qinshihuang
11-13-2008, 12:47 PM
It’s the paradox of life. When we’re young, we can’t wait to become older and gain our grown-up freedom. And when we grow old, we look back wistfully on the carefree days of shining dreams, and we would give anything to be young again. For the lucky few of us, we might get an extended lease on the wild ride of youthful exuberance, and that is the theme explored by Mayday in their seventh album, “Poetry of the Day After.” The original title is 後青春期的詩, which literally translates to Poetry of the Late Adolescent Period. After all these years, Mayday is still five oversized kids having fun with each other. And the music they produce is still as energetic and moving as ever.
突然好想你 (Suddenly, I Really Miss You) - This is a standard ballad from Ashin. There’s nothing extraordinarily impressive about this song, but with touching lyrics and a competent melody, it’s sure to please some listeners.
生存以上 生活以下 (Between Existence and Life) - Longtime fans will find some vintage Mayday in this song. The catchy and rhythmic tune is punctuated by philosophical musings on the grown-up life.
你不是真正的快樂 (You Are Not Truly Happy) - This is the first track in the album that packs a real punch, and also the first power ballad since their compilation album, “My Pride.” Ashin does a fine job belting out the heartbreaking lyrics, and the sweeping guitars and strings provide the emotional oomph.
爆肝 (Until the Liver Bursts) - A rocker about living life to the fullest, at the expense of one’s own health. It’s got some hilarious lines, such as “It’s not that I don’t like sleep or don’t care about my liver. It’s just that I’ve really got a lot of important business to take care of.” It’s a fun and groovy song, but ultimately for me, the best part was the nifty guitar riff in the intro.
噢買尬 (Oh My God) - This is a truly catchy song that’s been stuck in my head. It’ll definitely be a fun song to sing with your friends at Karaoke.
出頭天 (Breakthrough Day) - After a long, long wait, finally, a Hokkien song! It’s got that nostalgic flavor that’s a staple of Mayday’s Hokkien songs, and it’s a joy to listen to. The arrangement is also top-notch.
我心中尚未崩壞的地方 (The Yet Unbroken Place in My Heart) - A wonderful composing job by Monster, this song is epic. Musically, it’s different from anything Mayday has done before, but the lyrics and feel of it will remind people of “the Motorcycle Diaries” from “Born to Love.” The melody and arrangement explore a wide range of moods as the song progresses, but the highlights are the bridge and the final few lines.
春天的吶喊 (Spring’s Scream) - Again, a highly competent rocker about youthful unruliness. It’s a song best enjoyed jumping and waving to at one of Mayday’s concerts.
夜訪吸血鬼 (Interview with the Vampire) - A rare composition by drummer Guanyou, this has become one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s a departure for Mayday in terms of melody and overall feel of the arrangement, and it makes me eager for future works by Guanyou.
如煙 (Like Smoke) - Another gentle, dreamy ballad from Stone, and Ashin has graced it with the richest lyrics in the whole album. Written from the perspective of someone on his deathbed reflecting on his life, the melancholy of regret and the joys of life are beautifully intertwined in the imagery.
後青春期的詩 (Poetry of the Day After) - The eponymous song is perhaps the most intriguing of the album. The melody rises and falls in sync with the abstract lyrics. In a recurring theme with Mayday’s older songs, Ashin once again sings of leaving an everlasting imprint on the world.
笑忘歌 (The Song of Laughter and Forgetting) - The Song of Laughter and Forgetting is, unfortunately, a forgettable end to a great album. In fact, it’s probably the only real gripe I have with the album that they chose to leave in this underwhelming advertisement song.
All in all, this is an excellent album to listen and sing along to, and a strong comeback effort by Mayday after the somewhat disappointing “Born to Love.” Perhaps going back to their roots proved to be a wise choice for Mayday, as it appears to have rejuvenated them and their music. You can tell that they even put some effort into the track-to-track transitions, as they are smooth and thematically relevant (especially 10-11-12). The tracks themselves work almost like snapshots of a person at various stages of life, but what they all have in common is the yearning for and celebration of youth. What made me love Mayday in the first place is their passion for the good things in life that is surprisingly rare to see in today’s age where it’s cool to be depressed and angry. That resonant passion is in full play here in Poetry of the Day After.
Do listen to the album any way you can, but I highly recommend people to buy the actual album for the beautiful packaging and the valuable DVD that contains over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.
突然好想你 (Suddenly, I Really Miss You) - This is a standard ballad from Ashin. There’s nothing extraordinarily impressive about this song, but with touching lyrics and a competent melody, it’s sure to please some listeners.
生存以上 生活以下 (Between Existence and Life) - Longtime fans will find some vintage Mayday in this song. The catchy and rhythmic tune is punctuated by philosophical musings on the grown-up life.
你不是真正的快樂 (You Are Not Truly Happy) - This is the first track in the album that packs a real punch, and also the first power ballad since their compilation album, “My Pride.” Ashin does a fine job belting out the heartbreaking lyrics, and the sweeping guitars and strings provide the emotional oomph.
爆肝 (Until the Liver Bursts) - A rocker about living life to the fullest, at the expense of one’s own health. It’s got some hilarious lines, such as “It’s not that I don’t like sleep or don’t care about my liver. It’s just that I’ve really got a lot of important business to take care of.” It’s a fun and groovy song, but ultimately for me, the best part was the nifty guitar riff in the intro.
噢買尬 (Oh My God) - This is a truly catchy song that’s been stuck in my head. It’ll definitely be a fun song to sing with your friends at Karaoke.
出頭天 (Breakthrough Day) - After a long, long wait, finally, a Hokkien song! It’s got that nostalgic flavor that’s a staple of Mayday’s Hokkien songs, and it’s a joy to listen to. The arrangement is also top-notch.
我心中尚未崩壞的地方 (The Yet Unbroken Place in My Heart) - A wonderful composing job by Monster, this song is epic. Musically, it’s different from anything Mayday has done before, but the lyrics and feel of it will remind people of “the Motorcycle Diaries” from “Born to Love.” The melody and arrangement explore a wide range of moods as the song progresses, but the highlights are the bridge and the final few lines.
春天的吶喊 (Spring’s Scream) - Again, a highly competent rocker about youthful unruliness. It’s a song best enjoyed jumping and waving to at one of Mayday’s concerts.
夜訪吸血鬼 (Interview with the Vampire) - A rare composition by drummer Guanyou, this has become one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s a departure for Mayday in terms of melody and overall feel of the arrangement, and it makes me eager for future works by Guanyou.
如煙 (Like Smoke) - Another gentle, dreamy ballad from Stone, and Ashin has graced it with the richest lyrics in the whole album. Written from the perspective of someone on his deathbed reflecting on his life, the melancholy of regret and the joys of life are beautifully intertwined in the imagery.
後青春期的詩 (Poetry of the Day After) - The eponymous song is perhaps the most intriguing of the album. The melody rises and falls in sync with the abstract lyrics. In a recurring theme with Mayday’s older songs, Ashin once again sings of leaving an everlasting imprint on the world.
笑忘歌 (The Song of Laughter and Forgetting) - The Song of Laughter and Forgetting is, unfortunately, a forgettable end to a great album. In fact, it’s probably the only real gripe I have with the album that they chose to leave in this underwhelming advertisement song.
All in all, this is an excellent album to listen and sing along to, and a strong comeback effort by Mayday after the somewhat disappointing “Born to Love.” Perhaps going back to their roots proved to be a wise choice for Mayday, as it appears to have rejuvenated them and their music. You can tell that they even put some effort into the track-to-track transitions, as they are smooth and thematically relevant (especially 10-11-12). The tracks themselves work almost like snapshots of a person at various stages of life, but what they all have in common is the yearning for and celebration of youth. What made me love Mayday in the first place is their passion for the good things in life that is surprisingly rare to see in today’s age where it’s cool to be depressed and angry. That resonant passion is in full play here in Poetry of the Day After.
Do listen to the album any way you can, but I highly recommend people to buy the actual album for the beautiful packaging and the valuable DVD that contains over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.