It’s hard to believe but the world’s most iconic progressive metal band, Dream Theater, is back to perform live in Singapore. Visiting our little island for the 2nd time in just 2 years, this event’s rarity is almost like having the Fifa World Cup live every Saturday night. (Dream Theater fans, this is truly the time to pinch yourself. Done that? Good; now we can carry on.)
With a line up of John Petrucci (lead guitarist), Mike Portnoy (drummer), John Myung (bassist), Jordan Rudess (Keyboardist) and James LaBrie (lead vocal), the first thing one would instinctively notice about Dream Theater, is that every member is a true maestro in their respective instruments. Almost, but never, stepping across the line where their skills would overpower one another, each member of Dream Theater has perfected their own craft, creating an overall potent and vivacious touch to their music. Why, yes! Maybe that explains how their concerts always manage to sell-out, all across the world. (Read more)
With Christmas just around the corner, it’s only natural for one to get into the spirit of the occasion. Yes, you can sit on the edge of your seat in anticipation of this white season, or even pray harder for Santa to come quickly; but if you don’t start jumping around and grooving to the beats of Christmas, come Dec 25, you might find that the party has already begun without you.
Alright, if you’re already starting to fret, UrbanWire will let you in on a secret. Want to know how Santa keeps the hype over Christmas going for more than just a few centuries? Why, it’s the music of course! (Who knows; he might have already “pimped up” his sled with a new thumping sound system!) Up till now, if you haven’t created music playlists purely for Christmas, you’re in for a treat – UrbanWire presents to you our top Christmas covers of all time.
We’ll Start Slow
1) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Frank Sinatra
Written by Ralf Blane and Hugh Martin, this song was popularised in the 1940s when it was used in the movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis”. Its lyrics describe a perfect Christmas, where troubles are in distant memory, and friends still remain close to the heart. Although many covers are available today, Frank Sanatra’s version clearly stands out as his voice conveys a sincerity which will easily soothes any heavy heart. (Compare that to Kermit the Frog’s version, with its childish voices and remix, and you’ll understand what I mean.)
2) White Christmas – Michael Buble
In parts of northern hemisphere, where the 4 seasons make up a year, Christmas time is usually accompanied with a thick blanket of snow covering virtually everything. Hence, a picture-perfect dream is what’s portrayed in this song. With our hot and humid climate here in Singapore, listening to White Christmas would certainly make jogging under the mid-day sun enjoyable.
Angel Voices – God’s Gift to Man
3) O Holy Night – *NSync (Acappella)
O Holy Night, a Christmas classic, is probably one of the more popular Christmas songs we know. Composed in the 1800’s by Adolphe Adam, our guess is that modern instrumental accompaniments weren’t present at that time. While many singers have covered the song in their respective genres – from metal band Dream Theater to classical sensation Sarah Brightman – *NSync has decided to go all natural with just their voices, creating the most authentic remake of this hymn. Brace yourself for a quintet of “Angel voices”.
Perhaps Just Some Instrumentals
4) Let it Snow – Kenny G
It’s really unfortunate that Singaporeans do not enjoy the privilege of snow. (We can visualise your head nodding in agreement at this point) But if you really listen carefully to the lyrics, you’ll realise that the snowfall is, in fact, dreaded in this song. Try as we might, we Singaporeans will never be able to understand why anyone would dread snow. That’s exactly why Kenny G’s instrumental version, makes the top 10. If you don’t really remember the exactly lyrics to this song, just take note of every stanzas’ ending – “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”!
The Little Ones
5) Warm and Fuzzy – Billy Gilman
The only thing many would pay attention to in this song is the enchanting voice of little Billy Gilman. Warm and Fuzzy – that’s the exact feeling you’d get after listening to it. His voice is so supple, it easily leaves most hearts melted. Mentioned in the lyrics are elves, snowflakes, reindeers and toys – any child’s dream come true.
6) Santa Claus is Coming to Town – The Jackson 5
Although this song’s become an irritating tune to quite a number of people, , Jackson 5’s cover definitely kills any boredom that is associated with this song and waiting for Christmas. The excitement in Michael Jackson’s voice reminds us of the inner-kid in us who just wants Christmas to come quickly. If you want a really good “waiting song” (a song you’d listen to while waiting) for Christmas, this is it. It’s guaranteed to give you joy while you wait. This cover brings that sense of thrill and anticipation so strogly, it might even make you want to wait longer just so you can play this song once more, and allow that excitement to last a little longer.
Powerful Vocals
7) The Christmas Song – Christina Aguilera
Are you looking for the best song to play on the actual day of Christmas? How about vocals? Are you ready for those massive lungs to blow you away? If you answered yes to all the above, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that Christina Aguilera’s version of The Christmas Song is your best option; the title alone, speaks for itself. Shortly after it was written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in the 1940s, the song was popularised by Nat King Cole. More than 50 years later Christina Aguilera recorded her own version in 1999. If all else fails to perk you up for Christmas, make sure that this is the first song you listen to on the morning of Dec 25. UrbanWire promises you, it will work like magic.
8) All I Want for Christmas is You – Mariah Carey
If you haven’t bought a present for that special someone of yours, here is your “Plan B”. This original song written and produced by Mariah Carey will help you get away with the “cardinal sin”. All you have to do is look into the eyes of your loved-one and sing along, “all I want for Christmas is you”. An awesome track for a great occasion, this is. Unfortunately for those who are single, this is more of a couple’s song. But don’t pay any attention to that; Mariah Carey’s stunning vocals are sure to create a warm atmosphere of love, under any circumstance.
Head-Bobbing Time
9) Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – MercyMe
No Christmas party would be complete without everyone grooving to the tunes of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. A more modern version of this old-time classic, MercyMe’s remake captures their target audience with their Rock-ish tilt. Even creating a music video for this track, it seems like the band is pretty serious about the Christmas season. So take a break from your pulsating dance songs and instead, put on this new old-fashioned classic. Just be careful though; don’t topple the Christmas tree while you’re rockin’ around it.
10) Christmas is all Around – Billy Mack, Love Actually Soundtrack
All in the name of fun, here’s a song that will provide a cheerful melody to perfect any Christmas mood. A cheesy parody to the original “Love is all Around”, this song was created for scenes in the 2003 motion picture, Love Actually. With most of the words, from the original, replaced with Christmas associations, the spoof still maintains its old groove. So why not have some fun on Christmas Eve, and rent out the Love Actually DVD? If you already know the lyrics of the original by heart, you’ll be surprised when you start singing along to the parody; it’s amazing how it sounds like a real Christmas song. Before you know it, you might even be singing it during your carolling sessions.
Celebrities’ pick
As Christmas is celebrated all over the world, UrbanWire now shines the spotlight on Singapore – Just what kind of Christmas songs do Singaporeans enjoy during this festive season? Well, here’s what some prominent figures in the local music industry have to say.
11) Last Christmas – Jimmy Eat World
UrbanWire spoke to Esmond Wee, lead singer of local band, Vertical Rush, and this is one of his top choices. Other than Jimmy Eat World’s catchy melody, which easily sticks in one’s mind, what Esmond likes about the song is the irony behind it. “We normally associate Christmas with love and happiness,” he suggests. “But what about those that are heartbroken? I guess this song gives them something to relate to.”
Rosalyn Lee, presenter for 987FM, also has this song in her top picks. However, she takes a rather different stand. For Rosalyn, this is not a serious song; instead, she likes to have a good laugh whenever it’s played. She adds, “Being the ubiquitous Christmas track, this song is heard without fail every time Christmas is here.”
12) Little Drummer Boy – Jars of Clay
The man responsible for the percussions of local band, Cardinal Avenue, John Liu’s choice during Christmas is “surely this song”. This drummer boy explains that since he plays the drums, perhaps it’s easier for him to relate to this song, with its striking beats. “It has a real catchy sing-along tune,” he elaborates.
As for this year’s Christmas, John informs, “local band, The Fire Fight, will perform their own rendition of this song, fused with their unique sound, for the 8 pm Christmas Show at the Esplanade on Christmas Eve”. Keep a lookout; perhaps we might even spot John tapping his feet, singing along, “pa rum pum pum pum”!
Here are just a few songs to get you started through this pre-Christmas period. But don’t just stop there. From now till then, remember: “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!”
Singapore, in its diverse cultural context, is a huge melting pot of different races living in harmony with each other. As the year comes to a close and we approach Christmas, we’re reminded of a similar type of love – the love of Jesus Christ; the love we’re called to share with one another.
This joyous occasion is also a time of treats, laughter and friendship, and who better to share this with than some of Singapore’s top entertainers? (Read more)
Trying to forget all that hype surrounding the failed quest to develop the world’s slimmest mobile phone? Well, with the release of the new Samsung (Jasper Morrison) SGH-E590 during Communicasia 2007 in June, it certainly seems as though the Korean mobile phone manufacturer already has.
The E590, at a whopping 13.5 millimetres (mm), is more than double that of its thinnest relative, the Samsung Ultra 5.9 U100. “How truly bold of Samsung to embark on this new journey,” most insinuate? Yes – how truly bold.
In spite of this shortcoming, the E590’s elementary design helps it enter the mobile phone market as a notable icon for sophisticated simplicity. As such, it sets a new benchmark for both form and function, integrated at its best. Once again, a new breed of abstract designer phones has been introduced.
But how could anyone substantiate this claim? How does this phone set itself above the rest? One word – Simplicity. What this phone conveys, is that to be a sell out, it doesn’t need to carry a luxury brand name nor be wrapped in expensive metal.
Utilising the most basic of colours, the E590 comes in two options, white upon black, or black upon white. As for the name Jasper Morrison, if it doesn’t ring a bell, don’t embarrass yourself by guessing aloud that he’s a singer.
In fact, Morrison designed the E590. Acclaimed for his versatility, with numerous design awards under his belt to prove it, this British industrial designer has transitioned from designing kitchenware to designing this phone.
On the exterior, the aesthetically organic (structurally clean) phone minimises the use of anything even the least bit offensive to the eye. Sharp edges are altered to curved edges; coloured buttons are reduced to the bare black and white. The E590 is so tiny, with its undersized dimensions of 94mm by 42mm by 13.5 mm, that it hides itself exceptionally well in one’s palm. Drop it into your pocket, and you’ll hardly realise it’s there, at a light weight of 66g.
Along with its niftily crafted pocket-sized proportions, the E590 comes with a quid pro quo drawback – a seemingly puny 1.79 inch screen. But despite the E590’s modest screen size, its 220 by 220 pixel resolution, 262K colour TFT LCD, is still decent enough to dazzle the eye.
Run your fingers over the E590’s keypad, and you’ll instinctively notice that the keys are firm; as a matter of fact, too firm. Fortunately, the problem (of not being able to text message at the speed of light) is only posed to those with extra-extra-large fingertips.
Now, turning the gadget onto its back, the E590 boasts a 3-megapixel camera with auto-focus capabilities for the more serious camera-junkies. However, attempt to take pictures in the dark and the results will be disappointing. The lack of a camera flash, in comparison with rival 3-megapixel mobile phones such as the Sony Ericsson K800i, gives less than desirable photos when taken in dim settings. Other than that little gripe, most users will be pleased with both the multiple shooting options and camera controls, such as panoramic shooting and white balance control, which the 3-megapixel camera has to offer.
Internally, the E590 uses a somewhat similar user-interface as others in Samsung’s current line-up of phones. The simplicity of these interfaces effortlessly echo that of the phone’s exterior design.
The examination of the screen leaves us with one minor whinge, though. While the network reception indicator displays an accurate 6 bars depending on the phone’s connectivity, the battery indicator, ironically, remains relatively useless as it only displays an imprecise maximum of 3 bars.
Despite being a tiny contender, the E590 continues to impress with its forceful volume output. Whether one uses the gadget as a wakeup alarm or as a party boom-box, it never fails to do one thing – attract attention.
However, even with its capacity to pack a reasonably powerful punch for such a lightweight, this phone best serves only minimalists.
Some would even question Samsung’s intensions in letting the E590 sit out this technological race as it neither has 3G capabilities nor wireless-LAN connectivity. We imagine that Samsung would reply– we really don’t care what the big guns offer in comparison; because truly, simple is beautiful.
Box set includes the following: a USB cable, a headset, a bean-bag camera stand, an installation CD, a user guide, a warranty certificate and of course, the sleeping beauty of a phone, the E590. The E590 retails in shops at $300 to $350 without a contract.
