i know i always rag on my brother for liking rap, but i guess in a way it's cool because though we don't agree on music [you'll never catch me listening to the likes of ludacris. most people know me as an emo person], he really likes rap not because he's floating along with the regular listeners of singapore 'trash' radio [who bop their heads to mindless tunes just because it's 'catchy'] but because he just happens to really like it. he speaks excitedly about gangsta rap [yeah, different from the stuff we get on the radio] like tupac and notorious b.i.g and can tell me the difference between types of rap [e.g old school rap - wu tang clan]. i don't mind tupac so much and i like wyclef jean [which according to him isn't really rap] but other than that? 50 cent is apparently much deeper than his radio persona, but i'm not touching any of that. and anyway, he'll never buy into all my emo-punk music 'crap' as he so calls it. he'd sooner listen to metal [think audioslave?]. but it's okay. i like diversity when it starts from passion.

anyhow. i will now gush about dashboard confessional. i pretty much feel the same way about dashboard as dars feels about switchfoot [ha tag if you read this]. you know, there's just this one band you like so much that everytime you listen to their songs your love for that band gets reignited everytime? yup, that's how it is with me and chris ender carrabba. just started listening to a man, a mission, a band, a scar again and everytime i listen to that album [particularly HANDS DOWN] i feel like i'm hearing it for the first time. and then i watched my CD i bought of him in makeshift concert ground and although all these fans are singing along [who can resist?] i think if i ever get to a DC concert i wouldn't. i'd just drink it all in. because DC songs can ONLY be sung by Chris with his emotion-drenched voice. the way he does it is electrifying and impossible to duplicate. people who want to perform DC covers are fools because no one can ever do it well unless they had the exact same feelings and experiences he had while he was penning the songs. if you're thinking about it, i'll tell you now, straight up, YOU'LL FAIL. don't mess with DC songs, YOU CAN'T DO IT. you may practice the chords and get the pitch perfect and whatever but it will just sound empty and burntout compared to the original. and i admit, for people who are into melody,the melodies do sound similar after awhile, but it's just that wonder of a lone chris carrabba standing in front of the crowd, singing straight from his heart like he's reliving the content of his songs that does IT. it just clicks. it's just right. and dashboard confessional will always be my favourite band.

p.s: BRIGHT EYES DOES NOT CUT IT. HE TRIED, HE FAILED. the whole grunge-emo-acoustic sound? doesn't go down that well with me though i admit some of his songs are reasonably good.

they're coming up with a new album, which is cool. and i really hope they steer clear of that 'vindicated' nonsense they pulled off last year. looking forward to some new tunes even though i'll have to resort to amazon because, ha, don't count on singapore to bring that stuff in.

okay, no work done yet. i can spend hours sitting at my computer and sampling music off amazon and downloading. oh goodness. oh goodness. yes, it may come as a surprise to some that i've started listening to john mayer quite a bit. not so much john mayer, but john mayer-ish stuff. ben lee, tyler hilton, ben folds, ben kweller, THE BENS. they are good. for laid-back guitar based songs [ben lee is a little quirky and melancholic which i like!] which i seem to favour seeing as the commons are causing me enough emotional tension i don't have to turn to savestheday to get my emo-fix.

+ posted by M @ 4:15 PM