ashih :: aznplay.com | October 31,
2008
Album: 後青春期的詩 /
Poetry of the Day After
Artist: 五月天 / Mayday
Release Date: October
23, 2008
Tracklisting:
Lately, it seems like all news has been bad news. Pull down your
BBC newsfeed and the top stories blare headlines like “Diplomats
seek to end Congo crisis,” “US economy officially shrinking,” and
“TV star gets three month ban.” It’s times like these when it seems
like music is the only thing that makes sense anymore.
Mayday, or 五月天, is one of those special bands
that doesn’t come along very often. But their songs are the ones
that make sense. Years after their release, people are still
uplifted by tunes like Lockjaw (牙關) and Stubborn
(倔強). Show Luo (羅志祥) cited Mayday’s 戀愛ing as his favorite
song to sing at KTV. And S.H.E recreated the chorus of Mayday’s 溫柔
just last year, 7 years after the original song’s release. Mayday’s
concerts, whether they are held in Taiwan or mainland China, are
always packed, with fans screaming their heads off and teenage
girls professing their love for Ashin, Mayday’s lead singer. All of
Mayday’s albums have made it onto the American version of itunes,
perhaps a testament to the musical genius of the group. With
their latest album “Poetry of the Day
After” (後青春期的詩), Mayday has
been around for almost ten years. Are they still going
strong?
“Poetry of the Day After” (後青春期的詩) is a daring album, not only in
its musical depth, but also in its release date. “Poetry of the Day
After” was released almost concurrently with Jay Chou’s new album,
Capricorn (see
below). The Taiwanese media has already, predictably, started an
unofficial “battle” between Jay and Mayday of who can sell more
albums.“Poetry of the Day After” (後青春期的詩) is a very strong
album, incorporating several musical styles into generally
feel-good tunes.
The album starts with “Suddenly Thinking of You”
(突然好想你). Although this is a “typical” Mandarin pop song
talking about love and one’s significant other, Ashin’s voice makes
this one worth a listen. Despite the song’s somewhat somber lyrics,
it is still an uplifting song.
“Survival Above, Life Below” (生存以上 生活以下) showcases
Mayday’s trademark playfulness. Opening with the sound of a
toothbrush (strange but charming in a way) and then moving into a
happy, exciting chorus, “Survival Above, Life Below” is a fun song
that might brighten up a rainy day.
“You’re Not Really Happy” (你不是真正的快樂) is another winner.
There are times in the song when you can almost predict a loud,
rousing, chorus, but Mayday waits until the very end of the song to
bring it to a climax. The result is a soothing , inspiring
melody.
From the name of the next track, “Burst Liver” (爆肝),
one can predict that this song is a little weird. Indeed, filled
with toots and some wacky lyrics, “Burst Liver” (爆肝) is a song that
seems a little too repetitive and a little too crazy. It’s worth a
listen for the fun tune, but I think it’s one of the weaker tracks
on this album.
The next song on the album, “Oh My God” (噢買尬) is
another fun song. It’s not quite as repetitive as “Burst Liver” and
features a cool guitar part in the middle, making it a decent
track. It sounds like Mayday tried to bring back the “戀愛ing” feel
here; it succeeds to an extent but still nothing can quite compare
to that rush you get when you’re sitting with friends in a ktv room
scrambling to sing 未來某年某月某日某時某分某秒…
I can’t even begin to describe how much I like Mayday’s newest
Taiwanese language song: Day of Appearing (出頭天). Even if
you can’t understand the lyrics (and this includes myself), the
song gives you a warm, hopeful feeling, something the whole world
needs right now. Although it’s a different, more mellow feel,
because it’s in Taiwanese, this song brings back wonderful memories
of “Jack and Jill” (志明與春橋), the Taiwanese song that made Mayday
famous almost 10 years ago. 出頭天 is a rousing song; with Ashin
leading the way and background voices giving us lalalas and singing
the chorus together, this one is a winner.
Mayday’s Taiwanese language songs continue into the next track-
An Uncollapsed Spot of My Heart (我心中尚未崩壞的地方). While I
don’t like it as much as 出頭天, this is still a solid track. The song
is relatively soft throughout, giving us some more of that homely
feel that can be found in Mayday’s classics like “Wen Rou” (溫柔) and
“I love you 無望”. The song is over 5 minutes long and can kind of
drag on. Stick to 出頭天 if you are looking for a happy Taiwanese
song.
“Spring’s Howl” (春天的吶喊) has a very “rock and roll”
style. If you’re looking for a loud song with a lot of background,
then this one’s for you. For fans of rock, this will probably be a
standout. Personally however, I prefer Mayday’s softer
melodies.
Taiwan doesn’t celebrate Halloween but Mayday certainly got into
the spirit with the next song :“Interview at Night With a
Vampire” (夜訪吸血鬼). Actually, the song isn’t very “scary;”
rather, it’s pretty calm until the final seconds of the song. I
think the same couple of chords are used a little too much over the
course of the song, but it is still a wonderful display of Ashin’s
vocal abilities. This song incorporates some elements of rock into
it as well, but less so than the previous track, “Spring’s Howl”
(春天的吶喊). If you’re looking for soft rock this might be the song for
you.
“Like Smoke” (如煙) starts with the soft strumming of a
guitar and maintains that kind of plain but charming feel
throughout. I didn’t take to the song the first time I heard it. As
I listen to it now however, I think it’s a pretty soothing song
that is definitely worth a listen. While this could be said of many
of Mayday’s songs, if you listen to this one with a pair of nice
headphones, you can really hear the depth of the instrumental side
of Mayday.
The title track of the album, “Poetry of the Day After”
(後青春期的詩) is only a little over 2 minutes long. This might be a
song that you listen to before going to bed…it’s quite calming.
Once again, one gets a sense of unity from the song; I love the
voice in the middle that whispers “要和你…一起走吧.”
Mayday’s final contribution to 2008 is “Laughingly
Forgetting a Song” (笑忘歌). The song is really upbeat and
reminds us to well…smile and forget. It’s an apt ending song and I
think it sums up this album’s “theme” really well.
Unquestionably, Mayday went above and beyond with this album.
There are 12 songs on it, 2 more than is standard, and I can’t say
I genuinely dislike any of them. According to official statistics,
this album has sold slightly more copies than Jay Chou’s newest
album, which is a great feat. Mayday is truly a unique
band-producing good music, escaping the prying eyes of the media
(for the most part), all while maintaining a clean, down to earth
image. “Poetry of the Day After” (後青春期的詩) is a joy to listen to.
Let’s hope Mayday’s upcoming concert is a success and that they can
keep producing these sorts of masterpieces.
Track 1: Suddenly Thinking of You (突然好想你)
Track 6: Day of Appearing (出頭天)
Track 12: Laughingly Forgetting a Song (笑忘歌)
