Monthly Archive for April, 2009

capsule - Some Good Music

Stumbled upon an older music group the other day, and I am really liking their music.

The name: Capsule (though actually spelled with a lowercase C).

capsule_jumper_lp

I’ve only really heard 2 of their songs so far, but if that’s any indication of their overall style then I look forward to hearing their other singles too.

1. Jumper. You should know that serious electronica is a love-it-or-hate-it thing. And this is electronica through-and-through, so you really have to like the genre to appreciate it. Fortunately, I love it. :D Ever since a friend suggested some foreign music and a few electronica tracks to me 3 years ago (yes, I’m looking at you Jill! xD), I’ve been hooked on these styles ever since.

“Ankles strapped our secrets slaved march breaking like a fruit just like you leaning bouncing feel the speed of landing stepping jumping jumper”

That line pretty much says the lyrics for the entire 7 minutes of song.

What I notice about it…
* 1) It’s really memorable.
* 2) The beat from 0:50 to 1:18 just feels so off , but its so “out” of place that it feels “in” - am I making any sense? - maybe it’s just been a while since I heard techno with good originality in their beat.
* 3) This music video is the most hypnotizing PV I’ve ever seen, in a good way.

Oh, make sure you play in HQ (High Quality button). And if you’re new to electronica, then like with any new song, I recommend hearing at least 2 minutes of the song before giving up on it.

2. Sugarless Girl. Unlike the former track, this is much “softer” techno. In fact, it’s not even the same genre, this is under the category “technopop”.

The mark of a good pop song? It sticks in your head loooong after the song ended.

Capsule is a Japanese electronic music group, comprised of vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and music producer Yasutaka Nakata. That’s right, 2 people ran this group: the singer/performer, and the music producer.

The music producer Nakata eventually dropped the project, I don’t know the full history yet. However, I quickly noticed that Sugarless Girl has a style that oddly resembles what I’ve heard in his latest technopop group, Perfume. Different voice and way more “serious” feel than Perfume - but the rythem of Nakata hasn’t changed apparently.

No arguments from me! I love Perfume’s style with a passion, and so far I’m enjoying his former project Capsule almost as much.

The Good Watchman - Part 2

the-good-watchman-watching_the_storm

NOTE: You can read Part 1 of this article by clicking here.

There was a time when Israel (God’s chosen people) was acting like a rebellious child itself. The people basically turned rebellious and proud, so the Lord sent prophet upon prophet to beckon and warn them back, but they would not hear Him. Here’s an interesting piece written by the prophet Ezekiel in that period…

Ezekiel 3:4  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

Ezekiel 3:5 For thou [art] not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, [but] to the house of Israel;

Ezekiel 3:6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted.

As most Bible readers know, the Lord soon chastised Israel and broke them for a time. They were conquered by the Babylon empire and its people were literally scattered all across the globe. And though he worked many might deeds during that time (see the books of Daniel, Esther, and others), it wasn’t until many many generations later that the country was reformed.

Now God still hasn’t broken His promise with His chosen people Israel (seriously, this country from B.C. times is still alive? Don’t tell me no one’s watching out for them!), but he’s also chosen a second people: the Christian church, under Jesus Christ.

So what’s the relevance of Israel and the old warnings that God sent through the prophets? Because much of His church today is repeating Israel’s mistakes. They are so distracted by the immediate cares of this life that they lose sight of God and His kingdom. And as he sent watchmen to warn His children back then (the prophets), so history is repeating today.

Continue reading ‘The Good Watchman - Part 2′ >>>

Sand Art

What an awesome art!

To think the Lord actually gives such creativity and talent out like this is wonderful to see. I’m surprised that so few people have heard about Sand Art before, though there’s a lot of other videos on YouTube if you look for it.

This particular video was sent from Mom to my inbox, thanks for the find!

About learning Japanese and anime

Here’s a few clips and more about learning Japanese that I (being one who watches too much Japanese anime shows and music) thought was hilarious. I originally found a copy at this blog, much thanks to the author there, though I’m only including my favorite parts.


The Secret to Learning Japanese! Amazing!


Learn Japanese from anime in 5 minutes

He’s 1/4 Japanese, 1/8 Korean, 1/8 Filipino, 1/4 Dutch, 1/4 Irish (with Chinese and Hawaiian in there somewhere). Lives in Portland, Oregon, and started learning Japanese from High School because he wanted to connect more with his heritage.

While his videos are great, there’s a totally unrelated humorous paper that I stumbled upon with it. It’s a joke to a large extent (I’m sure there’s some truth behind it though). I just found some of it hilarious and wanted to share for the sake of your amusement…

Continue reading ‘About learning Japanese and anime’ >>>

Anime Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

haruhi-suzumiya-pic

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is probably best described as an experimental anime. It is downright unpredictable and tries to fit in the comedy genre using that. If you’re not one to enjoy randomness in your stories then feel free to skip this anime, it’s simply not the comedy style for you; but for me who loves the randomness of life and can really laugh at that… this show caught my attention from episode 1.

It doesn’t nicely fit into any one genre, with comedic moments, musical moments, drama moments, action moments, mystery moments, and slice-of-life moments; in fact, this show is most simply described as… yes… “random”. It has become extremely popular in the anime industry to the point where some would call it an iconic classic. Whether it’s the all-perfect example of anime that it’s portrayed as, or simply overhyped, I was never looking to figure out. I find it difficult to be content with a show or anything if I have strange expectations for it. Let’s just see for ourselves what Haruhi is all about, and how much we’ll enjoy an experimental sci-fi comedy adventure…

Continue reading ‘Anime Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’ >>>