All Time Low in Singapore

So I'm like pretty lazy to update anything yet but here are some photos of All Time Low's time here!

Went to the airport and got Jack's siggie on my Don't Panic album. And took some photos with the awesome ATL crew!

Evan Kirkendall. He is so aborable *_*

Drum tech Alex Grieco!

Oh hai Jack.

Gonna be writing a concert review with Justine and it's gonna be up on JermzSG so be sure to check it out there!

Long Live The Reckless and The Brave

So last week was a great music week... at least for me!

All Time Low released their newest single which is off their upcoming record, and the best thing? It was up for free download from their official website! Still is, I reckon.

Absolutely loving the song! Definitely different from the songs in their Dirty Work album - one can't help but wonder if it is because they are not under a major label anymore (they recently left Interscope Records which is part of Universal Music and Dirty Work was the only album they released within their two years under the label). Somehow I tend to appreciate songs produced by them when they are under a small or independent label. It feels as if it is music that they REALLY want to make, and that they are not writing songs just so it fits into the 'mainstream' category. The Reckless and The Brave is one such example, where the lyrics are much more mature compared to lines like "Everybody gettin' kinda crunk, I think some dude just grabbed my junk..." Yeah. I can't deny that I love the music video for that song though. Hahaha.

The next awesome song release has gotta be Big Bang's Monster!

Ignore the uber weird concept of their costumes - okay actually just GD and Taeyang's hair (someone just bring back the mohawk, please) - this is a great song and I could remember the hook in the chorus after just one listen! Really loving the piano introduction and riffs as well. I would go on but you know what? I'll just leave you with a review done by eatyourkimchi aka Simon and Martina! If you haven't heard of them, do definitely check them out because their reviews are always so entertaining and, and... argh just watch.

I had a pleasant surprise when I saw new GIFs of the B1A4 boys seemingly from a new music video. So I went to check it out and it turned out to be the music video of the Japanese version of Beautiful Target!

I'm liking the music video more than the Korean version because this one has more of a story line. No fireman Baro, newscaster Gongchan, pilot CNU, judge Sandeul, prisoner Jinyoung or sprout dances in here - just them being adorable and Jinyoung trying all sorts of perfume potions on them in his bid to find the perfect love potion for the girl he has a crush on. Oh, did you see that Chanro (yes that is my pairing name for Baro and Gongchan) interaction at the end of the video?! My passion for them has reignited once again. And I honestly started smiling to myself when I saw Baro wearing the same cap that I bought from Seoul!

Hehehe.

Anyway, the Euro fever is back! Yes I'm talking about football here! As expected, I'm rooting for Spain all the way!

David Villa is not gonna be playing due to an injury unfortunately, but this Euro 2012 team is still a stellar one and I am very happy that Torres scored against South Korea. We need El Niño! And El Niño is back, and he is staying! P.S. Pique needs a shave, badly.

I'm also very happy because I get to see more Sernando (that's Sergio Ramos and Fernando Torres for those of you who don't know - yes there are pairings in football too...)

Sigh. :)

Also, in related news, Ramos recently cut his hair, and he looks amazing! I was surprised though because he said that his hair was his lucky charm so I'm wondering why he cut it right before something as big as the Euros. No matter though, just make sure all of you haters don't blame any Spain match loss on him! /touchwood/

Thank you for cutting off your locks.

Alright enough fangirling. I'm just gonna do some shameless promotion. Below is my cover of Teen Top's newest single, To You! Hope you dig it!

Goodnight! x

Christmas Eve

Eve of Christmas and I'm trying to get started on my individual assignments but to no avail.

I've never considered Christmas a big thing since my family doesn't celebrate it. My friends do though so all's cool. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow to hang out with the Poly gang. I guess we can take this as a day off from our assignments.

I sent out about 17 cards this Christmas and I'm glad that those who received it liked it. :) It does feel good to give. Hahaha.

And to welcome this festive season, here are a couple of my favourite Christmas jams:

Forever the Sickest Kids - Mistletoe is for Quitters

All Time Low - Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass

MBLAQ - White Forever

Plus the SMTOWN Winter: The Warmest Gift album (Video below is Super Junior's Santa U Are The One)

And of course Infinite's Lately which I posted a couple of posts ago.

Haha oops that's a lot of songs. Merry Christmas everyone! x

Lost In Stereo

Had the craziest gig experience ever on the 6th of October.

Brian and I were not familiar with Wavehouse so when we were trying to find the queue we stumbled into the performance area where The Dirt Radicals were having their soundcheck. Decided to snap a few pics. We found out a while later that we were not supposed to be there. I seriously didn't know though, LOL no one stopped us when we were walking into the venue. Uh well.

During the 7 hours of queuing, I was really annoyed with the big group of fangirls behind me. Step scene kids, really. Even the Caucasian girls in front of us were visibly annoyed. It was quite interesting when they scolded this group of Malays who joined the queue at around 5pm. The embarrassment, really - a couple of them are from TK.

Went to find Nava and Mitch when they came! Eudora wasn't there because she forgot to bring her tickets and she was rushing home.

So at around 6.30pm, the doors opened and there was a mad rush for good spots and I managed to get to the first row! I chose the to be on the left side of the stage - where my favourite member, Jack, was going to be! Just in between the barricades and the stage was a small space for the security and media. But I was crazily close to the stage! Then, the worst happened - it started to rain. So we just stood in the rain for around 2 hours for the opening act to come on but everything was delayed by one hour, which obviously got everyone quite grouchy.

I was quite drenched by the time The Dirt Radicals got on stage but the crowd was revved up almost immediately! A little to revved up though - all the barricades except for the one I was behind fell. Fortunately I  was pulling back the barricade or I'd have fallen too! They had to stop the set for a little while and I got the freaking shock of my life when I saw a pair of legs sticking out from under the stage. It was one of the security guys in front and he lay there motionless while the annoying Mats were shouting at the opening band to get on with the show/get off the stage. What idiots really. But anyway, as I watched the other security guards attending to him I really felt like I didn't want a gig anymore. It was really traumatizing. I hope the guy's okay and recuperating well! :/

The organizers then decided to move the barricades against the stage so I ended up right in front of the stage. TDR then continued with their set with songs like 'Pack Your Bags' and 'Daddy's Disco Days'. Really catchy! And the drummer is crazily wicked!!

And of course, next up was the band that everyone was waiting for - All Time Low!!

When they came up on stage, it seemed so surreal! From anticipating the release of their albums and watching their performances on Straight to DVD via the screen of my laptop, All Time Low has always been a band that I admired and I swore that I would see them 'live' one day and there they were, right in front of me!
It was really amazing! And I can't recall how many times Jack looked at me with those big round eyes of his!

ATL got the crowd crazy immediately and I especially enjoyed 'Damned If I Do Ya', 'Time-Bomb', 'Forget About It' and 'Remembering Sunday'. I recall myself headbanging during 'Lost In Stereo' yeah I was lost in the music most definitely.
I was close to tears when Alex crooned out 'Therapy'. At that point of time, I really felt that my life was complete - I mean, I have already seen all my favourite artistes perform my favourite songs.

Was hoping for a pick from Jack but got a water bottle that he drank from instead.

Yeah it's on my table right now. Don't worry I washed it.

After the gig I managed to get a picture with The Dirt Radicals' drummer, Matt! Hahaha the name Matt always reminds me of Rachy.

Stinky but happy Michy.

And here are some nice shots I found on Tumblr:

Photos belong to their respective owners.

Thank you so much to Rachy's friend, Justine, for going to queue at 7am! We probably wouldn't have been able to be second in the queue and gotten right in front of the stage if not for you!

It was a great night. And the queuing was all worth it! Rian, Zack, Jack and Alex, thank you guys so much for finally coming down to Singapore! Though it would have been better if you guys came before your music hit the airwaves here. So many teeny boppers, omg. And the crowd was so bad. Still, All Time Low was amazing 'live' and I am so glad that I was finally able to watch them up-close! ♥

I'll just be suffering from withdrawal symptoms now. "Cause there's nothing surgery can't do" - I think All Time Low is wrong for once.

Six Feet Under the Stars

This is not a proper update but I popped by because all I am doing now is burning CDs and I have to kill time or I'd be bored.

Exactly one more week to see All Time Low perform right in front of my eyes at Wavehouse Sentosa! I have been waiting forever for them so I really am stoked, though I was a little sad to see one of the setlists I found online because three of my favourite songs are missing from it! Where is Break Your Little Heart, Remembering Sunday and Therapy! :(

from setlist.fm

This is from their Australia tour though so I do really hope that they include the three songs in their gigs in Asia! All my friends who are going for the gig are kind of upset that Remembering Sunday was not included.

In other news, a band that Stef and I have been waiting for is finally coming down to Singapore after their long hiatus! Yes I am talking about none other than Good Charlotte!

photo from sistic.com.sg

It'd be really cool to be able to meet them so I'm definitely going down to the airport to try my luck just like I am doing so for All Time Low. Hope to get picks from them maybe? And pictures and autographs (hey I did not buy their albums for nothing ya know).
This gig is going to be at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel at RWS. Yeah Sentosa again. Why can't these gigs be at a more accessible place?? They are performing on 18th November which is a Friday. And since it's still a school day, we'll just have to hope that it ends early and there are no major projects and such because that would suck so much. But till then, I'll just be looking forward to this event! My first rock concert with Stef hahaha gonna be interesting.

DATE 18 Nov 2011  Fri, 7:30PM

DURATION Approx 1hr 30mins

VENUE(S) The Coliseum™, Hard Rock Hotel® Singapore Resorts World™ Sentosa Entrance: L1 Forum, Beside Hard Rock Cafe

TICKET PRICE (EXCLUDE BOOKING FEE) Early Bird - $98 (29 Sept - 23 Oct) Standard - S$108 (24 Oct - 18 Nov)

One thing to note though is that it is only open to those above 18. It's a Jack Daniel's event after all..
Tickets start selling today but there's no rush since it's not a K-Pop event (we have got this habit of buying tickets on the day it comes out all because of K-Pop).

I'm so restless right now but I don't even know what I feel like doing. Omg I hate this feeling. Pffft.

Fuck Yeah All Time Low

I am crazily excited for this okay. It'll be happening during the school holidays so I will definitely be at the venue early to get to the front. Now I do feel like getting an ATL tee, or a Jagk tee, eeek!

Gosh I'm even more excited about this than for SHINee!

I really need to hear them play this song omg. PLEASE ALEX JACK ZACK RIAN PLAY THIS! Okay I'm sure this song will be played though. I hope they play 'That Girl' too omg I absolutely love that song.

September and October are going to be a blast! Heck yeah!

In a City of Fools I Was Careful and Cool

I just watched the whole All Time Low Straight to DVD and homygawd they are one of the best punk bands around now no kidding.

Freaking amazing I love them so much. Seeing them live on day will be one of the greatest days of my life.

Speaking of All Time Low, happy 23rd birthday to you Jack Barakat! :) Keep being crazy on stage you are awesome! I will never understand how you can jump around like that without tearing your skinnies.

I booked my tickets for Mayday Parade's gig in Singapore! I'm going with Wenhui and this makes it her first rock band concert (virgin concert stealer strikes again). There's another band performing too called Eyes Set to Kill which is fronted by a female and they are a rock/emo band. I hope my ears don't burst. I just wish the tickets were cheaper though. Mayday Parade in Indonesia's ticket prices are like, 10bucks.

For those who don't know Mayday Parade they are the singers of Miserable At Best which is an amazing song

The guy who has the lower voice has left the band but it hasn't affected the band much. They released another album Anywhere But Here which is a pretty solid album as well too. They also just released an EP (which I haven't listened to yet) and a third album's coming out soon too. I really wanna buy their CDs but the last time I checked HMV they were going for like 38bucks/42bucks. What the heck.

Oh yeah, do check out DJ Masa's K-Pop Till the world Ends Mashup for the first half of 2011!

If you click the 'CC' button you can see that Stef and I did the Chinese translations. Hahaha it's quite funny watching the video with the captions. It's an awesome mash-up although I would have liked it better if Infinite was inside. :P Oh I still prefer the mash-up he did for last year's second half though! Can't wait for the next one!~

And speaking of Chinese, happy 30th birthday to Ella Chen from S.H.E!

She was my very first idol for obvious reasons. She was the most charismatic member of S.H.E and I totally aspired to be like her. She can sing, dance, act, host, she has a great personality to match too. My colleague was telling me that when he interviewed them, she was the only one to turn back to bid them goodbye. I love how sincere she is to people around her, including fans. I went for two S.H.E autograph sessions and her handshakes are always the firmest, even though her arm was injured once. Major love for this girl!

Stay happy Ella Chen Jia Hua! :)

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Round two of recording to finish our (Stef, Brenda and I) covers of Pinocchio and Mr. Taxi tomorrow. Hahaha I sound damn man in Mr. Taxi. MS B fighting!! ^^

Have a great weekend!

All Time Low 'Dirty Work' Album Review

Gonna try writing an album review. Don't be harsh yeah? Lol.

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Not gonna lie, I'm a huge fan of All Time Low and I was really stoked for this fourth studio album. This is also their major label debut (Universal).

Let me first compare this album to the previous album. In my opinion this album is more pop-pish than Nothing Personal, but still pop punk nonetheless.

1. Do You Want Me (Dead)?

Simple plucking of an electric guitar at the beginning of the song while Alex starts singing. And just like any typical pop punk song, the drums and bass come in and the lead singer goes one octave higher. Short (it's only 2:46mins long) but great song to start the album.

2. I Feel Like Dancin'

The lead single from the album with a distinctively more pop-pish sound as compared to their usual stuff. Written by Alex Garskath and Rivers Cuomo (the lead singer of Weezer), it definitely has a different sound from their previous single, Lost in Stereo from their Nothing Personal album. Not all ATL fans will dig this song but I love it! I love the little random dialogues in the verses. Since when did pop punk start using words and phrases like, 'shawty', and 'everybody getting kinda crunk, I think some dude just grabbed my junk' though? But I'm not gonna deny, that's my favourite line in the whole song. Lol.

The music video for the song is really entertaining too and just like the song itself, it has lots of pop references, from Katy Perry, Justin Bieber to Lady Gaga, mocking the major sellouts in the pop industry. And it is so funny that Jack was totally agreeing with the 'selling sex' part but he gets the men instead of the women. Hahaha poor Jack! Really glad the boys are having fun doing their thing though!

P.S. Alex looks hella sexy at 1:25 and I really would buy that product. Hahaha.

3. Forget About It

Okay the guitar melody of this song has been stuck in head since I listened to it. This song's really catchy and there's this part after the second chorus where Alex speaks LOL I'm such a sucker for dialogues in songs. I immediately fell in love with this song once '1, 2, 3, 4!' came out. One of my highly recommended tracks from this album.

4. Guts

This song features Maja Ivarsson of The Sounds who does the harmonies in the song. I love it when bands with a male lead singer does collabs with a female singer but she seems a lil redundant in this song lol, just like Taylor Swift in Two is Better Than One. It's just that kind of song that All Time Low can perform without even needing to have a female singer with them, unlike Remembering Sunday.

And yup, as the title suggests, the songs kinda about courage (from what I understand by looking at the lyrics) and it's a good message so props to ATL for that.

5. Time Bomb

This was the first track that was leaked off the album! Alex leaked it onto the net and said that 'the sound is a bridge between Nothing Personal and Dirty Work'. This one is one of the stronger songs in the record and it still leans towards the punk rock genre. I really don't have anything else to say about this song except I really like it a lot.

6. Just The Way I'm Not

A typical crowd pumper song with 'Woah-ohs' and 'No-ohs' where the audience can sing shout along. I like the whole song in general but the bridge of the song is a bit of a letdown. I don't know, it just doesn't seem to match up to the rest of the song. I still think it's a good song though!

7. Under A Paper Moon

One of the more 'rock' songs in the album but not one of my favourite tracks. I'm just not really digging the tune of the song. Good job to Rian on the hi-hat there though.

8. Return the Favour

Has a similar sound to that of Under A Paper Moon but I kinda like this one, especially the acoustic guitar intro and the piano outro. It sounds like a song that I know though but I can't put a finger onto which song it is. Uh well.

9. No Idea

A string orchestra intro. Classy! I like the song in general but the pre-chorus sounds like the chorus of Maroon 5's Never Gonna Leave This Bed. I swear when I first heard it I almost sang to Never Gonna Leave This Bed. If I had to compare this song with one from Nothing Personal it'd be Too Much. Just one complaint, 'no idea' is sung wayyy too many times in the song. Gets a bit boring after a few listens.

10. A Daydream Away

The only ballad in the whole album. And I love it! I'm a sucker for ballads and I wished this album had more ballads. I really love this phrase 'I'll keep you a daydream away, just watch from a safe place so I never have to lose'. So sweet! Good song, but it definitely still loses out to Remembering Sunday. That's arguably the best song that All Time Low has.

11. That Girl

My favourite track of the album! It's catchy and it always makes me bop to it no matter how many times I listen to (I think I have listened to it at least 30 times today). I love how the song can still sound so happy even with a drug name and the word 'bitch' in there. And I can totally picture a music video for this song. I hope this song will be the next single. It deserves it! It is too cute! Heh.

12. Heroes

Okay the beginning of this song reminds me of F.T. Island's Marry Me. I love the changes in drum beats and rhythms, especially the second part of the second verse. Love the use of the toms to create a forward-driving kind of feel.

13. Get Down on Your Knees and Tell Me You Love Me

LOL okay am I the only one who thinks this title sounds a bit..wrong? Heh. I love the chorus of this song. Looking for something to headbang to? This is the song. Nice guitar/bass solo at the beginning too!

14. My Only One

I don't love this song but I don't hate it either. Really neutral to this song but I like the chorus :) And the hur-hur-hurt part before it. LOL.

15. Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass

HAH. I love the title. And true to its title, yes you can hear sleigh bells in there. A really catchy song. And I cracked up at the end of the song where there is dialogue. I really love it when bands inject humour and fun into their songs :)

Yup so I guess that's that. Not a better album than Nothing Personal but still a good one on its own. You can see how hardcore Hustlers are, ATL beat Adele on the iTunes charts! Sick!

And I really wanna see them live. Alex, Jack, Zack, Rian please come soon :'(