Music is something I don’t write about often here mostly because it is something I find really difficult to write about. Which is a shame, because I love music; I just don’t really, well, know what it is. I can talk about video games and game feel and player agency and I can talk about… Continue reading Dancing About Architecture
Tag: Music
Buying Music Online
Bandcamp Friday was yesterday and I, in accordance with my nature, bought a whole bunch of new music. I’ve taken a real shine to Bandcamp over the last few years, probably because so many other ways of buying music has gotten worse. Spotify’s ascendency has been enshrined: streaming music is the norm — the idea… Continue reading Buying Music Online
Terrestrial Radio
There’s a local radio station out here called the SoCal Sound. It’s an independent station, one that I’ve found plays a little of everything. There’ll be 80s standards one moment, contemporary hits the next, and then Mexican indie after that. It’s an eclectic assortment and it’s fun to have someone else pick from a variety… Continue reading Terrestrial Radio
Genre Is Dead, Long Live Genre
Genre is such a weird thing. Don’t get me wrong, I totally get why we need it: sometimes things need to be classified so we have an idea of what we’re getting into, and it helps. Knowing that Halo is a first-person shooter lets you know you’re not playing a role-playing game and calling Portal… Continue reading Genre Is Dead, Long Live Genre
Nine Things From 2022
Oh wow, I somehow fell out of the habit of doing my Top Nine Movies, probably on account of, y’know, the pandemic. So we’re bringing it back, but this time it’s not just movies. It’s nine things I really enjoyed this year. Some of which are movies, others, well, you’ll see. As ever, it’s nine… Continue reading Nine Things From 2022
Vacationing
I’ve been on vacation this week, and rather than writing a half-baked essay on a solid idea, so barely a month after the last time, I’m doing another one of those What Have I Been Doing Lately. Is it a cop-out? Maybe. But it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want. Movie TV:… Continue reading Vacationing
Finding Joy
It feels odd to write a pop-culture focused blog right now, especially with the everything going on these days. Writing an essay about a movie or video game feels so futile when I’d much rather rail against an illegitimate court or decry ineffectual politicians doing nothing to stop gun violence. With it is that desires… Continue reading Finding Joy
Self-Hating Asians
I moved to South Carolina the summer I turned fifteen, after growing up in Singapore and spending four years on a ship. Unknowingly, I stepped into a paradigm where my half-Singaporean Chinese self was now firmly classified as Asian, a title that brought with it very specific expectations. I quickly learned that the best way… Continue reading Self-Hating Asians
They Changed it And That’s Okay
The band Barcelona enthralled me with their first album, Absolutes, with its soaring melancholic piano-driven sound paired with some soulful songwriting. It was a shock to the system when their sophomore album, Not Quite Yours, instead featured a more rhythm-focused sound and the piano relegated to support in many songs. Their third, Basic Man, sounds… Continue reading They Changed it And That’s Okay
Yellow (流星)
I have A Lot of thoughts about the movie adaption of Crazy Rich Asians. Far more thoughts that I’ve had time to write down. Much of that is wrapped up in the fact that it’s set in Singapore and I have a very complicated relationship with that country, owing to it, well, being where I… Continue reading Yellow (流星)
Essays, Not Rants! 