HAEVN Is Real

Around February, I was browsing random EDM songs when I came across to this artist: HAEVN. Out of curiosity, I clicked some of their videos (most of them are just audio files with awesome cover art). If my memory serves me right, City Lights (LVNDSCAPE Remix) was the first song I've heard from them, and I instantly got hooked. It was PERFECT. I mean, the beat isn't too slow nor too fast, it was just right. And also, the voice... OH MY GOD, I don't know where to start but it was a voice sent from heaven.

So, I did some research (aka stalking) about the band. Lifted from their official website, "HAEVN was founded by songwriter Marijn van der Meer film composer Jorrit Kleijnen, working from their studio in Amsterdam." Marijn, by the way, is very handsome. So envious right now zzzz. "The unique combination of cinematic melodies performed by Marijns warm vocals has conquered the hearts of many music lovers across Europe", said their biography.

Maybe I instantly got hooked because I love listening to cinematic music - those songs used for cinematography where strings and piano play harmoniously on a slow tempo. As my friends say, a 'making stories' song. I listened to their 2018 album, Eyes Closed, and surely there was aptly named as such. I tried closing my eyes and it took me to almost everywhere. It's like listening to Bon Iver + Explosions In The Sky at the same time. If there's a word better than eargasm, then that's how I would describe HAEVN's music.

Go ahead and watch City Light's official music video above. HAEVN is your best companion during your long night drive.

Farewell, Chester

Growing up in the early 2000s, the songs of Linkin Park were no stranger to me. In fact, I found their songs powerful and influential since most of my friends sing their hearts out every time they hear 'In The End' and 'Numb' on the radio or TV. Linkin Park was an acquired taste. I was never a fan of Chester's raspy and powerful voice, but after dissecting the lyrics, I became a fan. Behind the screams were words that cut the deepest. Chester, you have helped us to battle our own demons, and it's so sad that you lost your own battle. In the end, it does really matter. The shadow of the day will embrace the world in gray. The sun will set for you, Chester.

When my time comes,
forget the wrong that I've done.
Help me leave behind some,
Reasons to be missed.
And don't resent me,
And when you're feeling empty,
Keep me in your memory.
Leave out all the rest,
Leave out all the rest.

The Dark Horse: Kris Allen

The finale of American Idol was indeed a bomb. Seacrest didn’t announce of who will be performing for the final results night yesterday so apparently tonight’s episode (pertaining to the local time in America) was packed with surprises and twists. There’s this pseudo-Golden Globe Awards Night where Norman Gentle, Bikini Girl and Tatiana del Torro won their respective loony awards.


I didn’t expect Fergie, Queen, Jason Mraz, Queen Latifa, Kiss and the others as guest performers on American Idol’s final episode. Likewise the finale didn’t bore me. It was fun, though there are some stints that were obviously scripted.


But anyway the show had set a new record, garnering almost a hundred million votes in just four hours. Ryan didn’t say the gap between the two finalists but I really think it was a close fight between Allen and Lambert.


And now the 2009 American Idol is none other than…


The Dark Horse…
The Tender Dawg…

KRIS ALLEN!!!

And yes, Conway, Arkansas rejoiced for Allen’s victory. It was indeed a marvelous season for America Idol. Even if Adam Lambert didn’t win this competition, it would still be easy to discern that these two finalists or three, including Danny or four, plus Allison are going to be famous, just like the two Davids, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.



So, Congratulations Kris. Hope you had a bright future in the music industry. I know you can do it since you can “allenize” the whole town.



PS: This is so unbelievable. At first, I thought Adam or Danny would be on the finale. But no, everything is unexpected. As what had Kara asserted: He is indeed the DARK HORSE of this competition.

Kris Lambert or Adam Allen?

As what Ryan Seacrest had said, “It is the battle between the Guy Next Door and the Guy Liner”. He should have said Gay Liner instead of the Guy Liner, but hell who cares. This is the most surprising season of this show for it showcased two totally different singers: the rock god Adam Lambert and the acoustic rock god, Kris Allen. The multitude inside the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles screamed as they waited for their bet to perform for the last time.

To start off the show, Lambert didn’t fail to stun us with the performance of his own choice of song, “Mad World” which was performed during the “Year They Were Born” week. Likewise it was impossible to outdo his original performance. I don’t know how he does that feat but I guess he deserves to be in the last performance night of the show. On the other hand, the tender dog Kris chose “Ain’t No Sunshine”. He performed it during the “Popular iTunes Download” week. Then again, it was still a compelling performance. When Ryan asked Simon who won the first round, without a doubt he proclaimed Kris as the winner.



For the second round, the creator of American Idol, Simon Fuller had the chance to choose a song for the two remaining finalists. Fuller opted “A Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)” for Adam Lambert and it was indeed a gripping performance for him. Likewise Lambert had proved to the whole world that he is INDEED a performer. Fuller choice for Kris Allen, “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye was a little bit safe for me but he had this special ability to grasp with the song’s emotions and blast it to the audience. Apparently, it was an “Allenizing” rendition of this Marvin Gaye hit. For this round, Adam Lambert stole the limelight from Kris Allen. Still, Allen’s performance was great and he too deserves to be on the final performance night.



For the third and final round, both Idol finalists sang an original song co-written by an Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi entitled “No Boundaries”. It was somehow a test of who really deserves to be the next American Idol because the song was not the right type for the two finalists. It was like forcing David Archuleta to sing the sultry “Ring of Fire”. Lambert tried so hard to show off his solid theatrical performance while Allen tried to put his own mark to the song. Both of them were out of their comfort zones. But in the end, the four judges were proud seeing the two finalists on their final performance night.



It was indeed a long journey for both Kris and Adam. We saw their developments and clearly it would be so hard to choose between the two of them. Let’s find out tomorrow of will be crowned the next American Idol at 8am LIVE, straight from the US on Star World and QTv. It is a special two hour show. We do not know who will be performing tomorrow. Let’s watch for the final result night.

Oh yeah, I should say this: KRIS ALLEN FOR THE WIN!

(images courtesy of: americanidol.com and dialidol.com)

The 5 Greatest Movie Soundtracks

Tell me. How does one considers a movie to be great?


Does it need to have great actors? Does it need to have a superb script? Does it require great visual effects and cinematography? Or perhaps does it need to have a great Original Soundtrack?


Imagine your favorite movie without music. Despite how effective the actors were, it would still be dull, boring and lacks something, and that something is very crucial on building emotions throughout the movie. Through music, it enhances the emotions from the actors. Also, the OST determines the right mood of a certain scene.


Of all movies that I’ve watched since the early 90s, I have found five movies that have the best Original Soundtrack, in my own opinion.



Number Five.
On the number five spot, we have the OST of the 2004 blockbuster disaster movie, The Day After Tomorrow. It was beautifully arranged by an Austrian-born film composer and writer, Harald Kloser. He also has worked with several movies like The Thirteenth Floor (1999), 10,000 BC (2008) and the upcoming cataclysmic movie, 2012 (2009). The tension between man and Mother Nature can be easily felt through his startling yet amazing musical scores. Of all the musical scores in the soundtrack album, The Day After Tomorrow, Tidal Wave and Superfreeze were my personal picks. So, when a deadly F5 tornado is on your way, try listening to this soundtrack before the tornado picks you up, errrr, not.


Number Four.
Korea’s all time favorite movie, 소개합니다 or Windstruck (2004) takes the #4 spot. The story was heavy and drew tears easily from the viewers. The intensity heightens during the dramatic scenes. This album does not contain only the creations of one artist, but it is a collection of songs coming from different songwriters. Youme’s version of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was a sweet and delicate one. Stay (Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs) was really cool, as well as its unique Pizzicato version. My top picks for this album aside from the two are Reunion Theme by Kwak Jae-Young and X-Japan’s phenomenal song, Tears.


Number Three.
Who would have thought that the two of the most controversial novels of this decade will make its way to the big screen? Apparently, the exciting adventures of Robert Langdon shouldn’t be confined in the book. Thanks to the ingenuity of this German composer, Hans Zimmer, he made The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels and Demons (2009) a fantastic flick. Apparently, he even continued the legacy of Chevaliers de Sangreal to Angels and Demons. Nonetheless, he made the adventures of Robert Langdon on the big screen a thrilling one. Hans Zimmer is also known for his works on The Lion King (1994), Crimson Tide (1995) and Gladiator (2000).

Number Two.
Yet, another novel made its way to the big screen. Neil Gaiman’s Stardust became a blockbuster hit during its world premiere around October 2007. The unbelievable love story of Tristan and Yvainne was fictitious yet compelling, thanks to its original soundtrack made by the English composer, Ilan Eshkeri. Eshkeri have collaborated with Hans Zimmer and the late Michael Klamen in his early projects. He also co-wrote the hit single Rule the World with Take That. Bounded with digital strings, synthesizers and wind instruments, Stardust’s OST is really worth listening. Try Coronation, Septimus and the flamboyant Pirate Fight. You’ll definitely enjoy this OST album.


Number One.
Now you may wonder who took the number one spot for this countdown. Well, the original soundtrack of Titanic (1997), composed and arranged by James Horner deserves to be the top of this list, the cream of the crop. According to MTV, it became a worldwide success after releasing more than 11 million copies in the United States alone. Also, the remarkable song, My Heart Will Go On sang by the Canadian singer, Celine Dion had spent 16 weeks at #1 in the US Billboard Charts. Truly, when you listen to this album, you’ll feel that you’re in the “unsinkable” ship. You feel that you are flying. Most of all, during the second half of the album, you feel like you’re dying in the freezing cold of the Atlantic Ocean. This OST is truly amazing.


(Runner-ups: 50 First Dates, The Lion King, Braveheart and The Lord of the Rings)




Truly, an effective movie doesn’t solely rely on to the script, the acting, its visual effects or its cinematography, but rather music an important key to determine whether the movie is great or not. Without music, the movie industry would be in peril. They coalesce to each other in order to answer the demanding needs of man in the field of entertainment.

Idol says Goodbye to Danny the Great

Today, America as well as some selected countries in the world has witnessed the shocking demise of Danny Gokey. We all know that it was indeed a very close fight between the three remaining idols. It was indeed a very hard battle on the telephone and SMS lines the moment Ryan announced the go signal of the two hour ritual of America. Imagine this: Over 88 million votes have generated for only two hours! Without a doubt, America has gone gaga with this show.


So finally, after the nationwide voting, Danny was booted out from the show.

From the looks of Kris Allen, he was indeed surprised when Ryan first announced that he’s going to the season finale, and so as Adam Lambert.



So why Danny did had an early departure on the show?

• First of all, American Idol is a contest. In every contest, there’s always a winner, and a loser. We all know that the three of them are great artists and comes with various styles, like Danny on pop rock and classic ballad, Kris on contemporary pop and Adam on glam rock. Well, let’s look on the brighter side. Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson may not have won the title, but look at them, they were all famous right now in the music industry!

• And second, you should know the nature of Statistics. There’s a slim chance that the 88 million votes would be EQUALLY distributed with the three remaining contestants. Now if that event happens today, dang, the gods, goddesses and demigods must be crazy as hell.

Even if Danny didn’t make it to the final three, people still love him, most especially his fellow Milwaukee natives. There are reasons why he had so many supporters.

• One, we love his voice no matter what. The huskiness of it shapes and makes the Danny Gokey that we know since day one. He never fails to amuse us.

• Second we’re really touched by his sad story. I’m sure Sophia is so proud to his hubby, Danny. Now, for every reality show, one must have a SSTT or sad story to tell to get some attention from the televiewers. Oh yeah, his story was touching but sometimes it gets overrated as time goes by. But hell, we didn’t care about it after he sang his whole heart on his audition.

Third, we all love his moves, despite being criticized by your highness, Lord Simon Cowell. Oh yeah, his tummy is getting bigger. Teehee!




But yeah, we won’t forget the humble beginnings of Danny Gokey.



The Danny that had touched our hearts through his ups and downs of his life…
The Danny that always inspire us through his talent…
And, the Danny that always entertains us with his unique moves.



We won’t forget his scream during the Rock week though.

Rock on, Danny!

And yeah, the battle continues with Kris and Adam.

Top Three

If I were in America right now, I would be on the phone, dialing the 1-866 numbers for two straight hours.



The American Idol heat is on. 12 hours from now, the whole world will know who will be performing for the show’s season finale.


What is good on this episode was the judges had the chance to make a special song requests to the three remaining idols. Paula requested Danny Gokey to sing Dance Little Sister (Terence Trent D'Arby), Randy and Kara on Kris Allen (Apologize by One Republic) and Adam Lambert had granted Simon’s simple request by singing his ultimate favorite song, One by U2.



Check this out dawg.

Danny sang Dance Little Sister and I thought his performance was great since it was perfect. Great choice Paula! The important thing for Danny was the huskiness of his voice. Although I have noticed that Danny’s tummy’s getting bigger than the previous episodes. Hmmm. I remember when the three of them gathered in the stage during the quick recap of their performances Kris patted him not on his shoulder but to his tummy. How cute is that. Hahaha.


Speaking of the Tender Dawg aka the Dark Horse, Kris, I got excited and overwhelmed when I learned that he was going to sing my ultimate favorite song, Apologize by One Republic. He may not be the best performer on the first half of the episode, but heck his own rendition of One Republic’s Apologize was satisfactorily good.


Oh yes, I can sense that Simon got this tingly sensation when Adam sang his favorite song, One by U2. Nothing had changed. Adam continued to wow the audience as well as the four judges since the audition day. Then again, Paula keeps on telling that he’s going to be on the finals. God Paula, you’re already like a broken record. But I have to agree with you. Teehee!



The second half of the show was better. Danny’s rendition of Joe Cocker’s You Are So Beautiful was pretty simple but he had this ability to let the emotions from the song to pierce through the hearts of the four judges and the audience as well. We all know that Kanye West can’t sing. Oh yes, his voice can be easily edited and fabricated with the help of special computer programs in the music industry. Likewise, his hit single Heartless deserved to be performed by a more deserving artist. Sorry Kanye, but I ain’t a big fan of your conjured voice. Armed only with an acoustic guitar Kris Allen bravely battled on that song in the stage and without a doubt, it was his best performance so far, next to his own rendition of Ain’t No Sunshine. At first, I thought Adam wouldn’t be serious on the show since he was so good that he needn’t to give his best shot. But no, he was so serious in the competition and he really wanted to win the title. He chose Cryin’ by Aerosmith and his vocals were mad. At the audience his mom cried. At least he made his parents super proud despite the controversies that lifted in the internet during the competition. But, America’s not that narrow minded for crying out loud. The hell they care about Adam’s flamboyancy, weird eyeliner makeup and the freaky black nails.





Anyhow, people have made different ways to “scream” to their idols just to show their utmost support:

Kiss me, Kris
Go, go, go, go, go, go GOKEY!
Damn, Adam, you’re GREAT!

Oh yeah before I forget, Katy Perry and the Season 6 winner of the show, Jordin Sparks will be performing tomorrow.




I really can’t wait for the verdict.



Who’s your bet?!

Myth Buster: Beyoncé's Lovely Voice

For the past fifty years, we all have witnessed the different technological advancements on various fields on biology, mathematics, computer science, forensic science, and the list goes on and on and on. We have already known that the body and faces of models in plush and glossy magazines were enhanced by digital editing program like the ever reliable Adobe Photoshop. Sometimes their physiques have been altered to hide some flaws to achieve faultlessness.


We once thought that only experts can handle this job. But today, everything’s different.


Even a common individual has full capabilities on media editing, as long as he knows how to use various programs related to this. Videos, music, voices, pictures can be easily abridged in just one click and can be further enhanced with the help of inventiveness.




Recently, I got hooked with this video from YouTube. In this video, Beyoncé sang her latest single, If I Were a Boy on a live show in New York with a terrible voice. At first I can’t believe on how appalling her voice is. She had won numerous Grammy awards and with that voice, I think it’s a wayward idea of her winning and claiming those prestigious awards. I can’t help but laugh on her voice squeaky out-of-tuned voice.


All were confused and disappointed until this video appeared on YouTube.




Apparently, this YouTube user, Matthew aka aladin82 made a confession that he was responsible of altering Beyoncé’s voice. He explained the process of different ways on changing the diva’s voice. Just a few clicks and some basic knowledge on notes, tones and variations, altering voices would be effortless. But using Beyoncé as a subject for his experiment is not a great idea. But I can see his points of posting such videos. It’s an eye-opener, a surprising revelation from the tri-media sector.



Not everything you see on TV and magazines are real.
Not everything you hear on the radio is real.



And now, the critical judgment lies on us.

Idolizing Discotheques

I should say that this is the good time to venture on a numinous business of tarot card reading, most especially on predicting the outcome of American Idol’s disco week. The discotheque week of the show would either have a humdrum upshot or due its inexorableness, the show will conclude in one of the biggest surprises ever. Nevertheless, the former is likely to occur than the latter. The seven remaining soon-to-be-idols-of-the-music-industry have made their best shot but sometimes, even if you tried your best, there comes a time when your best isn’t good enough.

Consider Lil Rounds. She’s a great singer and I have to agree with that. But her predicament keeps on repeating on to the show, as well as the comments and suggestions made by the four judges. Simon couldn’t wait for her predicted demise tomorrow. I think the best song for her, if ever she leaves the competition is James Ingram’s Just Once.

I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough…

Too bad Lil, there’s a slim chance that you’ll be on the Top 5. Coldplay’s Fix You is also appropriate on Lil’s current quandary.

When you try your best but you don’t succeed…

Awww. Okay, I’m getting a lil’ harsh with Lil. Oops.



Kris Allen may be short of height but he never fails to stand out on the stage. It seems that he’s taller than Yao Ming when he belts the high notes. If Paula was an ice, she should have melted faster than the normal rate and a Pool of Abdul would be visible beneath Simon’s chair. Thanks Ryan for that, uuuh, joke. Girls really love him so much, and so as Simon. Kidding.


I do not remember anything significant that occurred on the ninth month of year, until Danny Gokey sang Earth Wind and Fire’s September. As usual, he puts his own husky rifts and adlibs which made the simple Disco song into a super disco one. His performance is as hot as Allison Iraheta’s Hot Stuff. Both of them were great and I think it’s going to be a tough competition if they’re in the final five, together with tender dog, Kris.


But the competition gets hotter, wilder and uhh, crazier with Adam Lambert. As usual, he didn’t fail to smash the judges and the studio audiences. It seems he exerts minimal efforts whenever he belts on to the hair-raising high notes. He’s definitely the bomb on to this show. Then again the judges, most especially Paula have been consistent of seeing Lambert on the final episode.

But a lot of people fail to recognize Matt Giraud’s talent. I think he really deserves to be saved by the judges a week ago. He has the talent but I really think he lacks this star quality or whatnot. If we compare him to the three crowd favorites, namely Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, he didn’t stand out that much. But yeah, people will soon realize how talented he is, with the utmost support of the judges.


Forget about Anoop Desai. I think he’s getting bored on the show or is it the other way around? Whatever. He sings well. That’s it. Period. Being in the bottom three for three consecutive weeks is really hard, but I guess he’s getting immune with America’s verdict. You should join Lil as she gracefully exits the stage tomorrow. She can shake your booty whilst you flash your almost perfect grin on the national television. You have a great smile, as what Paula quipped after you sang your song. What’s your song again, Anoop? Sorry, I forgot it, again.

But definitely, aside from your talent, we will never forget Lil’s big butt and Anoop’s signature grin.



But who knows, right? The future is not foreseeable. Maybe tomorrow, Lil and Anoop will stay on the show while Danny and Adam will savor their last moments on to the show. Now that’s freaky.

Lovesick Mu-sick

To be with a lovesick brother is a disaster.

Spell DISASTER for me please.


Since last year, I’ve been suspecting that he’s up to something, something significant in every man’s life. And now, my hunches are right. I’m happy for him and the girl is wickedly perfect – pretty, a Math and English genius and knows everything, almost everything.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitter. And mom and dad are happy about it too.

The predicament only arises when he’s armed on the following weapons-of-ears-destruction:

1. Guitar
2. iPod
3. His oh-so golden voice

Accck. I ain’t a big fan of listening to acoustics unless if it’s sweet, slow and mellow. He’s fond of playing and converting a mellow OPM love songs into a rock one. Imagine his ingenious fingers strike the guitar strings heavily while playing the rock version of Closer You and I. The song was originally performed by the almighty Gino Padilla. Try listening to the original version and compare it with Sponge Cola’s. You can easily discern the big differences between the two. The once beautifully written and arranged song turned into a zombie-like chant, thanks to the modernized rendition.


It really hurts my ears so much. UUGGHH.

Well, this simple nuisance has led me to rant something about our music.

Nah, I do not totally detest OPM. The new OPM generation is way different if we compare it to the 90s. Who could ever forget the late Francis M.’s Kaleidoscope? How about EHeads’ Fruitcake? The Huling El Bimbo of a Paraluman-look-alike? Rivermaya’s 214? Those were the bomb. Those were the classic ones. And now, everything’s a disaster, well in my own opinion.


Each and every one of us has different tastes on music.
Too bad, my brother’s taste of music is the total opposite of MINE.


He doesn’t like to listen with Enya.
He keeps on rambling this: WHO THE HECK IS IMOGEN HEAP? IS THAT A BRAND OF PEANUT BUTTER?
He thinks Coldplay and The Killers are too boring.
He thinks The Fray is corny.
He claims that Gregorian Chant is evil.
He thinks Enigma is scary.


Sad to say, I’m not into this modern OPM era. Siiiigh. This is so exasperating.


AT LEAST he’s not digging with JONAS BROTHERS. We come up the same conclusion whenever we hear some JoBros hits in the radio, YouTube or some pesky profiles in the cyberspace.



And probably you’ll have the same conclusion as ours. LOL.. Peace!

Funky. Groovy. Funky.

And I suddenly want to belt this song on the kara-OW-key *slash* video-OW-key.


…Gotta make a move to a
town that's right for me
Town to keep me movin'
Keep me groovin' with some energy
Well, I talk about it
Talk about it
Talk about it
Talk about it
Talk about, Talk about
Talk about movin
Gotta move on
Gotta move on
Gotta move on…

Reminds me Shrek 2 and Bloomberg. LoooL. Who's fond of watching Bloomberg? I feel like I'm an investor of major Stock Markets of the World like the infamous Dow Jones, NASDAQ, Nikkei 225 of Japan, Strait Times of Singapore and FTSE 100 of London.

Whatever.

GOTTA MOVE ON!