【樂團介紹】Signal Hill

Signal Hill emerged in 2004 from Los Angeles, where is know for the cluster of urban noises and creative possibilities. The bond between four members creates the explosiveness and sparks in their music. After releasing first five-song SELF_TITLED EP, Signal Hill received unpredictably huge reverberate from audiences and their ascending fan base successfully spread their name nationally. 

Soon after the EP, Signal Hill finally published its full-length album, More After We're Gone. Unsurprising, this emotionally delicate album made a hit with following collaborations with films, independent projects, and most importantly the chance to perform on stage with well-known bands, such as, They Will Destroy You, Caspian, and many others. However, Signal Hill wasn't satisfied with their success in the US; instead, they decided to head over to Australia for more opportunities and new possibilities to absorb different music genres in their own. 

The trajectory of Signal Hill couldn't be portrayed with a single straight line, but with many pauses and a few uncertain turns. Owing to several reasons, band members couldn't stay at same city for their music career; however, the camaraderie in between them only grows more solid day after day. The distance and experiences add up the variety and mature into the band's music pieces. You could find brand new stories in every song. 

【數字搖滾】Math Rock

數字搖滾(Math Rock) 通常由一連串複雜交錯的旋律所組成，
樂團中大多數會以吉他或貝斯拉起主軸，其他樂器為輔，
用不規則的音樂結構以及不協調的和弦來挑戰聽眾的耳朵。

不像一般搖滾樂曲以四分音符為拍組成四拍一小節的拍子記號，
數字搖滾的編曲常常用奇數組合的小節來製造出拍點不一的聽覺錯覺，
這也是Math Rock命名的由來，像數學一樣難解的拍點。

同時，你也會發現在數字搖滾的世界裡，
不再是強烈的吉他貝斯刷奏與強勁的鼓聲，
為了營造出聽覺上各樂器的交錯，
單音和更細緻的撥弦與敲擊取代了過往的激昂，
你可以輕易找到讓人輕慢搖晃數拍子的節奏。

台灣近年來因大象體操而認識數字搖滾這個自90年代中期急速發展的搖滾分支，
無論國內外早已有許多知名的樂團奏出一篇又一篇難解的數學題。

擊碎、解構、重組。

很久沒有被一首歌重重的敲擊心臟，
今天被The Album Leaf的小喇叭旋律久久一次的再度內心大爆炸。

「6543、4321」

學過簡譜的人應該輕易就知道這是曲中不斷重複的旋律，
在各個樂器中用不同速度、輕重來詮釋的音符，
用低音的keyboard營造出曲子的穩重基底，
小提琴在背後高亢卻溫柔的安撫著聽眾內心的噪音，
小喇叭則是壓垮抑鬱已久內心的最後一根稻草。

慢慢的，像是在指責你不夠用心生活著。
穩穩地，像是在提醒你短暫生命的珍貴。

擊碎、解構、重組。

回頭給你身邊的人一個擁抱吧，
溫柔是水泥圍牆裡的唯一解藥。

Iceland Airwaves 2015 is coming!

Iceland Airwaves 2015 Final Announcement Video


Iceland Airwaves is an annual music festival held in Reykjavik, Iceland since 1999 featuring new music from both international and domestic. David Fricke from the Rolling Stone magazine once described Iceland Airwaves as "the hippest weekend on the annual music-festival calendar." The acceptance of every music genres makes Iceland music well-known by its viariety and uniqueness, and encourages more new musicians to stand out with their own creativities.  Although they are isolated from the rest of the continents in the world, the diversity of music might be the best you could find so far.

【Musician】Hom, Shen-Hao

Touming Magazine Logo

Touming means transparent 

You might not be familiar with his name, Hom, Shen-Hao, but when I speak of "Touming Magazine", the famous independent alternative/punk/rock band in Taiwan, you instantly know.



Personally I love both the punk style of Touming Magazine, and Hom, Shen-Hao's calmer performance. One interesting fact to share with, while in the show of the band, 90 percent of the audience might be males, and during the show of Hom, Shen-Hao himself, it's would be completely reverse. Either you prefer full-set punk band, or acoustic guitar only, I bet you would love both experience with Touming Magazine and Hom, Shen-Hao.

Only released one album so far, Touming Magazine is still lots people's favorite Taiwanese band (including myself). After a two-year break time, they announced last weekend that there would be more foreseeing performances in the future which I am sure that you definitely don't want to miss all.


This song from Touming Magazine is called "Midnight Dinner" which described someone who couldn't fall asleep at three o'clock. With that dreamy feeling, he/she observed and pondered things around the world, and then, it's morning again, another brand new day, another fresh start.

In an interview, they said this album might be a bit low-fi while recording; however, it reflected the very thought, might be rough but true, of band members in their beats, their music. So simple and pure, I think that's why people like Touming Magazine, and their simplified music.

Hom, Shen-Hao's record label

OK, back to Hom, Shen-Hao, the vocal/guitar of Touming Magazine. He released his debut album under his own record label in 2013. People are surprised of the genre-changing from this young musician. He explained in his former interview that he composes new music almost everyday, and there's no limitation of styles for him. Some of his own composition are pretty achievable that he would like to share with people, and that's how "Light Coral" was made, a simple concept of sharing. 




The intro song of Light Coral is called "Night Cruising". Because he personally like wandering at night in Taipei City, then he gathered all the ideas of his fond toward quiet nights and freedom into this song. I do feel the free spirit of night walk from Hom, Shen-Hao's Night Cruising. How about you?


Then this song "Quality of Sleep" is my favorite song form Light Carol album. He simply built a fantasy dream in his music. In his lyrics, lingering around the same street, quietly and secretly, no one ever really cares about you, and you don't actually mind others' gossip. "Be yourself, no matter how life treat you", is what I get after listening to this song. No matter how life sucks, you can always escape/hide in your own created dreams.

The other reason I love this song is the instrument-changing which create several different possibility for listener to build their own world. With a gloomy start with drums and piano using repeated melody to create a steady base, and then adds up different instruments, such as guitar and synthesizer to embrace listeners with magical dreamy atmosphere where you would never let your imagination down.

In December 2014, Hom, Shen-Hao released his second album "Bored" also under his own record label_Petit alp record, and this is the fifth album under his label within only one year. We can tell his passion on music never fades away but increasing. Although. from other interviews, he confessed that finance is still very hard for every independent label and musician. So, if you have time and passion towards independent music, wherever you are, please stand out and participate any performances you like to support those musician. That's their motivation to keep making good music.



"Bored" is absolutely my favorite song of this album, because the rap part and mostly its lyrics. If you have tried to change the world in your own way, then you must hold the same feeling as Hom, Shen-Hao did. It's hard to get out from the frame the society built hundreds years ago, but you gotta try, you gotta walk on the edge to create your own contribution to change the world.

Hom, Shen-Hao is a productive and brilliant musician. He won't be satisfied with how the world already is; instead, he's cling to the edge of what-you-should-do-as-a-human/musician/citizen/whatever hoping to provide "something important" to things he cares by music. The answer of innocence and pure heart is why people like him and his music collection.

未來會怎麼樣我不知道，不變的是音樂跟我們永遠一起

為什麼會開始寫音樂部落格呢?

很單純的只想記錄自己，和他人無關。

高中時期跟好友相約每周的「新歌Discovery」，

成為灌溉耳朵的的肥沃養分，

也間接搭建起你所閱讀的 Illusive Heaven。

『未來會怎麼樣我不知道，不變的是音樂跟我們永遠一起』

音樂神奇的地方在於它沒有絕對，

同一首樂曲帶給人的感動除了音樂本身，

身邊有誰、何時、何地，甚至是在怎樣的氣氛之下，

都是音樂呈現差異的重要因素。

【Recent】Endless Heat in July Part1

標題下的有點爛...

但是七月的高溫已經把我曬得瘋瘋癲癲了，

所以 who cares about the title 哈哈

大家夏天都聽甚麼音樂啊?

我個人喜好滿極端的，

除了能邊走邊搖頭晃腦跟著唱的Alternative Rock，

就非節奏感強烈的後搖歌曲莫屬了。

今天就是要來推薦大家我七月仲夏的口袋撥放清單，

陪大家繼續度過八月慢慢的熱情豔陽。

在介紹口袋後搖撥放清單前，

不知道有沒有人好奇我上面講的alternative rock裡包含哪些歌曲，

沒有的話，不好意思喔，我就是要講一下下。

第一首就送上Beach Fossils的 Clash the truth

你有沒有那樣一首歌會讓你邊開車邊大聲唱?

(雖然我不會開車，但是我最會大聲干擾同車的人)

Clash the Truth 會讓你邊走路邊大聲喊出副歌裡的單詞，

字字鏗鏘的毫不害羞地跟我一起大聲唱吧：

Dream, rebel, trust, youth, free, life, clash, truth

Real, time, gone through, peace, piss, shine, proof.

Clash, truth, lush, you, lost time, so confused

Charge, train, hate, proof, nothing real, nothing true.

由一系列乍聽之下無相關的單詞組合而成的無意義字句，

其實可以串聯起來成為年輕人夏日的無/有病呻吟。

再來送上 Best Coast的How They Want Me to Be

帶著加州特有的民謠風格，

Best Coast 一男一女的雙人組合最適合在夏天盯著發燙的沙灘邊喝氣泡飲料發呆邊聽歌。

自2010年發行第一張專輯《Crazy for You》後，

Best Coast一直都維持著稍稍Lo-Fi風格的聲音呈現方式，

把主唱聲音調的遠遠的，讓你第一耳聽到的不會是vocal而是其他爆發力十足的樂器。

我最愛他們的《The Only Place》專輯，

把夏日午後的牢騷發揮的淋漓盡致。

When I wake up in the morning or the middle of the night
I look at you and I know it's alright

Cause you don't want me to be
How they want me to be.

完全就是熱戀中的小情侶甜膩到不行的典型風格，

我眼中只有你就足夠。

接下來要來介紹今天的主軸啦～

節奏感十足的幾個後搖團。

首先登場的是來自中國的─ 惘聞。

這首《緣》把人生中的酸甜苦辣一網打盡，

重點是還加入了電影《Slack》中的一段獨白，

(順便推薦一下這部電影，整部片在說小鎮裡的人們各自的故事)

(再順便推薦大家Radio Dept. 的Heaven’s On Fire，同樣也是用獨白來提升整首個的層次意境)

長達13分鐘又30秒的《緣》要用整首歌來跟你說他們的人生故事，

用音樂跟你結緣。

Thy Will Destroy You 也是很常出現在我撥放清單的後搖團，
沿襲了 Explosion in The Sky的微爆裂風格，
更增添了TWDY現場演出的舞台魅力。
這首《Quiet》會顛覆你對於寂靜的認知，
小心不要被安靜反噬了。

另一個偏電子後搖的大團就是─ Tycho！


本身就很喜歡電子音樂的我，
Tycho整個就是我的開胃菜啊。
合成器的魅力真的是我這輩子最無法抵擋的聲音，
如果有喜歡電子樂的朋友請舉手，
我可以推薦你們包山包海包羅萬象的團啊!

今天就先跟你們分享我一半的夏日後搖播放清單，
明天繼續喔! 
還有喜歡聽電子樂的請舉手!