inland territory

it's taken me a long time to think about how to go about writing about vienna teng's latest album. reason is i still can't quite decide whether to love it or to be disappointed.

i remember it was earlier this year when i was standing for my midnight sentry duty, rifle in hand and radio turned to lush 99.5, that i heard the dj gush about 'inland territory' while putting 'white light' on. hearing the words 'vienna teng' jolted me out of my drowsy state, the same reaction i had had when i had heard the same station play 'street spirit (fade out)' on some other previous lonesome mowbray night. 'wow i'd better hear this...' only difference was, i knew 'street spirit' well enough to play it blindfolded; i've never heard any of vienna's new songs yet, let alone this one.

i'd loved how vienna has these enchanting piano-driven melodies, often intertwined with vocals, or, more rarely, some other sweeping melody. cases in point: blue caravan, now three, gravity, harbour, homecoming and recessional. she's ventured into bringing strings, drums, choral voices and oh guitars into the picture, but for most part it's always been about the piano and her. and always so soothing, so mellow.

my first taste of this album via 'white light' was thus a disappointment. a bass groove, synths all over the place, effects-laden guitar, a plodding drum beat, and what's this? an unimpressive tune. it also can't help but remind me of another wilco song, 'what light', which was quite a dud. oh dear, i thought, this might be it, she's lost the plot.

well i got hold of the album anyway, and here's what i think. it's a mishmash of all sorts of different sounds, which can be done well (OK computer!), but here it comes off rather harshly. it is also makes it difficult, and a tad unfair, to treat the album as an entirety, because after averaging between superb songs like 'antebellum', 'no gringo' and 'st. stephen's cross' and stomach-turning ones like 'augustine', 'white light' and 'radio song' in particular, you get, well, an average score. which is harsh on the good ones. sad, because i'm all for treating albums as one piece of work and listening to them in the order the artist had intended, as opposed to the hit-single-driven discs being put out in the mainstream.

ok i've finally decided to do it this way. i shall focus on the spectacular songs. after i finish this bit. i appreciate when artists try to show their ambitions and push the envelope by trying new styles and sounds. it's a good thing! sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. no one said meshing strings, horns, bass, drums, guitar effects and chamber sounds was going to be easy, but no one said you had to. i think it's at it's worst in 'white light' and 'radio song'. the tune suffers. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, the tune suffers, and you decide to scrap it and put in that other haunting piano piece or live 'fields of gold' cover instead. or so i wish.

right now i'm listening to porcupine tree's 'a smart kid', and there's a smart way of merging several musical ideas together seamlessly. i like how at the root of the song there is a nice and simple tune, yet it is a complex piece with several layers overlapping each other. it helps too that i've always admired steven wilson's guitar work and solos. fascinating song.

i'll wait till tomorrow to write about the other inland territory songs. zzz

day 1

after roughly 30hrs+ of travel, i've finally settled down at clifty cove motel, my home for the next 17 days. and yes, traveling round and about north america was rough for both of us - we're still awaiting both our tiller bags from the airport. it's a pretty place nevertheless. here's the view from the room with a view.

thiscomfort

this weekend's pesta sukan regatta was both comforting and an abrupt wake-up call. comforting because things were, for a moment, like 3 years ago; cai and sl, serving as coach, sparring partner and companion all at once. comforting to be able to bounce ideas off each other and to have a post-race discussion seconds after crossing the finish line. comforting to be, perhaps belatedly, pulled out of my comfort zone.

a wake-up call because hey! sl, credit to him, stepped into the laser after being out of it for a year and, following a few sailing sessions, promptly out-sailed me on saturday and more. because i still can't tell how to prioritise current - certainly wasn't as much of a factor as i had made it out to be. i was happier with sunday's performance, where i made decisions that seemed to justify themselves, even though it wasn't a mistake-free day either.

my dad's a champion cuz he did a 3hr triathlon in the morning, cycled to nsc and sailed the last race of the day, winning his first ever regatta in the laser radial, albeit without any other radials around (he did hilariously mistake one of the standard rigs for a radial).

countdown.

so the days are speeding by, and there are 2 events which are round the corner. first is the laser worlds. while i prepared for kieler woche by visiting the gym multiple times a week, cycling hard on saturdays and heading to sydney for not one but two week-long training stints, this time preparation consisted of army half marathon training multiple times a week, standing still for long hard hours on saturdays and heading to the hr branch not once, but twice, to instill some sense of urgency into our friendly staff. i wonder what the average speed of the paperwork was as it made it's way to our camp - let's say it did, what 40km? in about 4 weeks, which is 28 days +/-, hmm... 40/672 works out to be about 0.06km/h. you'd think i'd have a reason to be worried and upset; surely the tirade wasn't necessary, ma'am, cuz it's not you that i'm pestering. but that's just you. thanks for your time.

but gratefully it looks like it'll be settled soon, so i can start thinking about halifax with much more seriousness.

the other event is my approaching ord date on 9th november. sure, it'll be a relief, but i guess i'll have mixed feelings. ns has taught me things, some good, some bad, some downright wrong i think. i've grown (in more ways than one) and changed somewhat, i think i've made 3 lasting friendships, especially in the last month or so. somehow i behave very differently around them, not like how i am with anybody else.

above all i believe i'll be looking back on 08-09 as my most carefree years ever. sure, for most part it was pretty darn boring, but it was bearable.

coming up! 2 album reviews! and a closer look into the things i'm doing in preparation for the biggest race i've ever sailed yet.

Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats

photo of the week

"Okay, okay, you can stay. But only if you promise to move just a little quicker in the roll tacks..."
(Photo: Glennon Stratton)

also, currently enjoying the adventures of post-humorous boy, screwed up boy, unremarkable boy and lifeless creature. episodes every saturday! last episode was mostly about watermelon, but i shouldn't reveal too much before you go and catch it for yourself.

big bird in a small cage

thoughts, extrapolated from my frustration at being in a no.3 uniform shirt that's so tight i can't put my elbows within 10cm of each other, various items tugging at my belt which constricts around my waist, sore feet trapped and blistered by leather, chinstrap and earpiece grabbing at my head, lack of ventilation where i'm standing, 1m away from the air-conditioned lounge.

but, being the person i am, i don't voice my frustration, i try to enjoy myself and the company around me, have a good laugh, come home and have a good sleep, go sailing the next day, and then i come back and blog about something entirely different.

well, not entirely.

There was a house halfway 'round the world
And I was invited in for a small taste of gin
There was a hallway a thousand birds long
But the biggest one of all was in a
Cage too small

I asked the caretaker 'cause he owns an acre
Looked at me and laughed took another sip from his glass and said
Open up your ears and heart

You put a big bird in a small cage it'll you a song
That we all love to sing along
To the sound of the bird that longs

-Patrick Watson

freedom of movement. freedom of speech, eye contact, fidgeting, nuances, standing positions when in a group, feelings, happiness, stream of consciousness.

the future, the elastic quality of time as experienced by people, words and how shops/brands/multinational corporations pick their names, taglines. humour, James May's humour, scrabble. Niall O'Sullivan's essays for the Wimbledon website.

ridiculousness, especially. rain, and water, for that matter. that moment when a band first steps onto the stage (i've withheld this long to mention something music related).

cobbled streets, autumn leaves, winds in your face, open lawns, winding roads, undiscovered eateries. long walks and adventures and generally making a fool of yourself.

what fascinates you?