Was reading this article — Why Taylor Swift Offends Little Monsters, Feminsts, and Weirdos — and halfway though, fuck, I really miss Destiny’s Child. 10 years ago I was a wangsty gothling teenager but I secretly loved their songs like Survivor and Independent Woman.
Really, I mean, check out the awesome lyrics:
The shoes on my feet
I’ve bought it
The clothes I’m wearing
I’ve bought it
The rock I’m rockin’
I’ve bought it
‘Cause I depend on me
If I wanted the watch you’re wearin’
I’ll buy it
The house I live in
I’ve bought it
The car I’m driving
I’ve bought it
I depend on me
All the women who are independent
Throw your hands up at me
All the honeys who makin’ money
Throw your hands up at me
– Destiny’s Child – Independent Woman
by Huiwei on February 10, 2010
Dir en grey / UROBOROS
I think UROBOROS is Dir en grey’s best album yet. We descend the pit of darkness with Sa Bir, the opening instrumental track, exotic strings layered over a pulsing mass of distorted bass. UROBOROS is not as aggressive and hard-hitting like Marrow of a Bone, but it’s dark and it plucks away at raw nerves and takes you through a landscape of torment. Dir en grey has always been intense – it’s untamed, visceral and lacking self-consciousness or indulgence. They’ve come a long way since their Missa and Gauze days, and their maturity is evident in their songwriting.
BUCK-TICK / Memento Mori
BUCK-TICK’s Memento Mori is another well-crafted offering. Is it ever possible for BUCK-TICK to disappoint? I always look forward to each of their releases, as they always bring something fresh with every album. I like this Memento Mori a bit more than Tenshi no Revolver, which, while nice, wasn’t quite to my taste. My favorite song from the album is Coyote – it conjures up images of running through wild west plains and singing by campfire at nightfall.
SID / Monochrome no Kiss
I’ve also been enjoying Monochrome no Kiss, a single by SID. Thanks, in no small part, to the anime, Kuroshitsuji. Nothing much to say, except that it’s a pleasant song with catchy hooks that sticks with you.
I watched Kraftwerk at the Esplanade Theatre last night. Literally transfixed at the edge of my seat, I felt like I was a child again. For two hours we were all captivated and transported to a different world. I saw fellow audience members get up and dance, and others were bouncing along happily in their chairs without a care, with happy grins on their faces. People clapped along to the beats, sang along, cheered in excitement when the curtains lifted to reveal four Kraftwerk robots for the song We Are The Robots.
It may be unflinchingly mechanical and electronic, but it is so very much human. The vocals may be processed through vocoders, or generated using voice synthesizers, or simply sung in a very deadpan manner, but it still allows us to imagine, to empathise, to connect. And it does it so very well. What is not magical about a pocket calculator? When I was little, I used to be fascinated by how the pressing of certain numbers and keys would generate a different set of numbers. And I think that is the very sort of spirit they have managed to capture in their music.
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