There's no mistake, I smell that smell. It's that time of year again.

The lyrics of Stereophonics welcomes us to that most perplexing part of the year.

Christmas, holidays, doing a self-check of how the year has been spent, parties, shopping. It is unnerving isn't it. And yes, I think it makes all of us, a bit more vulnerable than usual.

Myself for one is more vulnerable around this time. I've never been really good with Novembers and Decembers and they have been good to me sometimes, but with consequences. haha.

Anyways, watching a soppy episode (i can't believe it can get soppy, but Mr Big leaves NY for California. Yah that one) of Sex and the City and listening to Tegan and Sara ( Lesbian song writers-sisters) made me want to write this down.

Please don't judge me! :) it's for fun too.

Songs that have/can made me cry



Dakota- The most-overplayed song in Singapore indie disco (if they still count as indie) history made it to my list. And I have never realised its nasty and ugly single album art. A bit lesbian hor. But a good song from these Welsh rockers and a good song to have in indie Karaoke bars.

Why it breaks your heart: C'mon. It's one of those post-adolescent/youth recollection-type songs that old men like Stereophonics write about, erm not too different from Green Day too. The song candidly speaks about a relationship gone awry methinks and no one knows exactly why too. Sad ain't it. Wonderful thing about this ditty, you can try to fit in to any romance/one-night stands gone wrong. haha.

Boo Boo: I was so strung out on bad red that I was intermittently sobbing, dancing, smiling to the song. such a bad night. man ( i got witnesses, so sorry guys manic drunk here)

Heart stabbing line(s) and stanzas: Drinking back, drinking for two/ Drinking with you/ When drinking was new
I wonder if we'll meet again/ And talk about life since then/Talk about why did it end/
You made me feel like the one



Ten Days, by Australian songwriter Missy Higgins. Love her, and she's got great short hair.

Why it breaks your heart: It's not a sappy ballad but I guess it's how when the most poignant part of the song, she transposes and emotes her heart out and yes, you feel it.

Boo Boo: SomeBODY sent the song to me. boo boo.

Heart stabbing line(s) and stanzas:So we've put an end to it this time/I'm no longer yours and you're no longer mine/
You said this hill looks far too steep/if I'm not even sure it's me you wanna keep.

You won't talk me into it next time, if I'm going away your hearts coming too.

Did you really think I had gone when you couldn't see me anymore?



"Behold! The Nightmare" by The Smashing Pumpkins

This one will stun most hearts, A Smashing Pumpkins song from its most ill-received albums to date? And people like Amelia Tan Pei Qi ( yes, I am so acknowledging your readership hon) will say what's that scary vamp doing on the cover. I recall how this was the first, the FIRST album a 13 year-old rachxf bought with the money she saved up. and she was so freaked out after listening to it. So dark. Dark still, but the album has grown on me and grew up with me.

Why it breaks your heart: Its haunting electronic/guitars/acoustic melodies meets Billy Corgan's squeaky voice. With lyrics that read like Gothic poetry. It crawls up and surprises you at your most vulnerable. Listeners' advisory: Do not listen late at night.

Boo Boo: I would call this a soundtrack of my life. It was ringing in my head when a lot of formative experiences happened to me.

Heart stabbing line(s) and stanzas: (sounds stalkerish in fact, on hindsight)
I faced the fathoms in your deep. Withstood the suitors' quiet siege.
Pulled down the heavens just to please you. Appease you

I can't go on/ Digging roses from your grave
To linger on
Beyond the beyond
Where the willows weep
And the whirlpools sleep

All you have to do is run away
And steal yourself from me
Become a mystery to gaze into


Alrighty, enough is enough. Sad songs maketh bad songs. Now, I'm gonna listen to some christmas carols.

THE bands of year 2004

haha, dug this horrid piece of unpublished work I did for a lifestyle website. it's funny how I regarded these bands who were really new to me at that time.

My tastes have changed and so have most of them musically. hee.

Here goes friends, bad copy and grammar to boot!

THE revolution
By Rachel Lim

Once upon a time, the fair grounds of music were built upon pioneering bands with “The” in their names. From the iconic and highly influential The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to the early punk rock bands like The Clash, The Ramones and The Who, all carried the quintessential “The” in their names.

Like fashion fads, bands pick up and discard trends both musically and namewise. The 80s and 90s saw only a handful of bands that fashioned names with “The” in them. Significant ones included The Smiths and The Cure. The silence was soon broken in 2000 and after with the burgeoning of bands with “The” in their names.

The 21st century witnessed the slew of “the” bands from all over the world.
The musical landscape revived with the new revolutionary sounds from New York’s The Strokes, Sweden’s The Hives to Australia’s The Vines. This marked the beginning of THE revolution- The sudden surge of indie bands with ‘the’ in their names,

Many like myself were either confused or lost with these similar sounding band name and the “the”s in all of them. Since, the revolution only went stronger. Bands with “the” in their names are still surfacing.

A cliché or revolution in the alternative and indie music frontier? It is all up to you to judge.

The following is a lineup of five noteworthy bands that fashion the ‘the’ in their names and have revolutionized the current music scene with their brand of music. This lists some of the hottest and upcoming “the” bands- to guide the lost, inform the musically ignorant and satisfy the curious.

THE KILLERS, new wave rock meets eyeliner

The sound: For a band with frontman Brandon Flower who wears eyeliner, these new wave rockers did a remarkable job breaking into the radio frontier with their infectious androgyny-tinged single “Somebody Told Me”. Hailing from Las Vegas, The Killers are one of America’s finest recent indie-rock produce, along with Interpol, Modest Mouse and The Bravery. With influences ranging from U2, Oasis to The Smiths, their blend of Duran Duran meets The Cure, rekindles sweet 80s nostalgia.

The verdict: With their debut, Hot Fuss, acclaimed as one of the best releases of 2004, this band will definitely go in for the kill with more killer anthems.

THE BRAVERY, rock-tronica that electrify

The sound: The bravery embraces electro-rock with their synthesized beats and drum up confessional lyrics at the same time. The Lo-Fi recordings in their debut, The Bravery, along with lead singer Sam Endicott’s resemblance to the signature The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas’ static-sounding vocals, The Bravery pays homage to their successful New York predecessors- The Strokes. Locking in catchy electro-rock rhythms and tight guitar riffs, The Bravery succeeds at incorporating the finest in 80’s electronica and rock, with the likes of The Cure to Duran Duran, creating their own flavour of electro-rock. Recent clashes and supposed rivalry with The Killers, only adds an edge to The Bravery. Giving The Killers a run for their money? The band shows their bravery through their synth-pop melodies.

The verdict: Looking at the successes of fellow New York bands like The Strokes and Interpol, more or less have guaranteed The Bravery a place in the indie ranks for some time.

THE LIBERTINES, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and Kate Moss

The sound: The Libertines are unpredictable, spontaneous and revolutionaries to British music since their debut, Up The bracket in 2002. Under the talent of producer Mick Jones from the legendary The Clash, The Libertines released their second album, The Libertines in 2004. Their raw, intoxicating and sing-a-long rock ‘n’ roll anthems off the latest release, makes these British lads the only recent band that truly reproduce the classic Anglo rock ‘n’ roll of yore. The Libertines’ infectious ditties with references to love, booze and issues within the band, gives the band a force that gets you to sing along with them like an old friend, sharing the joy and the woes. One can’t help but hum to the lalalas off tracks like The Man who would be king and the shoop de-langs in What Katie Did”.

Everyone loves a messed-up rock ‘n’ roll band, the misdemeanors of singer Pete Doherty have led The Libertines to be likened to The Sex Pistols in terms of misbehaviour. The melodrama of Doherty includes drug usage, supermodel girlfriend Kate Moss to breaking into and robbing co-frontman, Carl Barat’s apartment. These only further the appeal of The Libertines as a cult legend in the present rock culture.

The verdict: The Libertines is currently minus one, without Doherty, but their legacy will survive with their following and cult icon status.

THE ZUTONS, Catch the Zuton Fever

The sound: Amidst the replicated sounds of retro and electro-rock, The Zutons stand out with their unique take on soul and funk. The Liverpool five piece’s use of saxophones, horns and the clean basslines, fuse several genres from country to soul into what frontman and guitarist David McCabe calls 'soul-funk-voodoo vibe'.

The Zutons are set apart from the many British bands by their infectious and upbeat funk and soul infused rock ‘n’ roll. Their 2004 debut, Who killed the Zutons? is a bag of surprises with a wide ageless appeal and witty lyrics that poke fun at the loss of a bestfriend in Remember Me (Well we used to be the best of friends/And we used to hang around/Now I always see you and your new girlfriend). Odds are that your grandma, mom and sister will all dig the Zutons.

The verdict: A wacky album title like Who Killed the Zutons?, coupled with infectious saxophone stabs and fun, the Zutons will get you tapping and grooving to their Sax and rock ‘n’ soul in no time at all.

THE KILLS, the art-punk duo with a love for the dark

The sound: Forget the White Stripes, The Kills is the next best female and male duo to rock the scene. Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince conveys the dark moods of love through sobering yet infectious guitars and Mosshart’s PJ Harvey-esque powerful vocals. The seamless goth-rock will numb and take you on a trip into despair, love and angst. Tracks like “Love Is a Deserter” and “I hate the way you love” off The Kills’ second release, No Wow, sums up their bleak perspective on most things.

The verdict: The Art-type Archetypes with a heavy dark twist to their music. Indeed, the lethal concoction for an impressive indie band.