A Singaporean In Australia

I'm no expert in music. I know nuts about it and little about even the bands I appreciated. I think no one is unqualified to give their views on music though. Everyone will have their own preferences in music genre. What's shitty to me, may be Music of the Heavens to another. (bless him/her) So long we have a pair of ears, we have something to say about music, or bad noise. Considering even hearing impaired musicians created legendary music in the past, no one is bigger than music.

All things shall vanish from under the sky.

When I was a teenager, Guns N' Roses was my favourite band. Back then, the image of the band didn't go well with teachers and parents. You know, skulls and blood and other bad ass things on their covers and merchandise. Then the reputation of turning up late for performances (read Axl Rose), smoking, performing in weird taste of clothing and not to mention the riots in a few cities after their walk-off from stage (read Axl Rose again). 

Nonetheless, I loved them. So did many of the boys of my age, including the cute chubby girl with an angelic face living a few streets away from me that you wouldn't think would venture within a kilometre radius of a hard rock band. I got to know her eventually as she was my school mate and looked at her as a younger sister. My first serious relationship was with a GNR fan, an even more enthusiastic one than myself. Well, she could recite the Axl Rose's quote of the Peruvian militant general's speech in "Civil War" as fast and accurate. (I couldn't even pronounce annihilation back then) and she did the quote part in "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" as well. When we met and knew what we mutually liked back then, it wasn't difficult to fall in love. 

Even the boys in Perth displayed traces of appreciating GNR. It had been suggested over dinner I had carelessly revealed real names in my blog so I should be more discreet from now, until I become careless again. Mr S had been spotted with "Paradise City" on his mobile ringtone sometime back and Mr E shown interest about Axl Rose coming to Perth to perform with his band (sorry, that's not GNR to me). So you see,  music written from the real life experiences bind souls. Coupled with high heat passion during performances, a legendary band was established.

It's been a long time since I heard something I like on the radio. It was painful to listen to the amount of crap they came up with these days. I mean, can you imagine anyone even bothering to produce such shit? Better time spent playing facebook games than bleed ear drums across the world, shitty music makers. Even singers nowadays do not pride themselves to sing with their real voice, allowing technologies to synthesis their voices into robotic distortion. That includes "heavy weights" in Mandarin pop such as Jay Chou and JJ Lin. "Musicians" call it "experimentation". Not so much of a experiment if every fucking artiste who ran out of ideas does the same thing. 

Fargots.

Of Monster and Men is a breath of fresh air. Well, there are probably thousands of bands out there, as good if not better, in the world. I just happen to come across this one. Their little song "Little Talks" was being played often these days on Perth radio. The blood gushing out of my ears stopped temporary whenever it was aired, to prevent a possible need of blood transfusion.

When I did a search on the band and watch their 'live' video, I found them sounding as good as they did in record. Every band member oozed passion in their music and genuinely enjoy what they are doing. These folks could turn up for work in their pajamas and produce a cracker. No annoying twisting of voices of RNB, no spamming of strong vocal cords in unsavory combinations of chords to raise undead in places of final rest, no tricks, no fuss, just play. 

"Little Talks" is their only platinum hit so far and it remains to be seen if this band is a one-hit wonder. Does that matter? Not if bands like that continue to keep real music alive. Doesn't matter if I can't pronounce the name of every single band member and probably never will.