Yellowjacketstudios

On the way to Mint’s last concert at Yuyintang last Saturday night, a friend asked the question, “What in the world did they start this the singer/songwriter genre?” His question was met with a few seconds of silence before a host of sarcastic responses filled the air. My response was, “Well, it must of been when Brittany Spears started performing.”

But from what I gather, those artists who get put into the singer/songwriter genre have music that can sound folky, even bluegrass, and almost always requires a decent guitar. Perhaps you can depict them with a guitar slung across their back, traveling from a performance at a stadium venue to one at a coffee bar. That’s the other thing too, that singer/songwriters are almost like hidden treasures, not meant to be popular nor polished. In fact, that’s the attraction of them, in that they’re imperfect, unlike most contemporary pop music which requires big time processing to make them sound perfect. Okay, it’s not that singer/songwriters can’t have polished productions, it’s just that they shouldn’t give off that feeling.

Onto names. Joni Mitchell fits into this category. I like Over the Rhine. Know any new singer/songwriters you can recommend?

More info on the singer-songwriter genre can be found here.

Tags: Music by Administrator
No Comments »

Well, it’s finally online. That’s right. My buddy T. Kao’s put a handful of his songs online for your listening pleasure.

For those gear freaks interested in knowing what we used to put together the four songs on there right now (Sunday Morning Sleeping, Beautiful World, Simple & True, and the infamous unnamed track), there were:

• pieces and parts recorded in Garageband and ProTools
• different guitars parts using diff. amps, Pod effects, mics, mic configurations (special thanks to J. Hsu for lending us his Martin!)
• portions recorded at my place were done in my dining room and living room
• synth sounds were done in Garageband and also through Propellerhead’s reason
• Other sound effects that were done consisted of various ProTool plugins (including Sony Oxfords for Simple and True, and Vinyl Scratch for Sunday morning sleeping), Reason, sound bytes from different places.

It was super fun cutting my teeth with his music, because it had such variety of instruments, and found out a lot about what works and what didn’t.

I had a great time working with T. Kao with all these songs. If I wasn’t so darn busy, he would’ve been living at my place right now. I hear Mie sighing with relief.

Go listen.

Tags: China, Music, Personal, Shanghai by Administrator
No Comments »

Over the last year or so, I’ve heard so many of my friends turn their focus of music interest from your typical mainstream pop towards more independent folk/rock music. Perhaps it’s partially the group of friends I hang out with but the reality is that once you’ve figured out how pop music is systematically churned out, there’s an urge break free from the monotonous music made mostly with bells and cymbals but with no content. So two weeks ago, my good friend highly recommended a group by the name of Over the Rhine (OTR, for short). And trusting his taste in music, I purchased their Ohio album, a double-CD album that has left me wondering where I’d be without it.

Good songs don’t invent new melodies, but puts skin and flesh to the ones that we have subconsciously known all along. And that’s what Karin Berquist & Linford Detweiler do so well, over and over and over. Melodies that haunt and linger for days after you’ve listened. You can listen to it and fall asleep, and you can listen to one song over and over again to try and understand the meaning behind the song.

I had my doubts when I first purchased it, because folk/rock/country genre isn’t my thing, but after listening to it a few more times, the melodies and words begin to permeate your mind and echo in your head long after you’ve turned off your iPod. Unlike most albums that have 2 or 3 hit songs, this album doesn’t really have any “radio friendly” songs, but the content and presentation of so many beautifully written songs together sets them apart. It has been a long time since an album has kept me intrigued for so long.

I haven’t even started about her voice yet. Karin’s got a touch of Sheral Crow, Sixpence, and more, rolled into one set of vocal cords. What i really enjoy about listening to her is are the inflections she so musically blends with the lyrics. And like the accompanying instruments on the album, they’re understated, leaving room for the audience to draw their own conclusions without having it shoved down our throats. The recordings aren’t rigid, and flow very naturally from one note to the other.

So in conclusion, go have a listen. You won’t be disappointed. And you might have Karin haunting your mind as well.

Rating: 4.5/5 - This album has more magic than Harry Potter. Definite keeper.

For more reviews of the album, check out their website.
You can also hear some of their songs on myspace and youtube (search for them)

Tags: Music, Reviews by Administrator
No Comments »