Comparing the past to present

In honesty I'm not really excited by the direction in which Jay Chou's music is going. If anyone is fortunate enough to even decipher the words he sings without keeping an eyes on the lyrics I salute you, but for all the sane and normal people out there I just want to tell you that you are not alone.

A few weeks ago I did manage to review his latest album: "Exclamation Mark" and gave it a good thumbs up with particular songs on the CD. But Jay has recently shot a couple for music videos for "超跑女神" and "迷魂曲", both songs which I am not particularly proud of. But let us look at 超跑女神 first:

The introduction melody is delightful, cheerful and weirdly happy. Not sure why. It shows a shy and childish Jay Chou character who likes to play with his car collectibles. Overall at this point I find it cute and adorable, until the whole set transforms into a swimming pool scene loaded with random Asian chicks - and everyone is dressed in white. Whereas this serves as immensely popular eye candy to the thousands who wish to see something like this, it simply does not go with the song. I don't understand the plot to be honest, nor the lyrics but right now I just want to write more about why the music and the story of the music video do not go together. 
Firstly, everyone there (who seems to be attractive) is wearing white it is normally because it is some PIMP's party, therefore it would have made more sense if there was a heavy beat, hip-hop/RnB or whatever kind of track - just not Jay's. 

The second song is based on an inception theme, yet again, we don't see any more innovative strategies by Jay Chou towards his new style - and that is really all I wanted to say about the second video.

Truth

Some true words.

Jay Chou 'Exclamation Mark' album review

Jay Chou resumes his string of annual album releases with a set of 11 exciting songs, all of which I have listened to repeatedly over the past few days. The first thing that struck me about the content was how easy it was to listen through the entire CD.The music was fresh, no doubt about that, but was also fresh in terms of his style which, for viewers who have not heard the tracks yet, is a development into up-beat songs. Within the album the one song which struck me most was 你好嗎, the only slow song on the CD. I believe Jay reaches even higher pitches than ever before, and the meaningful lyrics accompanied by a sorrowful melody proves once again of Jay's singing/composing abilities. 

I particularly favoured 世界末末日 after listening to it a couple of times. I assume the style is similar to that of 一路向北, where there is a set-up of electric guitars and drums to give a rock genre feel. Other songs, such as 公主病 has obviously drawn reference both in terms of rhythm and lyrics from 陽光宅男, proving Jay is capable of developing his previous styles. One thing I do find strange is the lack of '中國風 (Zhuong Guo Feng). The loss of such a unique style is a shame but perhaps his decision to do so was right, as the continuous use of his trademark composition was beginning to tamper with the perfection of 髮如雪.

Overall the album has been an instrumental success, despite me being oblivious to the number of copies he has sold. The album has revitalised the style of Jay's music, moving away from the stereotypical karaoke styled ballads which the Cpop industry have focused on for too long. The various MV (music videos) such as 'Mine Mine' have displayed Jay's new ability to dance, something to add onto his outstanding resume. After 11 years of remaining in the limelight, Jay's new content is still pushing the boundaries of his composition skills, something worthy to admire.

Jay's Classic '中國風' styled "髮如雪"

From his 11th Album: "你好嗎"

Touchscreen Gloves

I never really understood the concept of Muji, but it seems to have caught on recently because I'm seeing more of their stores dotted around everywhere and people carrying large bags out of there. Nevertheless, I decided to take a visit and was immediately attracted by the fact they don't sell one unique product, but a range of random things which we want but don't necessary need. Let us take, for example, touchscreen gloves. It solves the problem of taking off my gloves during winter to access my iPhone. You see, such a simple idea yet such an effective product!
It is amazing how many gems and gift ideas can be found in Muji. So, if I were to give a tip, pop round to your nearest Muji store for Christmas gift ideas for family and friends!

Jay Chou "水手怕水" Review

With his 11th album coming out tomorrow (11/11/11) Jay Chou has decided to unleash his third MV to his fans. The song, titled "水手怕水" (loosely translated as "Sailor scared of water"), is a fun and playful track. Watching it for the first time I was immediately captured by the colourful background effects, the theme and was in awe at how young Jay looks again. Many people, I am sure, will undoubtedly criticise this song on it's simplistic nature, but I see no wrong in that at all! Such playfulness of melody and ideas is what Taiwan was really known for, especially in the dramas, and Jay has successfully transferred that into his music. The track is light and playful, which gives it a fresh and fun feeling. 


I love it.

Jason Chen "Best Friend" **UPDATED**

After mentioning in the last post about his upcoming song "Best Friend" Jason Chen has released a new video teaser, which features Cathy Nguyen. Oh god she is pretty. But the funny thing is, they have managed to find two little asian kids who represent the two grown up lovers/best friends. Unbelievably the small girl resembles Cathy somehow, which is really sweet.

Jason Chen "Best Friend"

It seems this winter season there are several big stars about to release their latest music. Aside from the mainstream artists, I would like to talk and introduce the talented Youtube star Jason Chen. With 315,000 subscribers he might not be one of the biggest online stars out there, but the content he produces is absolutely stunning to the ear. As the title of this post and the content so far suggests, he will be releasing a new song called 'Best Friend' which, even from the short minute teaser, has captured my heart with the sweet melody and warm lyrics. This song, upon it's release, will be sure to grab a lot of attention.

Jay Park 'Girlfriend' Review

This is probably one of the few songs I've ever fallen in love with at first listen. Maybe it's the catchy chorus or the smooth flowing rap, but something has definitely caught my attention. The hip-hop style gives it an instant similarity to many Western songs, so despite having a language barrier (Korean) as a listener I feel immediately attached to the song, even if the only words I know are 'Be my Girlfriend, my girlfriend, my girlfriend, my girl'. The repetitive chords in the background give the whole song a lovely connection, making it whole. If you don't know what I mean, perhaps you should look up 'The Boys' by Girls Generation, where their song was very fragmented. In honesty, despite the huge hype over Girls Generation I believe Jay Park has probably won over them this time (in my opinion). However this opinion is deviating from the point of this post.

Just to reiterate it is a song which can be enjoyed even without knowing what the lyrics mean. The melody and smooth-flowing rap is a prime example how language does not really play a big part in a good song. There will always be something we can enjoy. Another reason why I instantly fell in love with this track was the music video. Although the storyline at first seemed a bit stalker-ish all was forgotten when Jay started busting out his dance moves. Immediately after that his initial "cute" image was transformed into a bad boy, every-girl-wants kind of boyfriend. The girl is cute, an added bonus for all us male viewers. 

But in case you haven't listened to the song yet, here it is below!