{卷珠帘}

卷珠帘 {'Raise the pearl curtain'}, a beautiful traditional Chinese style song by young talented singer songwriter 霍尊 Huo Zun (also goes by Henry Huo) who came to fame on a Chinese singing talent contest a couple of years ago. The lyrics are written in old Chinese prose and describes a woman wistfully thinking of the person she loves as she sits by a window on a moonlit night.


I'm really loving the 古風 'gǔ fēng' ('style of the antiquity') and 中國風 'Zhōngguó fēng' ('Chinoiserie') art and music that can be found everywhere now by Chinese artists and musicians. Maybe it's just me getting older and that urge to look at your roots, but I'm rediscovering a great interest in all these traditional Chinese arts, the music, the dances, the clothing, the history and the folklore. Especially the 古風 aspect, which describes a style that conjures a Middle Kingdom of a time long ago, of myths and legends, when gods and spirits roamed, warlords clashed, heroes fought, and everything was that little bit more epic...

A dance to The Unforgiven

Resurrected my ancient iPod touch this morning and was happily running through old playlists when the opening strings of the The Unforgiven as played by Apocalyptica came on. Aah I still get shivers from it.

I actually first heard this version on the inaugural Eurovision dance contest back in 2007 when the winning couple from Finland danced a Paso Doble to it. Their interpretation of the music and the beautifully balletic flow of their Paso were just magical. I loved the dance and the music.

(sidenote: what did we do before we could find everything on Youtube?!)

*Sigh*...isn't that just gorgeous?

I can't quite remember if it was from this that I looked up Apocalyptica or if it was after seeing the clip of Kseniya Simonova the sand artist's story telling, that moved the audience and judges on Ukraine's Got Talent to tears, which used music from Apocalyptica as well. I don't know what it is but I just love it when classical instruments are used to produce that rock/metal sound, I feel it adds a whole other level of awesome!

Let it Go

Ok, I know it is possibly one of the most overplayed song ever... but it's a little special to me.

Just to make it more interesting because it has been played so many, many times, here it is in Mandarin from the Taiwan version of Frozen. Beautifully sung by Shennio Lin, and with a translation of the lyrics that capture the feeling of the original the closest I feel, when compared with the Chinese Mandarin or the Cantonese versions.
I went to see Frozen whilst it was still in the cinema last year and heard Let it Go for the first time. When Elsa sings at that point in the movie, she's feeling very alone in the world and the lyrics are reflecting that. I found myself relating to them so much that when she's singing '..no rules for me, I'm free!' and starts running up the ice staircase she's just created, I was starting to well up.

Five years ago I decided to leave medicine, leave being a doctor, and I was really scared. I'd never imagined that I wouldn't be staying in it when I was going through medical school. Six years at university and two years of training later, I found myself hating what I'd thought would be my career. I saw how some others were so enthused by the stressful nature of the work, whereas I found it a struggle. And how some thrived in the competitive environment whereas I couldn't understand the need for a lot of the politics. I didn't feel like I belonged -  the way I am, the way I work, just didn't seem to fit in there. So when I had to decide what do to whilst waiting to get a specialty training post, I realised that actually I didn't want to pursue it anymore. My heart wasn't in it.

The most difficult part though was after I left. Looking back now, I was really quite low for a few months before and after the official last day. Was I depressed? I'm not sure, but I certainly had periods where I was very tearful, couldn't sleep or slept too much, and had episodes where I felt a horrible hopelessness. I was grieving, definitely, for having left something that I'd planned and based my life on for so long. I am a typical introvert in that I normally don't enjoy large group gatherings and often have to take a few days of being on my own to recharge after a spate of socialising. So for a while I found it particularly difficult to face parties and meet ups because inevitably I had to talk about what I was up to and then explain, and sometimes be asked to justify, my decision, often to people I hardly knew, when I hadn't even fully accepted it myself. I found it difficult when I got negative reactions where people thought I was making such a throwaway decision when it was anything but, and I could see they didn't understand how horrible the whole thing had been for me.

In truth I was judging myself. 'How could you just throw it away?' and 'But you've wasted those years at university!' were things that went around in my own head too. I wasn't sure if it was a brave or stupid decision. But my instinct was screaming for me to leave. Having been away from it for long enough and really enjoying what I'm doing now with my own thing, being my own boss, I am more sure that I made the right choice. It hasn't been easy and it is still difficult, but I am far, far happier now. There is this wonderful quote "You know you are on the right path when you become uninterested in looking back." which is exactly how I feel. I know a few others who left medicine for a career change and are much happier for it as well. I also know some who left but went back again. I know for sure that I don't want to go back to it.

So, back in that dark cinema last year, when Elsa was in the last verse, throwing her tiara away and singing "I'm never going back, the past is in the past!" I was a blubbering mess. But it was a happy mess. It felt quite cathartic. Everyone has their own interpretation of the song. For me, Let it Go is about self-acceptance and how powerful it is when you stop hating yourself for being you. It doesn't matter if others understand why I did it anymore, because I'm happy that I did.

I still can't sing the whole song without getting a tad emotional.

Amor Mio by Lee Hyori feat. Park Jiyong

I am so in love with this song. Not only is Lee Hyori unbelievably beautiful, this song really showcases her voice. And Park Jiyong, who duets with her on this, can really sing. My word! He hits really high notes on it. Plus he plays the piano for the piece, which is always a bonus for me =D

The lyrics are as beautiful as the melody. It's about losing the one you love, so it's a sad one. It's so powerful and delicate at the same time.

This is a live version, with English subtitles.


Sigh.... and swoon.

Same song, different sound

I love it when I stumble across new artists. Youtube threw up this suggestion the other day and I am so glad I clicked to listen to it. PSY's Gangnam Style was all over the place last year. Everyone did a version of the dance and I lost count of the different flashmobs, but I hadn't heard an actual (good) cover of the song itself.

Well, Australian/Korean twin sisters Sonia and Janice of Jayesslee have turned a really overplayed and slightly annoying song into a cool little acoustic number. It sounds so different, and their harmonies are really good. Have a listen! I promise you it's good; better than the original even.


Good right?! And if you liked that, here it is with an added funky bass by pinnhuk, which changes the sound again. Love it =D

Ingrid Michaelson @ Union Chapel

Last week, one of my friends treated me to a gig at the amazing Union Chapel in Islington. I didn't know singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson before, but it turns out I've heard some of her work because her songs have been featured in lots of TV series, like Grey's Anatomy and Vampire Diaries. And she actually co-wrote Parachute, with Marshall Altman, which was a big hit in the UK a couple of years ago.


Parachute is a very catchy song anyway but I thought that her acoustic version sounded even better.

Apart from being an accomplished song writer and multi-instrumentalist, she has an amazing voice and is a great live performer. The set of songs she played were beautifully arranged and had wonderful harmonies (provided by equally talented Allie Moss and Bess Rogers).


What really added to the performance was undoubtedly the venue itself. The acoustics inside the chapel were just incredible, even the quietest notes carried through the whole place and I could feel the vibrations from the bass through the wooden pews. It was awesome. How better evidenced than by this off-mic performance?


Lovely quality videos via seputus, with more available to watch. ~*~

Do As Infinity / ブランコ

Do As Infinity was one of my favourite bands during my teenage years. Buranko (meaning a playground swing, in Japanese) was one of the first songs I heard from them. I fell in love with the melody first but when I read the translation of the lyrics, it became even more poignant.

It's a song about growing up, rebelling, leaving home, chasing dreams, losing dreams, reminiscing about childhood, and wanting to return to those simpler times.

It's so full of bitter-sweet nostalgia... I feel, as my friends and I get older, and pass through milestones both happy and unhappy, I can appreciate these sentiments. But I also like to think that, whatever happens now, there will come a time when we will look back and feel a fondness for where we were and who we were at this moment too.

Buranko ga yureteru Warau youni yureteru Tsukiakari terasu kouen de Ano hi no watashi ni deau Saishuu densha ni Hakidasarete wa Utsumuita mama de kaeru michi Nagai saka no tochuu Furui danchi no Shiawase sou na Mado akari Watashi no yume mitai Hitotsu zutsu Kiete yuku Buranko ga yureteru Warau youni yureteru Tsukiakari terasu kouen de Ano hi no watashi ni deau Haha ni miokurareta Inaka no eki o Kogarashi fukeba Omoidasu Kekkyoku chichi to wa Hanasanakatta Ikikata ga chigau to Omotteta Sonna tsuyogari mo Ayamachi mo Kizukenai Buranko ga yureteru Warau youni yureteru Osanai watashi wa hitori demo Kogeru no da to shinjiteta "Kaasan nakaseruna" Hitokoto ga Rusuden ni Buranko ga yureteru Warau youni yureteru Osanai watashi no se o oshita Ano hi no anata ni deau Ano hi no watashi ni modoru Ano hi no watashi de itai

A swing is moving, Moving like it's laughing... In the moonlit park I see the person I was that day. After the last train Spits me out, I go home hanging my head. On my way up the long hill, In an old apartment estate, I see happy-looking lights From the windows. Like my dreams, They disappear One by one. A swing is moving, Moving like it's laughing... In the moonlit park I see the person I was that day. When the cold wind blows, I remember Being seen off by my mother At that country station. In the end, I didn't speak to my father -- I thought Our lifestyles were too different. I didn't even notice How I was pretending to be strong, And the mistakes I made. A swing is moving, Moving like it's laughing... When I was little, I believed that I could swing by myself. "Mom, don't make me cry" -- I left one sentence On her answering machine. A swing is moving, Moving like it's laughing... I see the person you were that day When you pushed me. I'm going to go back to the person I was that day. I want to be that person.

Buranko lyrics translation via We are for the future

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Ah, the Mexican guitar duo. Have you heard their work? They have a genre-defying, fast, rhythmic acoustic guitar sound influenced by classical Hispanic music with a huge energy injection from their shared love and background of thrash metal and hard rock.



The mind boggles at the speed they play at...



~♥~

Antonio Gades' Fuenteovejuna

I've wanted to go and see the annual Flamenco Festival shows at Sadler's Wells for a long time so I was really excited when I got hold of tickets for last night's performance of Fuenteovejuna by the Antonio Gades Company.




A 'folk-dance drama', it is adapted from a play about a true 15th century Andalusian peasant rebellion against a tyrannical local nobleman. The period costumes and folk dance sequences really evoked an old European farming village (I loved the wedding dance). My favourite bits though were definitely the flamenco dance and music parts. The singing! The rhythm! The lightning footwork! ~♥~

Helen Jane Long

I love discovering new musicians whilst listening to the radio - I actually broke out of my daydream when this started playing the other day.




English musician and composer Helen Jane Long's style is described as contemporary classical, her melodies are haunting and emotional, yet also beautifully soothing and relaxing. She worked with Howard Shore on the LOTR score - you can definitely catch the film lilt in her sound.

One Day from her 2nd album, Embers

Taro Hakase

Famous Japanese composer and violinist Taro Hakase held several impromptu recitals all over London last week to raise funds for the Red Cross Japanese tsunami appeal. I found out about it when he went on BBC Breakfast to spread the word. He played a short piece which he had originally composed for a TV series in Japan. He explained that because normal broadcasting had ceased due to the disaster, people hadn't been able to hear the tune, so he wanted to play it for them. It was very moving.




I made it to his performance at the Fortnum and Mason department store that afternoon. It was packed - people crowded around the spiral staircase on all 4 floors. You know when a musician is very passionate, the sound just has something different. It was rather special. Wish I could have seen him busking at St Pancras station (!)

Gazette ♥

Oh I love the Gazette, my all time favourite J-rock band. They may lean towards heavy head-banging, screaming metal at times, but when they do power ballads, the guitar-led style of their music is simply awesome. Love, love, love the epic guitar solos in their newest single. And always, Ruki's voice...! ♥♥

Pledge, released December 2010.

Sungha Jung

Youtube has opened up a stage for lots of people. It's wonderful because so many talented artists would otherwise struggle to be noticed, or, to look at it another way, we would be deprived of seeing them.

Sungha Jung is one such talent. Although I daresay this young fingerstyle guitarist would have been noticed one way or another. Hailing from South Korea, he was only 10 when his homemade videos of him playing acoustic covers got the people who heard him to pay attention.