan, am I really going to spend all my time fussing over the packaging? Clearly NOT.
OKAY. It's just an EP, so there're only six songs - which is kind of a bummer, since I kept holding out hope that they'd do Superband covers of at least one of each band member's hit songs... because they do that in their concerts, and I LOVE IT WHEN THEY SING ONE ANOTHER'S SONGS. But... I'm totes fine with it, because I love love love having official studio versions of these songs, which so far I only have as bootlegs (thank fuck for my recorder, seriously) or leaked demos. ♥ Also, the songs are EPIC. Like, every single one of them I LOVE, and can listen to on repeat, which I plan to do all weekend anyway.
But of the six songs, I had two reasons in particular to flail my head off in my car when I listened to the CD for the first time. It's not that I don't love the other songs, but well, I've had the studio version of 亡命之徒 (or 出發, so schizophrenic this song's name) since it was their first official single and was released months ago. I also have the leaked demo versions of 天使的眼淚 and 抱著你, which I would otherwise be OVER THE MOON ABOUT - because the first song is GORGEOUSNESS itself, and features Emil on harmony (which I only JUST spotted in the Singapore concert as that's when it was incorporated), and the second I am CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH because of Emil and A-Yue and the way their voices blend. 公路 also makes me happy, obviously, because YAY OFFICIAL VERSION. But I've been listening to the video since I found it, so...
THE TWO OTHER SONGS. OMG OMG.
縱貫線兄弟姊妹!!!! previously known by bootleggers as 鄉親父老 - it's the stomping rock anthem that they use to open their show, and for the longest time I had wondered who wrote the song, because it's the only one of their new songs thus far that couldn't be definitively attributed to one band member or other. (亡命之徒 is the only true collaboration, with rap by A-Yue, lyrics by Jonathan & Dayou, Emil contributing the melody; but 公路 had been released as a solo demo by A-Yue, 天使的眼淚 is chiefly sung by Dayou and he'd given it to Jeff Chang to sing before; and 親愛的Baby is clearly Emil's song. Found out through the CD that 抱著你 is written by A-Yue, but that makes me flail a little less.) I DIGRESS. Personally, having listened to Emil's music for fifteen years and appreciating the unusual hooks he puts into his music, I had the strongest suspicion that he'd written this song. But of course, everyone in the band kept claiming all their songs were collaborations and they weren't going to identify the chief songwriter... ahahahaha, lies. They broke it down in the lyric booklet, and omg I FLAILED SO HARD RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOPPING CENTRE when I saw that Emil had written this and I was riiiiiiiight! ♥
(It does confirm that Jonathan needs to GET BACK TO HIS PENCIL IN TAIWAN, OMG. He's the only one who didn't contribute a song! I mean, we've known this all along, but oof. I WANT NEW JONATHAN SONGS SUNG BY SUPERBAND.)
Beyond that, however, I'm SUPER HAPPY with this song because it's the only one of their songs that hadn't yet been made available via SOME kind of studio version - and OMG I SQUEED MY HEAD OFF WHEN I LISTENED TO THIS SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME. Because all four of them siiiing, and you can hear them and it's so CLEAR and they've made it into such a fantastic rock song, with audience applause bookending the entire thing, and FUCK I LOVE IT SO MUCH. They make it sound so much like a live version - I don't THINK it is, it's too professionally mixed - but OMG THEY ALL SING, DID I MENTION THAT. OBSESSED.
And then AND THEN. 親愛的Baby!! I didn't think it'd be possible for me to flail over this song anymore - I should be completely tuckered out and bored by now, or so one would think. Because this song was a Easter egg demo on Emil's website quite a few months back, even before he started the tour with Superband, and I flailed over it THEN for how absolutely beautiful and simple it was, just Emil and his acoustic guitar. ♥ Then I realised he was making it a Superband song, and got to see him perform it live, and cried all over the song, and THEN the demo was leaked, a different recorded version! Which went a different route from the guitar-led demo - it was very lush, with proper orchestration and, like, a choir of female back-up voices. I figured that would be the version on the EP, since the other leaked demos made it intact onto the CD. OMIGOD DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I FLAILED WHEN THE FIRST NOTES STARTED TO PLAY, AND IT WAS DIFFERENT???? I have to say I wasn't bowled over by the leaked demo, as I love the acoustic version so much more. This version sort of treads a middle path - it's very simple, guitar-led with a bit of a stronger rhythmic base, but it sounds SO AMAZING, and I have to confess... I almost started to cry in the car, because this song is so sad and sweet, for one thing, but also because Emil sounds simply gorgeous on it and omigod. THEN I hit the end of the song, and it turns out the Superband guys sing back-up for Emil. HOLY FUCK, WAY TO MAKE IT MORE AMAZING, SUPERBAND.
And I think just the thrill of being able to buy a legit new CD featuring Emil just sent my heart into overdrive. It's been THREE YEARS since his last album, guys. Just having this in my possession makes me giddy. ♥
Wow, I wrote a thesis. D: HAVE SOME PICTURES, BECAUSE I EFFING LOVE THIS BAND.
This is when they came to Singapore to LAUNCH OUR TRAIN STATION (omg, cheesy publicity gimmick) and noldoparma and I stupidly went to see them live hoping they would perform. NO DICE. AUGH. I still find it amusing how amused THEY are coming through the turnstiles though. XD
♥ ♥ ♥
I... don't even KNOW what they're doing here, but omg it's kind of ridiculously cute.
HEAVEN. ♥
FAVOURITE. Honestly I could not love this band more.
ESPECIALLY when they're goofing off and having fun with one another. XD
2. I SHOULD really talk about the important message movie I watched - The Cove - which was really good, although not quite as heart-stoppingly tense as the reviews would have it. I must admit that I came awfully close to wanting to disavow eating sashimi after watching it, because omg those dolphins, wtf. Those final blood-soaked scenes were BRUTAL. But I'm weak and selfish, with no self-control, and I need my regular doses of mercury poisoning, so.
3. Couldn't bring myself to work ALL of yesterday and after spam post, I attended a two-hour meeting (a lot of it completely pointless), which means I am SO EFFED next week... but argh, I am TAKING my weekend off, I don't bloody care. Especially since my boss informed me that I would have to keep working until I drop dead. I think this was said at least PARTLY in jest... one would hope, anyway :P I was going to go to the doctor tomorrow morning and get my ear cleaned out for good, but... I can't TELL if I'm just used to the tinnitus now and don't notice it anymore, or if the problem's cleared itself up. ARGH. I think it's kinda still there, but not as bad as it was earlier in the week? IDK. I'll probably go to the doctor anyway. IF I CAN HAUL MY ASS OUT OF BED.
4. OMG why am I so hungry now even though I had a Carl's Jr burger and fries for dinner. I guess it IS seven hours later. Maybe THAT'S why... OKAY, BEDTIME.