Invisible Man

I remembered back when I was in intermediate school, there was this one girl that I had a huge huge huge (did I say huge?) crush on. I can still recall the first time I saw her. I was in the 7th grade at the time. I had just transferred to Aliamanu Intermediate School from Aiea Intermediate School because my family and I moved to a different school district. I arrived to my new school on my first day and one of the counselors escorted me to my homeroom class. When I walked through the door, I could feel everyone's eyes staring at me. It was not new to me because it was the same reaction I get whenever I go to a new school (my dad was in the military and we moved many times throughout my life). My homeroom teacher, Mr. Kobata greeted me, introduced me to my new classmates and guided me to my desk. The bell rang and the teacher checked his attendance list as he informed the class of the daily announcements. Afterwards, the class resumed to talking with one another and I even had the chance to talk with some of my classmates who were sitting around me. While I was talking with them and waiting for the bell to ring, I was observing the rest of my classmates all around the room. Then when I looked toward the right side of the room, there she was...

She long dark hair, gorgeous brown eyes and a smile that can easily melt your heart. The moment I saw her it felt like my heart skipping beats. Another thing that I noticed about her was her clothes. You see in Hawaii, the norm for majority of the girls here are are short shorts and spaghetti strap tops and slippers, but this girl did not wear that kind of attire. Instead, she wore a white Adidas shirt, dark blue Adidas sweatpants and Adidas cross trainers. Now from I can tell about her, I'm sure of two things. One, the most obvious was that she loves Adidas and two she was not like any other girl. When the bell rang, everybody picked up their books and backpacks and headed straight to their next class. If there was anything that I have learned on my first day in my brand new school was this. My favorite class was officially homeroom.

It turns out both of us had the same teachers, but we had them in different periods except for one, Physical Education (P.E.). When I arrived there, the teacher assigned me to the empty desk three desks in front of his desk. I looked around the room and recognized some of the faces of my classmates. Some were from homeroom while others were from my other classes. The class was about to begin and I noticed that the desk in front of me was empty. The bell was about to ring and there she was. She walked into the classroom, in a hurry and sat in the empty desk in front of me. At the moment, I felt like the luckiest guy in the world as though I could hear a church choir in the background singing Hallelujah. Besides homeroom, P.E. is now my other favorite class.

It's been a few months and I was pretty comfortable with my new school. I was making new friends and I was doing well in my classes. There was just one problem. I had not said a single word to the girl that I had a crush on. It is not that I don't want to. It's just that I was extremely shy and I could not muster courage to talk to her. At the same time, because I was unable to talk to her, I began to think that she does not notice me. Even if we are in same classroom or even sitting behind her in P.E. class, I felt as though I don't exist. This made me sad and I felt that I had no chance with the girl that I had a crush on. Feeling defeated I went home and crashed on my bed. I woke up an hour later and turned on the radio on the nightstand close to my bed. The previous song ended and another song was coming into rotation. The next song, I remember had a smooth and cool R&B vibe to it and immediately I enjoyed the feeling of the song. As the song continues the lyrics come to play and I began to listen to the lyrics. Immediately I felt a connection to the song because the song described exactly how I was feeling at the particular moment in my life. It was as though the radio airwaves was in tuned to what I felt. It was an amazing feeling.

It turns out that the song that I heard on the radio that day was "The Invisible Man" by 98 degrees. As soon as I found out who sang it, I immediately went to the store and bought their self-titled debut. I rushed home and popped the CD in my old CD boombox, played track 3 ("Invisible Man") and put it on repeat. I think I listened to that song 100 times that night. Eventually I turned off the repeat on the boombox and began listening to the rest of the record. One of the things I really enjoyed about listening to the record is the sound. Like I mentioned earlier, the vibe was very smooth and cool. It has a strong R&B appeal with some influences of soul and pop. As I was listening to the record, I began to think of R&B artists like Jon B, Boyz II Men and Babyface because their sound was almost similar to theirs. Plus, the fact that the some of the songs on the album were written by Montell Jordan, Mario Winans and Robin Thicke, whom all three are R&B artists, it's no surprise that their presence contributed to their sound. Speaking of songs, all the songs on this record are memorable and although I enjoy listen to all of them, some of my favorites were "Was It Something I Didn't Say", "Take My Breath Away", "Dreaming" and of course "Invisible Man". Another thing I like about the album and it's probably one of the albums biggest strengths is the vocals. Nick, Jeff, Justin and Drew really showcased their vocal talents very well on this record. They boys were arranged according to their vocal type with Nick and Jeff as tenors, Drew as baritone and Justin as bass. This allows their vocals to blend perfectly and it sounds fantastic. Their vocals and the overall sound of the record meshed together very nicely. In general, 98 Degrees self-titled debut
provided a great listening experience for both R&B fans and even pop fans alike. On a personal note, this record was very special because it reminded me of a particular moment in my life and how my feelings connected with the music I was listening to. That's what made listening to it so memorable.

Now some of you are probably wondering if I ever got a chance to speak to the girl that I had a crush on. Well, I eventually did, but it did not turn out exactly how I wanted. It was the end of the school year and we all just go our year books. On one of the final days of the year, my friend took me year book and I ran after him toward my homeroom class. I ran and saw him giving my year to the girl that I like and pointing toward me. It turns out he had planned this all along and wanted to give to the girl that I like to sign. He figured that since I didn't have courage to ask her, he figured he'd do it for me. What a good friend, huh? She said hi with that wonderful smile of hers and awkwardly as usual I said hi. I was little embarrassed that I didn't have the nerve to ask her to sign my yearbook. She probably thought I was weird or something. After she was done signing, she gave my yearbook back to me and I looked inside she said "To Prince, have a great summer. P.S. Next time, if you want someone to sign your yearbook, ask yourself :)" Then she said to me and with that wonderful smile of hers again, "I will see you next year, okay?" Awkwardly I nodded with a little smile. Then she said bye and went off to catch the bus. In the end I couldn't help but smile and be a little hopeful because it made me realize something. All this time, she did notice me. She was just waiting for me to simply say "hi".

A Thousand Cranes

One of the most memorable things I did when I was living in Japan was going to Hiroshima for the anniversary ceremony of the atomic blast of World War II. Thousands of lives were lost on that eventful day. Among those was a little girl by the name of Sadako Sasaki. After the blast, she developed leukemia and was hospitalized. During her stay, her and her friend made paper cranes in hopes to have a wish granted . Sadly, though she past away a few months later. Her touching story since then has inspired millions of people all over the world to make a thousands of cranes and send them to Hiroshima as a symbol of peace and in honor of the lives that were lost during the blast.

It was two or three months since my family and I moved to Japan from Hawaii and I was having a hard time adjusting to my new life in Japan as well as trying to get used to my new school and the new kids that surrounded me. It was a difficult transition for me and I barely made any friends at the time. One day, I remembered, my social studies teacher Mrs. Bork decided to have our class make a thousand cranes and bring them to Hiroshima for the Hiroshima memorial. I remember we would usually have our daily lesson for the first part of the class and for the rest of the time we would sit around and make paper cranes. This was my first time I ever made a paper crane and I struggled at first, but I finally got the hang of making them. Once we made a good number of them, my teacher announced that all the students who were part of her social studies class including this one was going to take a field trip to Hiroshima for the anniversary ceremony. I was pretty excited. I got a chance to see different parts of Japan and the other, which may sounds a little elementary, but it was the first time I went on a school field trip and had to stay over night.

On the day of the field trip, we spend nine hours on the road going to Hiroshima. The bus was pretty cramped with all the students and teachers, but it still felt kind of cozy. The one thing that I remembered about the bus ride was that everybody around me all had portable CD players and their CD booklets with them. This was before iPods were around and back then, some people had to carry their CDs with them. I also remembered everyone around me was listening to nu metal bands like Adema, Orgy, Crazytown, Korn and of course the most popular nu metal band at the time (they don't consider themselves nu metal anymore), Linkin Park. I didn't remember what I had in my CD player at that time, but I knew it was not in the same ballpark or even the same league with the stuff that everyone else was listening to on the bus. We finally got there and stayed at a gym in the military base close to Hiroshima.

The following day we went the ceremony at Hiroshima. The areas was filled with some many people paying their respects to the millions that were lost in atomic blast. There were also millions and millions of cranes surrounding the memorial. It was then that I realize that they didn't just represent those that died during the event, but the thousands of cranes were a symbol of peace and a reminder of how valuable it is. It was very touching. Before we took the long journey back to Yokosuka, I made a quick trip to the BXtra (it is like a department store in the military) there. Immediately I went to the music section to see their CD selections. There were many great releases that came out that time but the one that caught my eye and sparked my interest was a duo by the name of Evan and Jaron. I have seen their music video "Crazy For This Girl" on VH1 before and I have enjoyed their single, but I have never heard of their other songs. I brought their CD to the one of the listening stations and after listening to a few songs I was sold. I bought the CD and for the whole trip back I was listening to the pop rock duo.

I'll admit, this CD is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary.I'm not saying that the Lowenstein brothers did not do a great job with the record. As a matter of fact, their self-titled release is a fairly good one filled with great melodies and superb vocals. There was a certain vibe that I received from listening to it that I could not explain. But then I realize that the reason why I was so drawn to the album were the lyrics. The lyrics are not only well written, honest and very genuine. but they are very relatable. Anybody, no matter what music they listen, can easily enjoy and relate to this album. One song that I absolutely enjoy and admire is a song called "Ready or Not" which is the second track on the album. The way I interpret the song is that it about someone who is about to embark on something new. The song made references to going to a new place and meeting new people. It was about change. This really hit home to me because it was in reference to my recent move from Hawaii. I was dealing with a big change in my life. Moving to a different place (practically a different country), meeting new people and experiencng a brand new culture. In a way this song was about facing those changes head on no matter what happens. I really admire the message behind the song. Another one that I enjoy was the song "The Distance" which explains the pain one goes through when someone they love is far away from them. It is a very beautiful song. The rest of the album is also very fantastic with songs I suggest listening to are "Done Hanging On Maybe", "Wouldn't Be Nice To Be Proud" and "You Don't Know Me".

Evan and Jaron's self-titled album is a very memorable one. The music and vocals on the album is great, but I have to say the album's biggest strength is in lyrics and how people can relate to them. This album is special to me because it not only came to at an important time in my life, but it taught me the importance of change. While some people learn to accept them, there are others who struggle against them. It is important to understand that change is always constant and once we learn to accept that then we can truly embrace all that life has offer. It may even take you to places that you have never been before.

Like Falling In Love

I remember the first time I've listened to this album. It was in a Tower Records during my years in college. The one thing I love about Tower Records were their listening stations. Their entire stores were practically covered with listening stations giving their customers a chance to always hear and discover great music. In one of those aisles I was walking in, I stumbled upon this album, Paramore's debut album, All We Know Is Falling. I have heard of Paramore before, but I never had the opportunity to listen to their music. I figured that their music sounded like alternative rock with female vocals added into the mix. This combination is not new to music (i.e. No Doubt). Nevertheless, I decided to give the band from Franklin, Tennessee a chance. So I put on the headphones and played the first track. An hour has passed and I was still listening their album. While listening to the album, I felt warm and fuzzy sensation in my chest. My breathing pattern changed and my heart slowly began to beat faster. A feeling of euphoria was consuming my mind and body. I recognized this feeling all too well. I was falling in love.
I know. It's a little silly, isn't it? And you are probably asking yourselves, "how can anyone fall in love simply by listening to an album?" I can assure you that this is not some strange phenomenon. There are so many people that develop strong feelings toward the music they listen to especially love. I just never realize I would be falling IN love while listening to this record. But before I go any further on that subject, I want to talk about the album. and the music that is All We Know Is Falling.

The sound of the album was exactly like what I mentioned earlier. The sound of the album is alternative rock accompanied with female vocals. It's filled with strong melodies with catchy hooks that will give listeners an enjoyable listening experience. The production of the album is great. Despite being just a debut album, this already showcased the band's potential in making great music. Each member of the band is very talented and their future is very promising. Speaking of members, I want to talk about one particular member of the band for she is the difference that makes the band different from all the other alternative rock bands out there. In fact, she is the reason why I "fell in love" with band. I'm talking about none other than Hayley Williams, the lead vocalist of Paramore.

Immediately upon listening to the first track, Hayley Williams' voice already made a big impression. For a girl of only a mere 5' 2", this girl has a big voice and packs one hell of a punch. Listen to songs like "Pressure", "Brighter" and "Never Let This Go" for they are some of the highlights on this album and it showcases the versatility of her vocals. Another thing to point out about Hayley's voice is that it has this strange quality where her voice sounds very strong, but elegant at the same time. It is quite amazing listening to her. My favorite track is "My Heart" which is the final track on All We Know Is Falling and it is where the Paramore vocalist truly shines. And at the tender age of 16, which was how old Hayley was when she recorded the album, really shows how talented she is and makes you wonder what she is capable of in the future.

All We Know Is Falling is a solid debut album from Paramore. The music is fantastic, the song writing is stellar and the power and elegance of Hayley Williams' voice is absolutely phenomenal. It may not be the most groundbreaking album of the alternative rock scene, but it is stepping stone in the band's young, but promising future.

Now back to the whole "falling in love" aspect of it. Honestly, I can't explain to you how I simply "fell in love" listening to an album. Maybe listening to the music brought me back to a time when I felt that feeling for the first time. Maybe there was a connection I felt subconsciously to the lyrics of some of the songs. Or maybe I had a developed a huge crush on Hayley Williams and I didn't even know it. Whatever the reason may be, all I can say is that music has a way of speaking to our souls when we listen. Where we not only listen with our ears, but with our hearts.

She's All That

One celebrity that I had a huge crush on when I was growing up was an actress by the name of Rachael Leigh Cook. For those who remember who she is, Rachael Leigh Cook is an actress who is well known from the movie She's All That where she plays a nerdy art student who turned popular. She was also known for playing Josie in the movie Josie and the Pussycats which was based on the 1970's cartoon of the same name. I remember she had those gorgeous eyes that can easily melt your heart in one glance. Since then I watched every movie and bought every magazine that she was in including the infamous first issue of FHM magazine where she was featured on the cover. Other than the fact that she is one of the most beautiful women on Earth and a terrific actress, there is one thing very special about her and it has to to do with music. If it wasn't for her, I would not have known who New Found Glory was. If I could I would thank her for this.

I discovered New Found Glory when Rachael Leigh Cook did a music video for their song, "Dressed To Kill". The music video featured the band playing in a garage while Rachael Leigh Cook is being spied by one of the neighbors. It was a pretty awesome video. Then I found out later that the song for the video is on their self-titled released from Drive-Thru Records, which was their record label at the time. I looked up the album and started listening to some of the songs. Not only did I enjoyed listening to every single song on the record, but this marked a monumental moment in my life. This was the first time I was ever listen to pop punk.

I never imagined that the both pop and punk can combine to form one distinct sound.Both were two very different genres. But that is what the band from Coral Springs, Florida did and that is what makes their sound so unique. Although their sound is mainly pop punk, it has hints hardcore mixed into it. This gives the band a different kind of energy that is unmatchable to the other bands playing at the time. Their self-titled album is simply a stunning effort full of catchy lyrics, perfectly crafted pop punk melodies and hardcore breakdowns. The music is so catchy that it is addicting and immediately upon first listen, you will be hooked. Which is why the replay value for this album is very high and it is something worth listening to with the volume at full blast. Key songs that I recommend on this album are "Dressed To Kill", "Hit Or Miss" (a re-recorded version from their debut album Nothing Gold Can Stay ) and "Black And Blue". But again a picking favorite song on this album is an understatement since ever song on this album is a gem.

After many years of touring, playing thousands of shows and six albums later, they are still one of the most popular and most influential bands of the alternative scene. Like wine, these guys get better with age and these guys still rock. I know because I've been to one of their shows. I highly recommend this album and if you are still unsure about these guys, look up the pop punk bands that you listen to today and check their influences. Don't be surprise if you see these guys or this album listed on some of them.

As for Rachael Leigh Cook, she still continues with her acting doing indie films and various TV shows. She is also happily married to fellow actor Daniel Gillis whom she had been married to since 2004. And although, I grew out of my boyhood crush and moved on with my life, I can still look back and remember Rachael Leigh Cook. For it was her that opened my ears to pop punk and helped me discover a new genre of music.

And yes, she really is all that.

The End of the World

Okay, the title of this next entry may sound a little depressing. I mean, think about it. With all that is happening, whether it be violence in the middle east, economic problems in the U.S. or global warming across the globe, some people maybe keen to the idea that this is the end of the world. Now, I’m not hear to talk about global issues or anything in that nature. I’m hear to talk about music. But what does that have to do with the end of the world? Just hear me out…

Imagine that today. This very day is the end of the world. Now the first thing you might think of are natural diasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. Cities crumbling, wars breaking out and all life on earth dying out may also come to mind. The perspective is usually very negative. But that is not the case on Absolution, the third album from the band Muse.

Drawn from Matt Bellamy’s obsession with science fiction and conspiracy theories, Absolution is based on the conceptual idea of the end of the world (you probably have figured that out when listening to the first track “Apocalypse Now”). But instead of viewing it in a negative way it looks at it in a very positive manner. It feel as though the end of the world is not really the end, but more like the dawn of a new beginning. A future full of possibilities rather than the end of all existence. It sounds quite grand if you think about it. In fact, that is the best way to describe the album. The music of the record is unquestionably grand and magnificent. The band did an amazing job with arranging the music so beautifully while maintain the excitement of an alternative rock record. It is though that Absolution is made to be played by a symphony and believe me, it can be any more beautiful than that.

The songwriting on this album is also very stellar. Matt Bellamy, the main songwriter for Muse, tackles different emotions and themes in each of the songs that all make up the big picture that is Absolution. One of them is love. In the song “Falling Away From You”, which is one of my favorite songs on the album, is about love during the last few moments before the end of the world. A couple looks into the horizon and sees the unstoppable destruction of the earth happening right before their eyes. They both fear of what will happen to them. Then one reaches out to the other and in a hopeful voice, tells them that everything will be okay before the destruction of the world engulfs them. Now keep in mind, this is my view of the song and there are many different interpretations to each of the songs. Other themes that are highlighted in this album are fear (”Hysteria" and Time Is Running Out”), war (”Butterflies and Hurricanes”) and hope (”Sing For Absolution”).

Overall, the music of Absolution is epic and captivating masterpiece with beautiful songwriting. It is one of those rare gems that every music fan must hear and experience for themselves. As for the “end of the world” concept behind the album, it is a backdrop that reminds us that no what matter what lies ahead of us we should embrace it rather than fear it.

Finding Your Roots

What better way to start off my blog than to describe my favorite album of all time . This album changed my whole perspective on music. The listening experience of this album is unlike anything that I’ve ever listen to in my life. I believe that it's essential for people to listen to this album. My favorite album of all time is none other than Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta.

The origin of the album is actually quite fascinating, but it came from unfortunate circumstances. Two years before the release of Frances The Mute, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the masterminds behind The Mars Volta received tragic news that their sound manipulator, Jeremy Ward have died of a drug overdose. Before the music business, Jeremy Ward worked as a repo man back in his hometown of El Paso, Texas. On one of his excursions, he found a journal in a car that he was repossessing that belonged to its previous owner. From reading the journal, Jeremy Ward discovered that like him, the owner of the journal did know who his parents were and and has a longing to discover where he comes from. As he continues to read the journal, Jeremy Ward soon began to write in the journal as though it was his own. A few days after his death, one of the band members found his journal and began to read through the pages. It was then that Cedric and Omar, in honor of their late friend and band member, decided to use his journal as the backdrop for their next album.

The album is loosely based on the conceptual idea of finding one's roots. The journey of discovering one’s self and where they came from. The protagonist of the story, Vismund Cygnus is on a search for his long lost mother, who in the album is known as Frances The Mute. Along the way, he encounters many different characters that each explains his mother’s history in their own perspective. Keep mind though, this is just my interpretation of the album and they album can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the listener.

Now, the album may be difficult listening to at first but given the chance the album is very extraordinary. The music on Frances The Mute is an chaotic atmosphere of distorted and psychedelic alternative rock mixed with punk rock and latin influences. This give the music a different kind of energy that can't be touched by many experimental bands. Now although the album may sound chaotic at first, if listened to closely, the album has it's loud moments and quiet moments. Listen to "Miranda That Ghost Isn't Holy Anymore" (the entire track) and you can see how quiet the song starts and ends on a loud note. This is a reflection of how dynamic the album really is where the tracks don't sound exactly the same thing. Speaking of the tracks of the album, the one thing that is apparent about the album is the arrangement of the songs. Instead of the traditional track by track playlist in many albums, the songs are arranged in parts as though they are different scenes in an opera. or a play. Some parts even exceed past the 7 minute mark and each part represents a different scene or character in the cryptic story of the album. Another worthy thing to mention is the arrangement of the instruments. Not only is the instrumentation and musicanship of each of the members of the band is absolutely superb but the structure is unlike any other. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who also produced the album, allows each band member to first play their parts separately and then arranging the pieces to together to form the music. By doing this, he was able to utilize each of his band member talents and they are highlighted at key moments of the album. Lyrics, who are written by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, are morbid and very cryptic, which may be difficult for the listener to decipher. Keep in mind though, this album is not for the faint of heart and only devoted listeners will unlock and discover the secret behind Frances The Mute. On the topic of Cedric and Omar, the ringmasters of the band, their talents are nothing short of extraordinary in their talents. Cedric’s vocal range is very strong throughout the album allowing him to be versatile each of the different moments of the album while Omar’s guitar playing is really out of this world and he is on the verge of being one of the best guitarist of all time. Some say his style of guitar playing similar to Robert Fripp of the legendary band, King Crimson.

Frances the Mute is an innovative, dynamic and completely original. It is an experimental masterpiece that any fan of alternative rock or psychedelic music should listen to. It is more than just an album, but a one of a kind listening experience. This album may not change your perspective on music, but give it a chance and I guarantee that it will give you a listening experience unlike any other. Just sit back, put on your headphones and let the music consume you.