the hamster and the guppies

go skeeter go

2009-03-12T18:46:00.002+08:00

On the record player today - Skeeter Davis' 1964 album, 'Let Me Get Close To You'. Easily, one of Skeeter's poppiest album. I am not a fan of country music in general, so the only three Skeeter LPs I have are her 1963-1966 pop ones - 'Let Me Get Close To You', 'Singin' in the Summer Sun' and 'The End of the World'. Most of Skeeter's cd compilations tend to focus on her country songs. I've got my eye on this release, which puts together a selection of her poppier hits!

presenting the hamster and guppies etsy shop

2009-03-10T15:52:00.010+08:00

I've been busy setting up my online odds and ends store. This is my attempt at sifting out treasures from junk and making a firm hobby out of it. =) I test all the vinyls, and do not sell badly scratched vinyls. So rest assured, these are all decent playable vinyl release! Plus, I'm stocking the same sort of offbeat Asian a go-go music I love in the shop.

So.. up on my etsy store are these vinyls:

This is a beautiful, kitschy LP from the 60s, during the height of the exotica craze.

A Japanese release, this record features instrumentals with a distinct samba beat.

Hear a clip here:

etsy 5 - hamsterguppies.etsy.com

Get it here

---------

If you love kitschy cover songs as much as I do, you're in luck.

Here in this lot are 3 vintage Asian EPs, all of which feature cover versions of popular international songs, done in Mandarin/ English.

Rita Chao (Mandarin)
- Only Friends (Francoise Hardy cover)
- Lonely Heart (The Thunderbirds cover... a 60s Singaporean band)
- Gonna Be Alright (Gerry and the Pacemaker's cover)

Penny Lim & The Silvertones (English)
- Beautiful Sunday (Daniel Boone cover)
- You are 21, I am 16 (Agnes Chan cover)
- She's A Lady (Tom Jones cover)
- The Glow of The Sun

Unknown Girl Singer (Mandarin)
- Kiss Me Goodbye (Petula Clark cover)
- 3 original songs in Chinese

Vintage and sold as-is. However, I have tested all 3 EPs, and they all play perfectly. Only one song (The Boy Next Door) from the Rita Chao EP skips, and hence I have not listed the song above.

Preview a clip from all 3 EPs here!

etsy 4 - hamsterguppies.etsy.com

Get it here

-----

This is a Offbeat A Go Go LP recorded in Singapore in the 1970s. Presenting to you, The Spiders!

LP features a very groovy and psychedelic cover. All songs in this vinyl are instrumental covers, heavy on the organs (think The Zombies' Odyssey and Oracle kind of vibe).

Vintage and sold as is. I've tested the LP and it plays perfect except for one skip in Side A, which you can hear in the sample below.

Songs featured:
1. Yellow River
2. Venus
3. Love Grows (Where Rosemary Goes) (*small skip in intro)
4. Ride Captain Ride
5. Time Is Tight
6. Up Around The Bend
7. Mr Bloe
8. Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
9. Down On The Corner
10. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
11. Betwixt and Between
12. Candida

Sample a clip of some tracks here:

etsy 2 - Hamsterguppies

Get it here.

Ace of Base!

2009-02-18T12:13:00.004+08:00

Before the Beatles took a hold of my life, there was... Ace of Base. I listened to a scary amount of Europop in Primary school. It was the genre of choice on the radio playlists. This was my favourite song! I still like listening to it, and you can't deny its got a catchy melody!

Lovely Lily!

2009-02-16T20:50:00.002+08:00

My favourite song off Lily Allen's new album. It's "Chinese" as in the takeaway food. Lots of The Bird and The Bee vibes surround the album, and no wonder. Greg Kurstin (one half of The Bird and The Bee) was a coproducer and cowriter!

Lily Allen - Chinese

heartbreaking lyrics!

2009-02-15T23:01:00.003+08:00

These girls are amazingly cute! Nice youtube find. They are the Heartbreaking Lyrics, and you can check out their myspace here.

Photo of Rita and Sakura

2009-02-15T18:27:00.001+08:00

Photo of Rita and Sakura
Originally uploaded by strawberrylovescarrots

Kind of creepy photo, but still cute! Found in Penang

Rita Chao

2009-02-15T18:26:00.001+08:00

Rita Chao
Originally uploaded by strawberrylovescarrots

An autographed photo of Rita Chao! Found in Penang

Sakura

2009-02-15T18:25:00.001+08:00

Sakura
Originally uploaded by strawberrylovescarrots

An autographed photo of Sakura! Found in Penang

Oriental Perm Parlour!

2009-02-15T18:19:00.001+08:00

Oriental Perm Parlour!
Originally uploaded by strawberrylovescarrots

I love this photo! Found it in a Penang flea market last December.

Asmah Atan!

2009-02-11T21:57:00.002+08:00

From a cdr I picked up over the weekend, the best track in the lot:

Asmah Atan & The D'Pioneers - Malam Pesta

Asmah Atan was a teen singer from Malaysia in the 1960s-70s.

Katherine and the Firebyrds!

2009-02-07T22:43:00.005+08:00

When I first posted this track on my old blog, Mod-ified Music, it attracted a swarm of publicity and Internet chatter. And no wonder, as it is an amazing song, and by a relatively little-known girl singer to boot! Admittedly, the audio quality was not fantastic, because I taped it off the radio. Now, I finally have a higher fidelity version to share! This time, you can actually hear the little nuances like the Zombies-esque organs and Joe Meek guitars.

Katherine and The Firebyrds - He's Sure To Remember Me

Stream another of their songs, here.

We Aren't Angels...

2009-01-17T21:02:00.003+08:00

A happy and anthemic tune after a tough week... This Serge Gainsbourg composition has also been covered excellently by Heavenly.

France Gall - Nous ne sommes pas des anges

Happy Banjos play the Beatles!

2009-01-10T11:59:00.000+08:00

With a sleeve like that, how could I *not* buy this LP. And it's a Beatles cover album made during the Beatles period! The nice thing about this 1967 recording is the choice of songs covered. Not just the hit singles like Yesterday, but also album numbers like The Word and It Won't Be Long. From the sleeve's notes: "In a roguishly-paced mood that blends tempos with the witty abandon of a Carnaby Street tailor mixing paisley, plaids and prints, the Happy Banjos offer such jolly threesomes as..."

The Big Band Banjo Band - I Should Have Known Better/ I'm A Loser/ It Won't Be Long

"Just For You"!

2009-01-10T10:57:00.000+08:00

"Just For You"(1964) was just one of the slew of pop musical films released in the UK in the sixties. The plots are usually very simple, because the main draw of these films were the performances by hit artistes then. For instance, "Just For You" was touted as a "a rock and roll knockout" with the Merseybeats, Peter and Gordon, Freddie and The Dreamers, The Warriors and many other groups. And from the official UK soundtrack LP:

Jackie & The Raindrops - The Loco-motion

Louise Cordet's scene from "Just For You":

"Just For You" was released in the States in 1966 as "Disk-O-Tek Holiday" with extra acts and sequences. You can even purchase the dvd here!

Teenage Disc Fantastic!

2009-01-03T23:39:00.000+08:00

Initially I was just going to twit about my fave track from Couple's new cd. But then I thought it's such a killer song and it'll be a shame not to share it, and plus I couldn't find it on Blip.fm too. So here goes! I pretty much like all the songs off Teenage Disc Fantastic, and the Superdrag influence is clearly strong. But I tend to prefer their songs in Malay somehow. Maybe it's the language that adds a lyrical touch.

Couple - Diri Kau

Couple on Myspace, here!

She Loves You! yeah yeah yeah

2008-12-30T21:59:00.000+08:00

To end off the year with a bang, here is a weirdly offbeat but very cool Beatles cover from 80s German band, The Fred Banana Combo. And here's to good health, happiness, and tons of great music discoveries in 2009 ahead!

The Fred Banana Combo - She Loves You

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T21:01:00.000+08:00

Gosh, another year has come and gone, and it's Christmas once again! Here are two seasonal favourites from Grace Hong (and awesome sleeveart to boot).

Grace Hong - Jingle Bells

Grace Hong - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

And for something extra, it's one of my favourite discoveries of the year - Zooey Deschanel. This is taken from the Elf soundtrack, and it's her duet with Leon Redbone on the classic, Baby It's Cold Outside.

Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel - Baby It's Cold Outside

Martina Topley Bird!

2008-12-16T23:22:00.000+08:00

Martina Topley Bird is grossly underrated here in Singapore. I don't think I saw a single review, and it was only available as an import cd (in limited quantity) at HMV. Pity, because "The Blue God" is one of my favourite new releases of 2008. And plus, I think she'll strongly appeal to fans of Nouvelle Vague. A bit jazzy, tons of soul, and unabashedly pop.

Martina Topley Bird - Poison

Baby Blue (acoustic)

Martina on Wiki, here.

The Pinholes!

2008-12-14T02:35:00.000+08:00

I woke up one morning with a tune in my head. It caught my ear when I watched my bf's trilogy of short films (which you can read about here). The song is "Shake & Bake", by Singaporean band The Pinholes, and it soundtracked one of the scenes. I haven't had the chance to catch them live yet, but this is definitely on my to-do list, because I've heard they are a great hardworking band and good musicians. Says Timeout Singapore: "This five-piece local unit doesn’t quite fit in with its contemporaries, opting for a funky and psychedelic sound instead of the typical indie tone of most young Singapore bands." This is an acoustic version of "Shake & Bake", and as a bonus treat, a cover of P. Ramlee's Bunyi Gitar! With its modern touches, I think it's an awesome cover.

Shake & Bake (acoustic version) - The Pinholes
Bunyi Gitar - The Pinholes

The Pinholes on Myspace, here.
Bunyi Gitar the original, by P Ramlee, on youtube here.

Don't Shoot Me Santa...

2008-12-07T13:48:00.000+08:00

The Killers - Don't Shoot Me Santa

I just saw this video on Channel V. With all that girl-group drumbeats and Beach Boys harmonising, it makes a pretty good Christmas tune!

Beatmas Xmas!

2008-12-06T20:07:00.000+08:00

Christmas favourites set to Beatles' melodies, riffs, chords, harmonising and all. Okay, it may sound cheesy on paper (that album art certainly is), but one has to credit their ingenuity. And it sounds fun! Perfect Christmas mood-music for the Beatlemaniac. This cd is no newbie on the scene (released way back in 1996), but I'll like to share my favourite track nonetheless. John, Paul, George, Ringo + George Michael...

Rubberband (The Beatmas) - Last Christmas

Connie Francis!

2008-12-03T21:49:00.000+08:00

As Connie Francis discovers in this chirpy song, with friends like this, who needs enemies? An addictive song which I'm listening to on loop at the moment.

Connie Francis - My Best Friend Barbara

Hollywood, Mon Amour!

2008-11-15T23:12:00.000+08:00

Almost certainly, my favourite track of the Nouvelle Vague project's new album, Hollywood, Mon Amour. This cover (from the movie 'Butterfly') features Australian indie/experimental singer, Bianca Calandra.

It's Wrong For Me To Love You - Nouvelle Vague feat. Bianca Calandra

FileDropper Free File Hosting

Bianca's Myspace page, here.
Nouvelle Vague's site, here.

2008-11-13T13:08:00.000+08:00

I've set up a Twitter and Blip.fm account. So hopefully this makes sharing music and updates much easier! Posts are on the column at left.

Bargain cd find!

2008-11-12T21:19:00.000+08:00

From a dirt-cheap (3 pounds at Fopp!) Sixties compile I picked up in Edinburgh this September. Check out the Everly Brothers harmonising and Beatlesque riffs! Anyways I spent many happy hours at Fopp, so it's a must-visit if you ever find yourself in Edinburgh. Cheap paperback books too!

The Brooks - Once In A While

My Little Airport!!

2008-10-27T15:05:00.000+08:00

If you've been following my earlier blogsite, you'll recall that My Little Airport is one of my absolute favourite bands. Naturally, I've always wanted to see them play live in Hong Kong one day. My dream almost came true when the group played in Singapore this August for Baybeats! Now, I've seen quite a few gigs these year, but I don't think *anything* ranks higher on my list than My Little Airport!!!

My Little Airport - When The Party Is Over, I Miss My Dear Pornstar (Demo)

Trawl through youtube and you'll find videos of the Hong Kong indie duo live in Singapore. Here's one of their new songs:

My Little Airport's official webby, here

Beach House!

2008-10-22T21:21:00.000+08:00

Achingly gorgeous, yet somewhat creepy. Beach House sounds like the perfect soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Virgin Suicides, both in mood and the sense of cult-appeal. Not necessarily easy listening, but the melody is breathtaking!

Beach House - D.A.R.L.I.N.G.

Beach House on myspace, here.

Won Fu!

2008-10-15T20:51:00.000+08:00

This video was all it took to make me fall in love with quirky Taiwanese group, Won Fu.

video for "Do Re Mi"

Here's another fab song from the same album (their third, available at YesAsia):

Won Fu - 有星星的晚上

Won Fu released their fourth album last year, featuring a new vocalist, Mami.

Very much in Chinese, but check out their official website here.

Naomi & The Boys!

2008-10-12T18:00:00.000+08:00

I used to think that this 1969 Naomi & The Boys LP release was a "Greatest Hits" compilation of their previous recordings. Now that I've found my own copy, I think otherwise because songs such as their classic hit "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" sound different on this LP vs the original 45. Either way, it's an interesting find! Among the covers is this Simon & Garfunkle favourite.

Naomi & The Boys - The Sound Of Silence

Locksley!

2008-10-11T20:39:00.000+08:00

Besides looking entirely like John-Paul-George-Ringo, these boys sound like them too. Imagine The Beatles + The Strokes!

Locksley - Don't Make Me Wait

Check em out on Myspace here, and Locksley on Wiki, here.

Marie Laforet, Haruki Murakami

2008-10-09T21:18:00.000+08:00

Last year, I listened to Marie Laforet on loop while reading Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood and thought it was a most fitting soundtrack. I've been mentally associating the two together ever since. The story is set in the late 60s, and one of the characters is a music teacher who plays the guitar. One can almost imagine her singing "Blowin' In The Wind" just like Marie Laforet! And there's something sad and plaintive about Marie Laforet's voice that matches the overall bleak mood of the book. Personally, I enjoy reading Haruki Murakami, but he can get depressing.

Marie Laforet - Blowin' In The Wind

Sing Songs Along!

2008-10-07T14:38:00.000+08:00

I have just only discovered Tilly and The Wall two weeks ago, and I'm obsessed!

Blast to the past post... Everybody Else!

2008-10-03T16:20:00.000+08:00

I was reminded of my days as a mega-huge Phantom Planet fan (back in 1999) when I stumbled across a copy of Everybody Else's debut album recently. Wikipedia says Everybody Else began in 2003, but in my mind I tend to associate them with late nineties/early noughties "powerpop" bands Phantom Planet, Kara's Flowers and Rooney, because I think they share a similar sound.

Everybody Else - Faker

Myspace

Alma Cogan!

2008-10-02T20:16:00.000+08:00

I first heard this song last year while testing the Alma Cogan Celebration box set at the local HMV. It was love at first listen. Just listen to those rolling drumbeats! So recently, I've finally got this song on cd (as I waited out til I found it priced the cheapest). At this moment, this is the only track I've been listening to on loop. Beatles trivia time: this recording apparently features Paul McCartney on tamborine, and it was produced by the Fab Four's own George Martin!

Alma Cogan - I Knew Right Away

Very tabloid-style, but interesting nonetheless...

the vivian girls

2008-10-01T20:54:00.000+08:00

Imagine the modern day punk-ified girl group. Their debut album gets rereleased this October. Get it here. And something for further, slightly unrelated reading (but not for the squeamish).

The Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To

Myspace