[rotation 54] falling in love at a coffee shop
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 posted at 5:24 PM
overview. a mix-tape of soothing, somewhat downtempo tracks to relax to with a cup of warm coffee. imagine a quaint little coffee shop that's never too crowded: this is the music they might play. english, japanese, mandarin, korean. indie, soft rock, acoustic.
♪ falling in love at a coffee shop _landon pigg [♫]
♪ something to believe _david choi
♪ 동경 센티멘탈 클럽 _misty blue
♪ lying in the hands of god _dave matthews band
♪ 空はまるで _monkey majik
♪1234 _feist [♫]
♪ harry and bess _ferraby lionheart
♪ too bright _rubies
♪ drown out _glen hansard & markéta irglová
♪ stay out of trouble _kings of convenience
♪ 左邊 _sodagreen
♪ big jet plane _angus & julia stone
♪ metal girls _jim bryson & the weakerthans
♪ alison _jeremy fisher
♪ 고양이편지 _casker [♫]
♪ 봉인 _fanny fink
♪ song for me _instant romantic floor
♪ my desert _the life journey
♪ hot girls _headphones
♪ 한쪽 뺨으로 웃는 여자 _misty blue
♪ 白の日記 _kimaguren
♪ blanket song _linus' blanket
♪ 커피를 마시고 (Main Version) _urban zakapa
♫ = individual downloads
comments. i used to help out in a little coffee shop in my neighbourhood that was really centred around music - they had a weekly music night, open mike nights, etc. and always had great music playing. their playlist consisted mostly of jazz; this mixtape goes into the territory of indie, folk, and soft rock. it can be background music, or it can be the centre of your attention. there's a lot of great songs here, but a few personal favourites are chinese band the life journey's my desert with its airy female vocals and stripped-down atmosphere, kings of convenience's stay out of trouble for its beautiful, understated harmonies, dave matthews band's lying in the hands of god for its blend of edgy and comforting, and feist's 1234 for its sweet, simple atmosphere and textured vocals. landon pigg, rubies, and a few pastel artists (misty blue, fanny fink, etc.) also contribute some great songs.
Labels: Casker, Dave Matthews Band, David Choi, Fanny Fink, Feist, Instant Romantic Floor, Kimaguren, Landon Pigg, Linus' Blanket, Misty Blue, mixtape, Monkey Majik, Sodagreen, The Life Journey, Urban Zakapa
I will be attempting to return to my biweekly rotation schedule, however, rotations will probably be a bit smaller from now on. I'll also try and get a new layout up sometime soon, I've been meaning to for a while but never got around to it.
This rotation is themed around c-pop. Maybe it's just the sites I visit, but a lot of rotations and other music sites seem to be focused on Korean and Japanese music. When I first created this site, I also did a rotation themed around music from China/Taiwan, and I thought that I'd do another one to promote c-pop. All songs are in Mandarin, since I'm not familiar with many Cantonese songs.
Please comment/leave a rating if taking!
➜ 不曾后悔 - Anson Hu (胡彦斌)
Although Anson Hu debuted in 2002 and has been a very popular and well-known artist since, for some reason I never really listened to any of his music until his most recent album. In my last post I shared the song 罗马假日, my favourite of his songs so far. 不曾后悔 is from the same album. It's a gorgeous piano-based ballad, where Anson Hu's powerful yet controlled voice is simply captivating. There was one line in particular whose melody and vocal execution just caught my attention, at around 1:35-1:40 (it's also repeated a few times throughout the song). Expressive and emotional without being overly dramatic, Anson Hu shows that his success in the music industry has not been without cause.
➜ 江湖 (Jiang Hu) - Anson Hu (胡彦斌)
This is one older song that I have heard by Anson Hu, released in 2007 I believe. Very different from the track above, it's a bright, youthful pop tune. There's something about its energy and confidence that is just infectious. I love the use of piano and Anson wanders into higher vocal ranges without much difficulty, but what really stood out to me is the sheer energy that Anson Hu manages to convey, and transfer to the listener.
➜ 近在眼前 - Peter Pan (潘裕文)
Peter Pan, AKA Pan Yu Man, was a contestent on popular Taiwanese singing competition (similar to American Idol) One Million Star. Although he came in third, personally I think his voice and songs are superior to that of those who ranked higher. 近在眼前 is a warm, hopeful piano-and-strings ballad. Rich instrumentation and arrangement get this song off to a good start, but it's really Peter's expressive, smooth voice that makes this song stand out. There's just something about his clear, warm tone that makes it hard to believe this is only his debut album - there's a maturity and seasoned feel to his songs that is generally not found in newer artists. Returning to this individual song, I really love how the song progresses and takes the listener on a journey: from the more pessimistic, melancholic opening to a more hopeful, brighter tone later on.
➜ 幫妳記得 - Peter Pan (潘裕文)
Another ballad, but sweeter in tone and a little quicker in tempo than the one above, 幫妳記得 is another of my favourites from this talented singer. I really like the array of strings, piano, and guitar in the arrangement, giving it body without being too crowded or busy. It has a polished feel without losing any of its emotional strength, and as usual his clean, assured vocals are perfect.
➜ 壞人 - Abin Fang
A Malaysian singer-songwriter, this is probably the song that made Abin Fang rise to popularity in Taiwan. I believe it beat out one of Jay Chou's songs as the top song of the year in a rankings chart, and it's not hard to see why. Although it's partially the lyrics of this song that I really love, even without understanding them it's a wonderful song. Abin Fang's unique, rich voice elevates an already memorable melody, and the backdrop of rock-based percussion and delicate piano and strings fits perfectly. Another promising artist who I'm glad to see is getting more recognition.
➜ 小情歌 - Sodagreen
Something a little different, Sodagreen is an independent band that has received a lot more mainstream attention lately, namely because of this song. Their music is a blend of folk, rock, and pop that's hard to describe, but it's not surprising that 小情歌 was the song that has become a lot more mainstream than many of their songs - it's definitely more pop-oriented and less experimental than some of their songs, but that's not to say it's not a great introduction to their music. 小情歌 is a pretty rock ballad with surprising lightness and grace. Their lead singer's high, clean voice is so delicate and unique, coupled with the unique arrangement which blends rock, pop, and even some traditional instruments. It's one of those songs that's just a remarkable gem.
➜ 缺氧 - Rainie Yang
I'm not really a fan of her, but this is one song that I actually find to be quite good. It's a simple ballad with a warm if somewhat standard arrangement of piano and violin, but Rainie's clear, feminine voice really shines through.
➜ Somewhere (Sophia Version) - JS
Sibling duo JS (Justin & Sophia) is another rare gem in the Taiwanese music industry. When I first tried out a few of their songs, I thought they were a bit too downtempo, but after hearing a gorgeous performance of this song on TV one day, I gave them another try and they've really grown on me. Somewhere is an electronica-influenced track with an ethereal feel. It's completely in English, and as the title suggests, Sophia's vocals are featured. I love the broken-down piano chords, and lightness of the synths and percussion.
➜ 另一个自己 (Another Myself) - Anson Hu ft. Stephy Tang
I swear I didn't mean to put so many Anson Hu songs in this rotation, but I couldn't resist. Some songs are just so filled with emotion that you can feel it inside yourself, and this is one of them. From the delicate, stripped-down opening verses to where the accompaniment picks up a bit, everything about this song is just so genuine and heartfelt that you can't help but get sucked into it. The two singers sound fantastic together, and I love how the song picks up, all of a sudden picking up an R&B interface - yet still keeping the intimacy and raw emotion of its opening section. An incredibly powerful song, and one of my favourite duets.
➜ 凡爾賽玫瑰 (Rose of Versailles) - JS
Another JS song, also featuring Sophia's vocals. Rose of Versailles is sad and melancholic in tone, as emphasized by the dark, dramatic strings, but the modern percussion puts an interesting twist on the song. It's elegant and haunting.
➜ 一路向北 - Jay Chou
Who hasn't heard of Jay Chou? I'm not a fan of his more recent releases, but some of his older songs - namely from the album this song is from, November's Chopin, are quite good. 一路向北 is a lovely mid-tempo rock ballad. It's one of those songs where the melody (namely the chorus) just stayed in my head and continues to pop up even if I haven't listened to the song in a long time. A heartfelt, well-executed song.
➜玩樂 (Wan Le/Play) - Khalil Fong
And we close this rotation off with one of my favourite singers, Khalil Fong. 玩樂 is a quirky, fun song that's hard to describe genre-wise. It has a dated feel to it, but the rich piano arrangement and touches of brass make it uniquely - well, Khalil. It's hard to think of another singer who could pull off something like this without making it sound cheesy. Khalil's distinctive vocals are confident, and the song has a playful, bright atmosphere.
Labels: Anson Hu, JS, Peter Pan, Rainie Yang, Sodagreen, Stephy Tang
