5 Days till Korea!

I'm leaving on Saturday, I still have so much to do...
ZOMG!

Season of Apples

There are so many fantastic releases coming out this summer I can't even begin to mention them all, but for me there is one release that defiantly stands above the rest, Shiina Ringo's new album. And now that a PV for a track off the album has just been aired, I can't hold in my excitement any longer! D:

For Shiina Ringo fans, this has been a LONG time coming. She was one of my first Japanese musical obsessions, I remember buying her whole core discography not long after KSK was released, but since then we've had next to nothing new (and it's been like 6 years!)

Well, it looks like the wait has been worth it. After a solid -but certainly not exceptional- single ありあまる富, Shiina Ringo's latest song, 旬 (Shun), has just brought every memory flooding back of why I was so obsessed with her.

The song is pretty much perfect in my opinion. Although it's nothing like anything we have heard from her before, it seems to pay homage to a lot of her older sounds and so feels very nostalgic even on first listen, becoming an instant Ringo classic. The core of the song is a fantastic pop melody, catchy and unique and reminiscent of songs from Shouso Strip. The instrumentation has the same chicness as Tokyo Jihen's Adult album, but they style of play isn't cookie-cutter Tokyo Jihen stuff but instead retains the playfulness and weirdness that has always characterised Ringo's solo output, (the worked in jarring notes, and complex harmonies etc).

I am a big fan of the PV too. On some levels there's almost this juxtaposition between the air of class she oozes and the OTT and blatant sexual innuendos running throughout the PV. I find that Shiina Ringo can have themes of lust and desire in her videos and still keep it stylish. Bits that verge on tacky are used intelligently or tongue-in-cheek. I must also say, even if she is 31 this year, she still looks absolutely stunning .__. "

椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 旬 (Shun)

The album comes out on the 24th of June, and it titled Sanmon Gossip (三文ゴシップ Superficial Gossip), here's some info:

Title: 三文ゴシップ

Release: 24/06/2009

Track Listing:

流行

労働者

密偵物語

○地点から

カリソメ乙女

都合の好い身体

旬

二人ぼっち時間

マヤカシ色男

尖った手口

色恋沙汰

凡才肌

余興

丸の内サディスティック(EXPO ver.) [bonus track]

I can't wait!!!!

- Bottle

Perfume - DISCO!DISCO!DISCO! live @ Yoyogi Stadium

So I never thought I would enjoy watching a 2 hour concert of lip-synced music. But apparently with Perfume I can! Not that I have any problems with lip-syncing. I find it hard to justify arguments of authenticity in music, what can be called "real" or "fake" and such, and even if I was forced to make some sort of judgement, I certainly would evaluate all music by the ideals set down by Rock Music (such as music must be written by the performers and played live)

But at the same time I just didn't think it would interest me all that much. I guess I've never been as much a fan of a Pop group before as I am of Perfume (I'll be honest, I'm pretty obsessed with them right now). As soon as you've grown attached to a band and perceive some sort of connection between you and them, you can appreciate the performance for what it is.

For those of us who have grown up listening to "real" music, I think finding this connection with Perfume is much easier than most pop bands. Their struggle to fame as three school friends who debuted on indie pop labels and spent many years in relative obscurity, is something even the most hardened indie elitist can appreciate. Watching the hard work Perfume have put in and the emotions they go through are just as real as when Dir en grey made it to Osaka Jo Hall, or Gazette to the Budokan.

All this, and also Perfume know how to put on one hell of a show even if they're not singing live ;D!! So here's my highlights of the concert in the form of screen caps and youtube videos!
(Edit- WOWOW seem to keep taking the videos off YouTube, I'll add them when I can!)

edge

edge is one of those rare and unique Perfume songs, and they really did it justice at this live! I love the bit were they all use torches in the routine!

Although I only understood a little of what was being said, the MCs were all charming and cute!

DISCO!DISCO!DISCO!

This was the best bit! Half way through Perfume went off stage (through the floor) and a short film played on the screen about them trying to find the true meaning of "DISCO". It was awesome. Afterwards they came back on wearing the outfits from the film and performed a "Yoyogi remix" which was a medley of all their famous songs that they weren't performing on the night!

Encore

When I said it was 2 hours of lip-syncing, that wasn't strictly true. When they came out for the encore they performed the track "Perfume" Live! (PS. If I am ever in a band, I so want to name a song after ourselves! xD)

Yeah so they all sang a little flat, but it was meant to be nothing but fun, and they pulled that off perfectly!


--------


One thing I want to talk about before I go is something which got me concerned whilst I was watching this concert and is something that's been bugging ever since I started watching Perfume clips.... just how many guys are in the audience compared to girls!

I'm pretty sure you could take any band from any genre in Japan, and if the band has members of just one sex the audience will be made up of 99% the opposite sex. Here was me thinking that I was perhaps unique in falling for Perfume (I've always had a thing for Pop music), but obviously they are just one giant trap. Here's a random screen cap of the audience:

After watching the whole performance I'm pretty sure every man in Japan aged 20-40 must have been packed into this stadium, and I find it embarrassing that I am just the same as one of these guys D;

The only thing I have going for me is that I am only 2 years older than them, rather than 22 yeas older :/

Do girls ever have this problem watching J rock DVDs? I mean, we all listen for the music, but does the fact that 99% of the people who just so happen to also "get" this music are all girls too, bother you at all?

I know it shouldn't, but it gives me a small inkling of doubt that I am just in fact delusional, or the victim of a clever marketing strategy. I sleep easier at night by telling myself that the audience is packed full of 20-40yr old men because they have more disposable income than the teenage girls who this music I think should appeal to mostly.

Food for thought ;D

-Bottle

Children Full of Life

I found this documentary thanks to Jimi's blog (the bass player for Visual Kei band Chemical Pictures) [link].

I found the Teacher just to be so so inspirational, and the actions of the kids really moving. There was at least one part in each section that left me with a lump in my throat.

I put all the videos onto my iPod so if I ever forget why I want to be a teacher, or the sort of teacher I will strive to be like, I can watch these again to remind myself :]

9goats Black Out- Black rain and dirty corridors

Latest review ever! I've been putting off listening to this again and again and again. Their first EP devils in bedside was so important to me, and still is, but I just couldn't bring myself to listen to their second EP Black rain because of how disappointed I thought I might be. This is going to be tricky to explain, but let me give it a shot...

Would it lessen your opinion of me if I admitted a large part of what deterred me was their image change? (When they changed to the Roses and big hair.) I think if anyone denies the importance of aesthetics in music, they are either lying a little bit or are unaware of how much it actually means to them. Obviously it can mean more to certain people though, and I accept I am one of those people for whom it is very important. But the music will always be what matters the most, and I must stress that I'm not talking about simply the looks or how attractive a band is, I'm talking about the complete aesthetic picture that the band and their works paint for me.

An aesthetic picture is something very subjective, it's the mental image the band creates in your head, a sum of everything about them and therefore is populated by the music, the song titles, the lyrics, the album artwork, the biographies, and how they look. For me, the lynchpin of if I like an artist or not is if all these fit together and the mental image created, the aesthetic picture, is something I understand in it's direction and purpose.

It doesn't always have to be something deep and meaningful. I listen to a lot of Pop and nonsense bands, but they still have an over aching aesthetic for me that all clicks coherently. And it's why I can't listen to bands like Gazette anymore, their image, the PVs, the song titles, the music all just don't click with the level of "substance" and seriousness the band seem to want to portray.

Now this is all largely irrelevant to 9goats, but I find it all interesting still. My thoughts are still being formulated on the subject and I wanted to talk about it. The aesthetic picture 9goats paint in my head is one of sorrow, solitude and introspection, of the band stumbling down artificially lit and dirty corridors, looking into stained mirrors wearing old black clothes, a bit of eye-liner no more, of creativeness drawn from a broken heart, insomnia and bi-polar depression.

Music is what matters most, and so it is what shapes my aesthetic picture of an artist the most. What I loved about that first EP was how thought provoking the soundscapes on it are. All the instrumentation was less rather than more, the songs seeming to use silence and emptiness to effect as much as actual sound. The songs didn't feel restricted by anything and there was so much meaning packed in every detail.

This all shaped my mental image of the band, but so too the mental image probably added all this extra meaning into the music, and so with Black Rain, I wasn't so much worried about the music loosing it's touch (well I was a little), but more so with the band now dressing and presenting an image so over the top, ostentatious and tacky, that the whole mesh of everything would no longer fit cohesively and I would no longer be able to find the extra layers of meaning in these songs.

Well I decided to bite the bullet anyway and give the album a listen. But I was happy to find that upon checking up on them, they have returned to a more understated look once more. Amateurish and seemingly dated in a way that inspires me again to enjoy what they have to say and offer as artists. (The new look is the one posted at the top of this post).

I'm not exactly sure what my finishing point on all this actually is, so I guess I should move onto the actual music of Black rain now. ;]

9goats Black Out - Black rain

I did find the CD to be slightly different to their previous output, and sadly not in a wholly positive way. I liked the CD overall, it grows on me with each listen, and it'll probably get quite a few more listens in future, but it certainly failed to capture the magic of devils in bedside for me.

The opener, a light, starts off very promising, exactly how I'd want a perfect 9goats sequel to the first EP to begin. The slow build up sets the atmosphere and pace perfectly and is followed by gentle lyrics and sparse guitar. The picking up of the track later on was a bit surprising at first but I think it works. It's the third part of the song that I don't enjoy so much, it seems to lose it's direction for me and ends without any mood or lingering feeling.

SALOME starts off very weak I think, but the chorus really captures the magic of 9goats and will probably become one of my favourite tracks on the CD. The drums are less prominant on this song than some of the others on Black rain and I think it suits their sound and style much more. This song ends abruptly too. I like to have time to ponder what's going on in 9goats songs, but on this CD you don't often get offered the chance. The songs never wind down or build up in the same way as they do on devils in bedside.

in the rain is a very solid track. But not exceptional in the way I would hope for. It doesn't toy with song structure in the same way as their best songs do, the chorus doesn't quite get that shiver down your spin and the instrumental breaks aren't as strong or dynamic as they've done previously. I love the outro and fold into the next track moses, however. It's these bits of non-music in between the core of the songs that I love.

It's a shame it then flows into ROMEO , as it is by far my least favourite song on the CD and up there with Lestat as their worst song in my opinion. They wear their Nagoya heritage on their sleeves here, but I don't think it's used intelligently, the verses are just too messy, and although the chorus is again strong, it seems very familiar to ones we've already heard on this CD.

headache doesn't do much for me either. I guess I'm not quite a fan of the dissonant half of 9goat's sound. I don't think they should ditch it, but I think they need to work on it a bit more to flesh it out fully. There are some nice passages here and there, I like the drumming in this track too in places. I think the abrupt ending in this track works well though, as I love the contrast it creates with the beautiful intro for 天使 tenshi, which is definitely my favourite track on the CD. The mournful and downbeat melody in the verses is fantastic. The instrumentation the best on here by far. The chorus isn't as strong as it could be, but this is a song where the verses need to shine through stronger. What sets this song a level above the others here is the soft jazz keys that come in at the end. It's so subtle but just finishes off the piece perfectly. It's these little musical details and subtle shifts of mood and feeling that I crave from their music.

The bonus track 落日 rakujitsu, follows up with more Jazz keys which is a very nice idea, but the Jazz feel in this song seems much more restrictive on it rather than offering an interesting change of atmosphere and ends the album with a somewhat strange feel I think.

Overall it's not a bad album, but the album hints at much more potential then it delivers and I think that's what pains me the most. I only hope their next release will live up to my expectations set by their first!

Thanks for reading!
-Bottle

And if you've never heard 9goats, and even if you adamantly swear you dislike all Visual Kei, I urge you to watch the video below and give devils in bedside a listen. :]

9goats Black Out - sink

本当のキミを知りたいよ。。。

Check this out,

I'm so worried about my Japanese fading forever. Although my brain is holding onto the particulars of grammar pretty well, my vocabulary is shrinking fast. It's a simple matter of not being able to practice it at all now that I am not having any classes. :(

I've been studying much more regularly though recently, it's been great! My new thing is to translate favourite songs of mine. By that I don't just mean to learn the english off by heart, but go through each sentence and understand the literal meanings of everything and how it all works together. My grammar is good enough to do this fairly quickly now, leaving me able to absorb all the vocab every time I listen! :D

Anyway, I had just finished the chorus for Perfume - Secret Secret when this gets slapped down in front of me...

Flicking through the first few pages my brain began to melt. I know I should love the opportunity to begin learning another language, but for some reason Korean just seems so daunting at the moment. Three choices of K, P and T... I was happy with just one!

I think what's worrying me most is the fear I'll just loose all my Japanese ability as Korean takes it's place. Do I have time to study two languages fully? I've never tried it, so I really can't say.

Anyone have any advice? 0:

Questions about Teaching in Korea: Summary of Time & Costs

울산 Ulsan at night

Recently I've been asked lots of good questions about my experiences with Flying Cows, and just applying for teaching positions in South Korea in general. If you have a question at all, just shoot me a comment and I'll answer there as best I can, but I thought it would also be helpful to stick all my questions into one big post for future reference, I'll add more as I go along. :]

Do you need a TEFL qualification to teach in South Korea?

I don't have any sort of TEFL qualification. So it's definitely not necessary. However I think it would be a big help if you want to be positioned in either Seoul or Busan.

Flying Cows actually host two of their own TEFL courses that are tailored to suit applicants. [link]

I did however have some previous teaching experience, although in an informal environment. (I worked in a South African children's home for a year). When I was going through my application process, Flying Cows encouraged me to mention it in my profile as much as possible, and during interviews it was the first thing talked about. So I think it helped.

Do you need to know any Korean?

- I don't know any Korean at all really, (except "hello"), so it's not needed. In fact during interviews it wasn't mentioned so I am not sure they even look for people with language ability. A lot of the schools believe in submersing the kids in the language and in that respect actually prefer you not to speak Korean to the children.

However when I was talking to the girl who is currently working at my school, she said Korean was essential in the classroom, but you'll quickly pick up enough to get you by! I've just ordered my first Korean text book, so I am going to see how much I can learn before I head out! ^^

Summary of Times:

- 2nd of April; I applied to Flying Cows.
- 13th of April; I had my phone interview with Flying Cows. Afterwards my profile was placed on the site.
- 1st of May; I received my first Job offer in Daegu, interview scheduled for the 7th of May.
- 4th of May; the Daegu school cancelled the position, but Flying Cows had scheduled a new interview with the Ulsan school on the same day.
- 7th of May; I had the phone interview with the school and was offered the contract later that day (although they can wait up to 48 hours).
- 15th of June; My estimated leaving date (it will be finalised once I have my Visa.)

So it's been a little over a month since I first applied, and will be 2 months once I leave! ^^

Summary of Costs:

Flying Cows (and all other agencies I have encountered) charge nothing for their service. I presume it is the schools they charge for the service instead like a regular recruitment agency!

But I have still had to spend money on certain things. This is largely for the Visa Documents. On the Flying Cows site they give the price of all the documents as £113, which is about right, although they forget that your Criminal Check needs to be verified by a Solicitor which costs £10, and the Apostille is now £28, so I make it as a total of £124.

Visa Documents:

- Criminal Check - £20.00 (if you use Scottish Disclosure)
- Solicitor's Verification - £10.00 (On average)
- Apostille - £28.00 (paid to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
- International Courier - £38.00 (paid to Flying Cows or you can use your own courier service)
- Visa Fee - £28.00 (paid to the Korean Embassy in the final stages of the visa process)

Total: £124

I am going to catalogue all my other spending for Korea as I prepare too, here is what we have so far (16/05/2009).

Other Costs:

- Passport Photos - £4.00
- Various Postage Costs £6.00

Total £10.00

Grand Total - £134.00 (as of 16/05/2009)


How long does a contract last?

A contract is always for 12 months. However their is a lot of scope for extending your contract further. However each time you do, you must extend it for another 12 months (effectively accepting a new contract).

What deductions are made from your salary?

From your monthly wage you have to pay income tax and health insurance.

Income Tax is very low in South Korea (only 3.3%!), as for Health Insurance, I'm not too sure, but this is what my contract reads on the matter:

"C : Insurance: A medical and accidental insurance plan will be given to the instructor. The annual premium will be split equally between the instructor and the institute. Payment will be made on a monthly basis."

So I can't imagine it's much. However I will update this when I get there! :]


Hope this all helps, and thanks for reading.

-Bottle

울산 Ulsan at night