So, I decided to whip out DDR tonight as I thought it’d help with me race against time to get somewhat fit for the ski trip this weekend. Yes, I’m going skiing this weekend. For the first time in 10 odd years, I’m going to hit the slopes. I am so going to end up cramping on my first run aren’t I?

Anyway, so DDR was no where near the work out I needed – I think walking around burnt more calories than it did, but it did get me in the mood for a music game. I switched DDR for guitar hero. Seriously, it needs DLC (downloadable content), or I need a new version with more songs I want to play. I also realised that not playing it for a few months really screws you over as I could barely complete the EASY difficulty level.

So, I heard this ringing – yes, that’s the really bad reference in the title – whilst I was playing Guitar Hero, but I decided to blame it on a dodgy connection between the Wii – TV – Stereo, and ignored it. However, it got annoying so I decided to turn the stereo off – no effect. I then turned the TV off – no effect.

Now, it did some hunting after the discovery that it was neither Guitar Hero, the TV or the stereo. Maybe the laptop next to the TV? Nope. Turns out the incredibly irritating ringing was coming from outside. It’s like one of those crowd dispersal devices, which emit an incredibly high pitch sound, but this was a lower pitch and distinctly noticeable. It’s similar to an old Fridge whining in the background, but at high pitch. I really do hope that it stops soon!

Dubbing

Why does tv dubbing always sound extremely fake? Especially for dubbing English in Japanese – they always seem to use the same voice actors for every male and every female?

Joysound

This entry is turning to be all about audio. Anyway, there’s a new game out for the Wii called Karaoke Joysound, which is basically an at-home karaoke cd with included microphone. It’s actually quite a good deal as as well as the preloaded tracks, it has a subscription service for unlimited downloads for a single day or multiple days. The subscription allows you to access a massive online database of songs for the limited period you paid for – especially useful for house parties.

Anyway, I was quite tempted to buy it, but then I realised that I don’t really know many of the preloaded songs, or not good enough to sing anyway.

Games

Wii Play: Mario Tennis GC does actually look tempting to buy. I mean, it’s a port, and I don’t normally consider buying ports but it does look fun to play with motion control.

Other games that are on my wish list include Biohazard (Resident Evil 5), Tatsunoko vs Capcom (street fighter-esque), and I wish Winning Eleven Play Maker 2009 would hurry up and come out!

So, this entry has nothing to do with the New Year. Oh well…

I’ve been having a bit of a 90s throwback with what I’ve been listening to recently. The last few months have been dominated by songs from the Oricon charts, very J-pop-esque songs. Maybe I just bored of listening to that stuff, or maybe there’s a deeper reason behind it all but I’ve started shifting towards songs I used to listen to.

I got the new album by Guns ‘N Roses, Chinese Democracy, which reminded me of all the bands from the 90s. Bands like AC/DC, Offspring, Disturbed, Oasis, … Eminem, Daft Punk, Feeder… some of these artists are still around today, some aren’t. I think my music for the coming weeks will gradually shift back to reminiscence.

Featuring, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Queen, Meat Loaf… back to the good ole days…

Having just watched the closing ceremony of the olympic games I feel slightly let down. I was just not as blown away by the whole thing as the opening ceremony and it felt slightly less well rehearsed. Also, I feel live music never works in such a large stadium, with problems of acoustics and coordination with the sound system. It just felt really echoy and stuttery.

I was also disappointed by the idiocy of Boris Johnson with his stupid mock saluting instead of limiting himself to a standard wave. He also decided to stick his hands in his suit pockets which made him look like a prat. Following the handover the London PR show was slightly better, although we coulda not done with Beckham or Leonna. The whole singing in the rain-esque thing was ok and the red bus was a good representation of London but I feel it didn’t quite sell the city!

The camera work was all over the place too. I don’t know whether each broadcasting association has control over which camera to use but it jumped around far too much. The opening ceremony had much better shots of the whole of the Bird’s Nest floor but this time it kept cutting to the outside view and strange close ups with “artistic” views. I couldn’t quite get the feel of the whole show.

Anyway, with all the asian artists ranging from Jackie Chan, Rain, Andy Lau, why were there no Japanese singers? The Koreans, Mongolians, Chinese, Hong Kong, all seemed to have representatives… at least include the likes of BoA who can speak Japanese! …. then again, the genetic make up of the entire Japanese population in terms of looks loses out to the tall, slightly built koreans and the mainland asians. Oh well, we couldn’t even beat them in the medals table *sigh* What’s becoming of this great land of the rising sun? is it setting?

Marié is the second artist I have discovered through YouTube and viral popularity. I was meant to review the other artist but thinking about it now, I can’t even remember her name. I suppose that encapsulates the nature of internet popularity. However, I believe Marié is different.

As with many of her peers, Marié started off by posting covers on YouTube of famous songs such as Rhianna’s Umbrella. I really do enjoy the acoustic versions of some of these popular tunes. I don’t really know if that’s a credit to the original song-writer or the vocal quality of the cover artist.

In the case of Marié, her voice definitely does not disappoint. Desperately trying to relate her voice to any mainstream artist does not bear fruit and I’m left wondering if her voice is really that unique? I think it would be a stretch to say that she is a ground breaking artist but she really does sing very beautifully.

The album Unfold, includes the cover version of Umbrella along with a plethora of original songs. Listening to the album now, all the songs have good underlying guitar melodies and some powerful vocals. There is a freshness to each of her songs, which I think reflects her relative newness to the industry. Some of the songs are heavily pop oriented but I feel the album has a good balance and does not overwhelm you with just music from the pure pop genre.

For some strange reason, some of her songs remind me of Avril Lavigne. Not the punk rocking songs but the more mellow ones such as “I’m With You”. Hmmm…

Lastly, and I suppose most importantly, she is absolutely stunning. Half American, half Japanese. There’s just something about mixed races that brings out the best of both worlds. Wow.

Check out her videos on her YouTube Channel.

I’ve decided to only give 3.5 as I’m not entirely sure whether this love affair with her music is long term or her looks have just overwhelmed me!