Albums of the year, 2006...(27/12)

Looking back of 2006, I found that my music box is actually dull. It is dull in a sense that the year was of no surprise nor new sounds...to pick the best ten is like choosing the second best of the groups who produced actually somewhat more thrilling ones in the past. There is always a cycle of ups and downs in the music scene but after the last britpop/trip-hop movement, it's been quite a while since we have delightful music of the new generation. The debut album of the Arctic Monkeys should be the only great hit of the year. Nonetheless, it was all the 'oldies' and classics that have haunted me in the 365 days. Listening to the sound of the Stones, Television, the Velvet Underground, Can, Barbara or Lou Reed has been extraordinarily herbed. The only thing is summer has gone so quick...

1. Whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not, arctic monkeys
2. Black holes & revelations, muse
3. Nevermind the living dead, stuck in the sound
4. Rather ripped, sonic youth
5. Fab four suture, stereolab
6. The loon, tapes'n'tapes
7. Pearl jam, pearl jam
8. Pieces of the people we love, the rapture
9. Late night tales, air
10.Sam's tour, killers

Rock en Seine...(26/8)

A decade of waiting is worth a lot perhaps. It was a moment of dream-comes-true. Music is a way to gather people, right, and so here came the live of radiohead in Rock en Seine 2006...much expected as of the other 57,000 audience on the field, I witnessed the show in great content with my mobilised iron lung. The band simply had their musical world melted in silence and applause around me. Being the forwarder with releases and songs credited with all-acclaimed comments, their music is always in advance and style. Truly is it a classic group like them in our era, their live was just performed on another level, and no wonder they could play in the same chic manner for my iron lung and everything's in its right place, or 2+2=5 and Lucky. Without much consciousness to their progression in assimilation of music of years, their sound in every tune lasts as young as it was a decade ago. Karma police was magical, and paranoid android was stroked. There was no more excess except the nice atmospheric music and prolonged echoing. Without any astonishing set up on the stage, the scattered TV screens as the backdrop was much impact though. Pairing with the outstanding lighting design on the stage, the projected images from nearly 10 cameras caught the pulse of the move. There was no need for extras.
The band played 4 new songs in their yet-to-be-released album. Still catching up the beat of their previous trilogy of Warp-based albums, the element of guitar chord appears to revive, but yet, it's still the tune of their journey to electronica rock. So this is it, perhaps a once-in-my-life.


A wrap up of my Rock en Seine:
- the live performance of Beck teamed with puppet shadow, and as classic as it could be, he played loser as a start up in his session. Cool.
- The Dead 60's got stronger. There was significant improvement when they played live when compared with the gig I saw a few months before. The riot radio was much more powerful. Watch out!
- Skin...a soulful and charismatic performance.
- DJ Shadow, always the guru of dj-ing, produced an interesting night session on Day 1. The show was just a bit short and the performance was less than what I expected.
- Morrissey. Sorry, I didn't make it to meet you again...but nevermind, as you would never be alone. A miss of the Dirty Pretty Things, Phoenix, Broken Social Scene etc. too. Oops, the world lacked perfect.
- Kasabian just lost their guitarist, and well, I guess the band was not in form. The new guitarist was not in collaboration with the band I guess. Their show was quite disappointing as it lacked some vividity. Hope they can get well soon.