GTA IRL: Singapore style

Got my first ever speeding ticket, but as is most police procedure around here, in the least dramatic fashion. There aren't a lot of cops to spare, and collateral is expensive to damage, so no high-speed car chases, no sirens wailing, no angry amplified voices yelling at me to 'pull over!' No. I get a polite letter in the mail informing me that the car (plate no. XXXX) registered to me was involved in a speeding incident on this date and time, along this road. Could I please 'furnish' traffic police with the name and licence of the driver of the car at that date/time/location by (deadline). They didn't say, 'or else'. No need.

They have me dead to rights. They have video evidence since traffic cameras are everywhere on the roads these days, but they won't assume who the driver was. They give me a chance to self-incriminate, and I have to because there's no one else I can defensibly blame for the infraction.  They give me a QR code to a secure site on which I can sheepishly admit my guilt, and it's done. Then I just sit back and check my mailbox for few days to see what my punishment will be.

Today, the dreaded letter arrives. I could have been fined $150 and received 4 demerit points. Instead, I am let off with an admonishment, a warning, and an exhortation to please maintain road safety when driving. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing full well that I must keep my nose clean for at least a year to avoid getting the book thrown at me for a second violation too close to the first one.

But what caused me to exceed the speed limit that day? I cannot say for sure, but I remember another car in front of me straddling 2 lanes and going really slowly for quite some distance. I tolerated this speed bump of a driver for as long as I could before I went a little nuts. When a window opened up to overtake him (or her) I took it, but my emotionally charged state probably kept my foot on the accelerator for longer than it should have been. BUSTED.

If it wasn't this situation, I can't imagine how else I could possibly have been driving at 80 km/h on a 70 km/h road.

A brief peek into METALVERSE

A surprise fancam drop of METALVERSE (don't call them CHIBIMETAL any more) performing at SummerSonic 2023 in Tokyo, presumably last night. Not three, but five members performing a three song set. The good news is that they present original music, and while the lore goes that they are an alternate universe version of BABYMETAL, thankfully they look and sound somewhat different from their renowned predecessors instead of being a carbon copy.

This performance shows METALVERSE has quite a task ahead of them to emerge from the immense shadow that their older sisters have cast. The major advantage BABYMETAL had starting out was the WTF factor in the fusion of metal, pop, choreography, the age of the performers, the other genres of music that got blended in the production studio like no one knew what they were doing. Yet the end product turned out to be a beautiful miracle rather than the disaster it could have been. BABYMETAL was a fusion of Frankenstein monster parts, but it was cared for, nurtured lovingly, allowed to grow with a life of its own, and eventually become its own thing that captured the imagination of the world.

METALVERSE's version of fusion metal looks like its been put together by people who have learned from their past experiments, and now know what they are doing. The production is slick and professional (other than being viewed on fancam footage), it's well rehearsed and delivers strongly in musicality and choreography. And that's the problem: second child syndrome. It lacks an edge from the risk that the whole thing could fall flat on its face, which would have made us appreciate the effort, commitment, work ethic, and belief that the entire production crew put into making a show that shouldn't work work. 

METALVERSE works right out of the box. The production looks effortless and by-the-numbers. It feels designed not to fail, so it's missing out on the underdog status that gets a crowd behind tiny but dedicated heroes giving their all to accomplish a nigh impossible task. Without having much to root for, the crowd sounded a bit passive when lead singer, Miko, tried to engage them in the third song. Also, her call was asking for a bit more sophistry than the audience was prepared to give. Had the response been more intuitively and organically baked into the music, the audience might have been more inclined to jump in.

There is nothing bad in this performance -- it was actually quite enjoyable. But at the same time, it looked and felt like everything was done for me, and so, having little else to contribute to the show beyond my applause, I was happy to just sit back and soak it in.

Still, this is only a little taste of what METALVERSE can do. We'll get a much better picture once they make their official debut in Tokyo on 24 August. Still hoping there's room for crazy.

'Metali' MV is an energy vortex of joy and fun

I reacted to the audio-only track of 'Metali' in my previous post. The official video adds so much more to the enjoyment of this new BABYMETAL single.

Like its predecessors, 'Megitsune' and 'Karate', this video is very proudly Japanese: in set featuring traditional architecture, traditional costume in both festival and theatre attire, and even the lighting in the early part of the video displays rays radiating from the circular portal behind SU, suggesting the Rising Sun flag from Japan's earlier, more nationalistic days.

Although there is much tradition to be proud of, the ladies throw shade at the more oppressive parts of their culture. Their choreography comprises high stepping and stomping, with aggressive arm and hand movements, very unladylike. While dancing, MOA and MOMO 'accidentally' kick over traditional tea sets which can be seen as symbols of female subservience, and the ladies are having none of it. There is also the shocking visual of many 'fox signs' suddenly breaking through the traditional paper wall mid-ground, immediately followed by another jump-scare of two characters physically bursting through walls both stage left and right. These elements continue the band's penchant for fun horror movie imagery, but also reinforce their central message of breaking past barriers, like they constantly have had to do, while encouraging their audience to do the same.

Masks from Japanese theatre return, but other than the expected kitsune masks which feature in some backgrounds, in the foreground the supporting mass dancers wear human faces, representing us in the audience dancing, singing and chanting, being part of the festival, and really the show. The mid-piece breakdown unexpectedly throws back to a Japanese theatrical narration. Since MOMO takes the spotlight here, the voice is probably her's even if we only see her dancing, not vocalizing. This directorial choice keeps the energy going instead of slowing the pace to a standstill, which would break the momentum, and nobody wants that.

Energy is such a huge part of this song. The melody is super-catchy, the moves are big and deceptively easy to follow, and the audience participation is built in so obviously that when SU calls, without hesitation we want to yell back at the top of our lungs, punching the air while we do so. Somehow, self-consciousness gets shoved aside in this energy vortex, and everyone just gets sucked into being one with the performance. 'Live' in concert, this song would be an experience like no other.

We also get to see Tom Morello's contribution. Not familiar with him or his work, watching him play the guitar in the latter part of the video and hearing his beautifully weird East-West fusion on strings is a privilege. That last visual of the three ladies sitting on his guitar, waving at the crowd, is their tribute and thanks to Morello. The placement of the guitar makes them look like they are literally standing (in this case sitting) on the shoulder of a giant. Such humility in respecting their inspirations guiding them forward.

BABYMETAL is best experienced 'live', but they do occasionally put out official MVs that slap hard -- I'm thinking 'Megitsune' and 'Karate' as among my favourites. This one, 'Metali', shoots straight up to the top of my list. It has me dancing in my chair with every re-watch. That's my main criterion for a great music video.

BABYMETAL return to their Japanese roots in 'Metali'

BABYMETAL has gone home to Japan with their latest single after touring the world for creative inspiration. 'Metali' features the most traditional Japanese instrumentation since 'Megitsune' from a decade ago. It opens with the strings of (presumably) a shamisen which continues to be prominent in the music throughout. Likewise, the musical composition sounds East Asian, reminiscent of some traditional Japanese festivals involving music and interactive chanting. Yet, the main instrumental accompaniment is straight up metal, rhythmic and heavy, unrelenting and powerful. That, I'm guessing is where guest musician, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), comes in to seamlessly blend West with East.

SU's vocals are almost aggressive: still melodic, but tends to be inspired by their fellow contemporary Japanese female-led metal bands, a genre arguably pioneered by BABYMETAL, so it's come full circle with the original taking inspiration from those they inspired. It's also notable that this is the first original BABYMETAL song released with MOMOMETAL as the official third member of the new trio. The chorus sounds nice and full again with the voices of MOA and MOMO combining as one to aid with the heavy lifting.

The theatrical narration midway through the track adds to the sense of homecoming. The voice is as yet uncredited, but I'm speculating it could be MOMO's given her experience with musical theatre during her early career. It could just as well be SU's or MOA's, though, as they, too, are vocally versatile.

I just looked up the translation for "wasshoi", which is repeatedly chanted, and indeed it is a word that is used in traditional festivals to get everyone in sync and work together to lift a shrine for a grand parade. It's a homecoming for BABYMETAL, and they've brought the whole world back with them for the party!

'Metali' dropped on 18 August 2023, and is available on YouTube (above), and on Spotify. Probably elsewhere too.

Edit: Big surprise! It's not just new music on YouTube, but a whole new official music video! This band gives so much, and keeps on giving. And I was there for the premiere!

Long Service

Amy gave me the scoop on being put on the list of recipients of The Long Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Setia) from among this year's National Day Awardees. She has good eyes, being that in this category alone, there are already over a thousand folks listed from just my industry.

Long service counts 25 years of employment in the Civil Service, including the 2 years I spent in full-time National Service. Funny that when I signed on in this industry, I thought I would only serve out my contract of three years before I would lose my mind, or get kicked out, whichever came first. Where I am currently serving, I will say that while there are inevitable push factors, there have been no pull factors at all strong enough to overcome more than two decades of job inertia.

The criterion is really about time served. If it had been any more stringent, well, let's just say that my service hasn't exactly been exemplary. Too much rebellion, too many mistakes, and probably a lot of upset people to take the shine off the silver, I reckon. But I have always striven to be civil, so there's that.

A quarter century. It still doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I felt the need to do some responsible adulting. Somebody has to keep this and the other furballs in kibble.

Ahem, the least you could do is look grateful.

Bouncing in the Heartland

My little kingdom for today. Chaperoned my kids as they volunteered with Team Nila as human resources for a day at the Heartland Festival here in Woodlands Sports Centre. It's a sports-based carnival for the residents of the surrounding public housing neighbourhood, with lots of games, and an on-going performance within the white tentage in the upper middle of the photo. As I signed as a volunteer myself, I opted to run this trampoline fitness section, and play by ear from there. I initially thought I would be a carnival barker and draw in the crowd, but the job entailed crowd control instead with a never-ending line of eager children and their parents all waiting for their turn at bouncing along to the instructor's directions.

I really take my hat off to the instructor (I never asked her name) who bounced almost non-stop, leading batch after batch of mostly kids, although some adults also gamely bounced along to her improvised 5-minute set. Initially she was told that her set would be 15 minutes each, with breaks in between sets, but the young oysters came "thick and fast... and more, and more, and more". So she bounced from about 1630-2000 with only one short bio and hydration break. I had the comparatively easier job of keeping the lines orderly, ushering people to vacant trampolines, and adjusting handle-bar heights as appropriate. And I had 3 little girls (Alicia, Clarice and Yuki) helping me with crowd control and stamping of the participants' redemption coupons. Totally grateful for everyone helping out at my station.

The people were patient and cooperative as well, with not a Karen among them. The kids were kids, but they listened to safety instructions, and most did their best to follow the instructor. Some repeat customers even remembered the moves on their second and subsequent mini-sessions. No one protested the brevity of each session, and everyone seemed to understand that other people needed a turn too. I've done some other kinds of volunteer work that have caused me silent freak outs and panic attacks, but today's session was pleasant and even fun. 

Moon shot

We were discussing a quote attributed to Einstein: 'Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world' (at least that's how it appeared in the text we were analyzing).

Kid with lots of questions could not understand how knowledge could be limited, and what imagination had to do with it.

I surprised myself by improvising an analogy based on historical events.

Before 1968, we knew we couldn't go to the moon. If we continued relying on that limiting knowledge, even today human beings would still have not taken that important toe-dip into the frigid ether of outer space.

But before 1968, Jules Verne's imagination envisioned a system that could take the first human explorers to the moon: a directed explosion powerful enough for a manned projectile to break earth's gravity and complete the distance to the moon.

Verne thought of a cannon, but NASA decided that rockets would provide a more capable delivery and retrieval system for this purpose.

So imagination breaks past the limits of knowledge, pointing the way for new knowledge to be discovered and constructed, making the once impossible possible.

Einstein's quote is apt in that it makes little sense if we only approach it from what we know. It takes some imagination to unlock the metaphorical sense of encircling the world, which suggests that while knowledge is confined and confining, imagination respects no boundaries and repeatedly crosses the world's geo-political borders like they were nothing. Unlimited. The actual word Einstein used was 'embraces', which has the same meaning, but the impact is warmer.

Shut down, go home -- or "current affairs" in Singapore politics

 

Bonus! 2 YouTube videos featuring the current talk of the town. The popcorn buckets are out in full force as the nation observes slack-jawed as our once-incorruptible policy-makers on both sides of the House fall from grace. Let's call it 'looking for love in all the wrong places' (Johnny Lee).

The question of whom we can trust, if our leadership cannot set the example of propriety and adherence to a strong moral code that upholds the integrity of the family unit, now often comes up in local conversation. How will these scandals affect how in upcoming elections, voters evaluate the incumbents, and the party that we have given our collective Opposition trust to? But these questions are not my topic today. To me, it doesn't matter which party is being represented. The common factor in both cases is the human factor, nothing more.

If anything, these incidents are more of an indictment against the work culture we have here. Both illicit couples comprised pairs of people who worked closely together, probably spending long hours solving problems that really helped their constituents, and feeling elation at the completion of several jobs well done day after day. Many times, those days would have grown into nights, and this is true for most jobs here too, not just those of professional politicians. There's nothing more attractive than a strong, capable person, dedicated to their mission, who is obviously being thanked over and over again by grateful, otherwise helpless people. And if they go celebrating mutual successes together often enough, there's a trigger for biology to kick in.

The people we spend the most time with are the people we grow the strongest bonds with. So what is keeping us at the office, when the people we are meant to be closest to are at home? Perhaps we have a strong sense of mission, that the job always comes first. This idea could become an obsession when the job comes with an equally strong sense of accomplishment. You make people happy: you've saved their lives, their livelihoods, their children, their homes, their parents, their health, their sense of personal safety, whatever. It's these triumphs that keep us feeling like we're really making something of our lives, that keep us taking case after case, and we don't want to let anybody down. One last person in the queue? Let's not disappoint them. They need my help, and I've got nothing else to do. But you do. At home.

Work at home is a very different ball game. The tasks are menial and manual. They are recurring in that the same problem arises not long after you've dealt with it already. Nobody is grateful. They are jobs that simply need to be done. There are no awards, no recognition to be earned, and everyone just looks tired, sweaty and at their most unattractive when that last checkbox is finally ticked. Meantime, the children haven't stopped screaming. And sex is far from the mind, given that the risk of yet another banshee inadvertently popping out is still fairly high despite multiple layers of material or chemical prevention, like the last time.

Like it or not, we need to be with the ones we love at home if we want to avoid opportunities for scandals to evolve. It's not a failure of morals or values, but simply a matter of time, and whom we choose to spend it with. When I refer to 'work culture' I don't necessarily mean that our office requires our presence, but rather our sense of self-importance that keeps us there. The common mantra here is that we should never do tomorrow what we can do today. Our problem is that we do today what we could instead be doing tomorrow. No. When the clock reaches 5-5:30 p.m., shut down, go home. Superman/woman/person is needed there too.

First time with Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni

The new Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is about to be unboxed. The maltipoo is asserting her dominance over the new addition to the family.

Accessories include twin sweeping brush heads sporting port and starboard colours, and two mop discs.

The robot will have its work cut out for it. Dog and cat fur everywhere, although these two aren't the worst culprits. Those will be the other two cats (not pictured). What we have here is the docking bay at which the cleaning unit will not only charge itself when inactive, but also collect clean water for its mopping function, and upload vacuumed dust, dirt, fur, etc. into a dust bag with capacity for 60 days, and dirty water gets uploaded into a separate reservoir.

The water reservoirs are shaped like jerry cans. Clean water goes into the right-hand reservoir, while the left hand one collects dirty water after mopping is done. Between them is the slot for housing the cleaning brush. Some manual maintenance is still required, after all.

A look at the cleaning unit which we have christened "Omnomnomni". Not only does it have eyes in front, but the coning tower houses another rotating camera for mapping. It sees all. Should I be scared?

At rest and charging. I can command it via an app, but it also responds to voice commands. For example, I can call it to my location to do some spot cleaning. I should read the rest of the manual for other voice-activated functions.

The first time I activated it was to map its boundaries, essentially defining for itself its scope of work. In the video (above) it's entered 'Housekeeping Mode', although I set it only to vacuum, not mop. It took just under three minutes to clean under the dining table while it navigated through this forest of chair legs. Next time, I'll stack the chairs to make the process less anxiety inducing. Elsewhere, it got hung up on a bathroom mat, so those need to be picked up off the floor too before it goes about its business. According to the app, it took just under an hour to clean about 45 sq m, which is the size of the cleaning area I allowed it.

Overall, it did a decent job getting fur, bits of shed cat claws, stray cat litter... and other assorted floor debris. Tomorrow, I'll try the vacuum/mop function and really see what it can do. I hope it'll be smart enough not to mop the carpet.

Chibimetal debut teased in METALVERSE#1 trailer?

We have dates for a new reveal of something mysterious happening in BABYMETAL lore. An alternate universe version of BABYMETAL? At the launch of BABYMETAL's 2023 World Tour, a new trio of youngsters introduced as 'Chibimetal' performed alongside our known METAL ladies in their 'live' performances of (as far as I have discovered) 'Karate' and 'Doki Doki Morning'.

Comprising SG alumna (of course!), Chibimetal shadowed their older counterparts perfectly, move for move, note for note. But the Chibis are thankfully not exact carbon copies of their mentors(?). Chibi attire features a similar cut, but a starkly different colour scheme; and there's a noticeable height inversion in that both supporting dance-vocalists are taller than the lead.

Which brings us to this trailer that dropped just hours ago. Apparently, Chibimetal's development is more advanced than I expected, if they're ready to reveal something major in just under two months. There's speculation that this new group could be a cover band for BABYMETAL's earlier songs, which SU, MOA, and MOMO may have outgrown. But I really hope that we'll be getting some fresh, new music coming from the newly 'discovered' METALVERSE invasion that would be worthy of introducing a new kawaii metal band to our universe.

What will actually be revealed at Spotify O-East (a 'live' concert venue in Shibuya, Tokyo) is anyone's guess at this moment. We wait with bated breath...!

Edit: I'm speculating, wishful thinking really, that since SG ceased operations in 2021, could the management have been taking these last two years to retrain and re-brand the former girl idol band in the direction that its most successful spinoff unit had taken? Could SG have gone completely metal with its different sub-units to create many different varieties of new metal variants, hence the apparent multi-dimensionality of the Metalverse? Metaru-Sakura Gakuin sounds absolutely nutty, but this think-tank has made weird things work before. One can only hope.

The End: a critical commentary

I've finally figured out what's rubbing me the wrong way with 'The End', Lil Uzi Vert's collab with BABYMETAL. First, the song attempts to recapture BABYMETAL's child-like quality of 10-13 years ago, which in itself isn't a bad thing. But given the part they got to play in this song, it's just a caricature or a stereotype, at best, of the band they once were that this song is summoning.

The chorus in which we hear the girls' voices (or is it just SU's?) is cute and catchy, which is what we remember, but the lyrics are so literal, they're not even close to the relative sophistication of 'Doki Doki Morning', or their Sakura Gakuin songs from even earlier. 'Lalala... sing a song... sing along... love is all you need... we love all music' are just prosaic lines that mean exactly that. There's nothing to interpret, nothing to exercise the brain, or excite the heart, other than the solid hard-core metal behind them.

What I am most disappointed with is that this song fails to take seriously BABYMETAL as they currently are, and what they can now do. Instead, the production process to me feels like the girls were given some sheet music and told to sing it into some recording device for processing later, and the girls were nice enough to oblige. Looking at their world tour schedule for this year, perhaps that was all the time they had, anyway.

In comparison, 'Kingslayer' (harsh language warning) sounds more like a true collab between Bring Me the Horizon and BABYMETAL with the integration of their different strengths: sounds, styles, lyricism, imagery. There's thought and discussion apparent, resulting in a seamless throughline and a deliberate sense of artistry that synergizes the two bands in this one song.

Having said that, I still wish Lil Uzi all the best success in Pink Tape, their fourth album. Finding a new direction is difficult. I applaud the inspiration and courage behind the song, and appreciate its positive spirit. BABYMETAL started the same way.

The End... or the beginning?

A sudden, unexpected drop of new music from BABYMETAL just a few hours ago today. The girls feature in 'The End' by Lil Uzi Vert, a rap/hip hop artist of whom I am unfamiliar. The clip above is not a video, so it's hard to tell if all 3 METALS are involved in providing the chorus to this track.

This track sounds highly experimental in the attempt to merge hip hop with metal. The greater commitment is towards metal with a variety of electronic sound effects thrown into the mix. To me it sounds like a kid in a candy store making the noise of a bull in a China shop as he grabs everything he can carry because he can afford it all. Very enthusiastic.

BABYMETAL, themselves, sound completely manic, making me wonder if their vocals have been sped up. Their lyrics are sharp and clear, regardless, their voices cutting through the metal as always. The melody is cutesy, but the tempo makes me feel like I've had way too much coffee than is good for me. 'The End' ends with a music box, a sudden and jarring break from the metal, probably as an acknowledgement to the 'babies', which I thought felt more patronizing than appreciative.

It's nice of BABYMETAL to help a brother out ('brother' in reference to the generic expression, rather than to a specific gender) in exploring a fresh direction for his (their?) music. We are seeing some baby steps in Lil Uzi Vert's first attempts at distinguishing himself (themselves?) from within a highly competitive market, and we wish him (them?) all success in this bold new endeavor. Apologies for the parentheses. Lil Uzi self-refers in the plural but, linguistically, it's hell to wrap my pre-evolved boomer brain around.

Since this is my raw, initial reaction, let's just say that 'The End' (feat. BABYMETAL) will take some patience and several re-listens before I decide if I would put it in my playlist.

IDZ brings the evening to a close

(This post concludes my reaction to BABYMETAL's performance during their World Tour 2023 at Zepp, KL, 4 June 2023. If you start here and scroll downwards, the sequence will be in reverse order. If you prefer the sequence to be chronological, first scroll about 13 entries down to my 'Megitsune' review, then work your way back up.)

BABYMETAL gifts us with one final number to finish a 14 item set. The performance in the featured video (above) is the capstone to the showcase that riveted the band's place in metal canon. Sonisphere, UK, 2014, a major rock music festival, marks a glorious piece of historic lore in which an unknown band comprising a trio of uncomfortably kawaii underage frontwomen singing pop in a foreign language accompanied by a face-melting metal band got unexpectedly bumped up from the fringe event, and on to the main stage in front of 60,000 presumed hardcore metalheads. After immediately becoming the talk of the town, the band gained a beachhead from which to conquer the world.

Was their success really that unexpected? Well, even at this young age (14-16 years), the girls are already entertainment veterans, having performed in front of large numbers of paying audience for at least 4 years, if not more. The Kami band behind them is jaw-droppingly metal. Their performance package is tried and tested: the choreography is well-rehearsed, polished and perfectly coordinated; the trio's vocals are strongly melodic, and delivered with powerful conviction; their stage presence captivating. By this time, they've already picked up a global following through their MV releases on YouTube, 'Gimme Choco' being their most viewed. And judging from the display of a white neckbrace and a BABYMETAL flag from the audience (7:22) they probably have more friends in the crowd than they gave themselves credit for.

This song, 'Ijime, Dame, Zettai' (bullying, [to] stop, forever), represents a core value the band has embodied since its beginnings. Its use of metal to carry songs of positivity, encouragement, and cheer was a radical departure from what metal was 'supposed to be about' back then. Experimentation, innovation and adaptation still keeps this band fresh and relevant, even forward-looking, today.

Back in KL, the performance is over. SU calls, 'we are...?' To which we respond, 'BABYMETAL!!!' Then instead of the usual chorus of 'see you', she goes, 'berjumpa lagi', which is still literally 'see you again' but in Berhasa. It's a tiny, but heartwarming gesture to recognize the country that has welcomed them, on this effervescent and thoroughly memorable night of my mid-fifties.

Divinely attacked in the nicest possible way

It's been a few minutes since 'Road of Resistance'. The band has left the stage and we're left in darkness and silence. I'm not familiar with 'live' concert protocol, so I'm running some possibilities in my head. Was it supposed to be a 12 song set, and now they're setting up for an encore? Or could there have been a technical issue, but will be resolved quickly enough so there's no point announcing it? Or could the band need a little break to revive before finishing strong? Or did someone get hurt and they're assessing the damage?

Anyway, the band re-enters to perform 'Divine Attack', so I guess problem solved. The pace of this song feels like we're in a cooldown phase, given the choreo has slowed down. Although there's a definite metal foundation, the song is less frenetic, opening up some space to bring the focus back to SU's belting vocals.

According to these translated lyrics, the song inspires us to fight on against whatever holds us back or down, even though our backs are against the wall, as we push together towards the open road. That's great! But the English lyrics I hear in the chorus are

The time has come, stand up...

Time to go your way...

Yes, m'am, I take the hint. It was a really lovely evening, and you've been a very entertaining host. Thanks for having me over at your party! It was absolutely something to write home about!

Piece de resistance

'Road of Resistance' is the song I've been most anticipating and dreading at the same time. Placed 12th on the KL setlist, this song packs such an inspirational quality. From the instrumentals, to the vocals, to the choreo, to the set, the lighting, the pyrotechnics, to the audience participation, these 8 plus minutes takes theatricality to another level! First of all, I doubt any theatre company has ever played to a 'live' audience of 20000 in one sitting. Second, the entire crowd is completely in sync with the performance, and right on cue with their parts in the the singing and movement. What it must have been like to be in the crowd during this production!

It begins with a riff that will stick in the head for a while. The girls are absolutely still, faces serious, two adjectives we would hardly use to describe this band. Each bearing a flag across their shoulders, they march with great resolve to centrestage and halt. Without saying a word, SU authoritatively parts the crowd with a simple but firm gesture, creating a giant mosh pit. What an epic build up of anticipation as we count the seconds to the imminent wall of death.

1234! and all heck breaks loose. The girls mount their steeds and charge full tilt across the landscape, kicking off yet another electrifyingly energetic piece of choreography. At this point we can pick out a subtle difference between YUI and MOA's approaches. YUI is fully immersed in her performance. At 1:56 YUI's expression looks like she's really giving her heart away and she keeps this attitude throughout. At 2:15 MOA is having the time of her life doing what she most loves to do: sing, dance, entertain her audience. It's nice to see that despite their different personalities, they still sync so well together.

One thing that sticks out for me is how freely they use the word, "forever". To sing of forever at this young age shows a lot of youthful idealism and naivete. It makes me sad because YUI will eventually leave the band, and one of the guitarists will lose his life in an accident within the next few years. After these events, the band is no longer so casual with their use of "forever".

Anyway, just before they get to the audience participation bit, there's an instrumental bridge. The guitar and drums set a blistering pace, then impossibly accelerate even further before dropping back down. But the crowd has already been so excited that they gladly fill in the void when SU invites them to sing the "woah-oh-oh-oh" response, and we get this 20000-strong choir valiantly struggling to keep up with SU's higher notes. She lets them go acapella for a few bars before graciously taking back control and ending the song with a literal bang!

And the moment I've been dreading arrives. With a chorus of "see you" the show comes to a close. At least, it does in the video. Not in KL. Here, without a word, the girls exit stage right, and we're left in darkness and silence. We're not sure what's happening, but since there was no "thank you" or "see you" signal of dismissal, perhaps we're not done yet...?

Gimme BABYMETAL

I've responded once already to 'Gimme Chocolate', the song and video that launched BABYMETAL onto the world stage. So instead of featuring the official MV again, here's another fancam shot on location at Zepp, KL on their 2023 world tour.

'Gimme Chocolate' was indeed my very first encounter with the band. It was years ago, but in all places, a shopping mall in Bangkok, while I was on vacation. A song with a beat much heavier than all the other songs playing on the PA system made me perk up and pay attention. Then children's voices piped up -- in Japanese, and I was in Thailand -- and they kept repeating one English word that I could recognize: 'chocolet-to'. I remember thinking it could have been some weird commercial for chocolate, but the music went on longer than any commercial should have. Intrigued, I was determined to research this band and find out more about this weirdness once I got back home. But the Internet being what it was back then, and me possessing the attention span of a goldfish, I completely forgot about it.

The second time I encountered BABYMETAL was when they took their first tour to the USA, and they appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to publicize their new album. That's when my memory clicked back, and I could now connect this distant memory of a song with its performers. So I looked them up on YouTube, curious to find out what they were like back in Japan. I saw the Gimme Choco video, and I dimly remember watching 'Headbanger' as well. My brain instantly shut down due to sensory overload. Also, the girls were too young to be making this kind of music. It felt so wrong. Somebody behind the scenes had to be exploiting these poor kids for profit, and I really didn't want to give them any more of my attention.

I guess it was the third time, encountering them on The First Take that I realized how talented SU and MOA were. If it had been just a quick cash grab like I thought back then, they wouldn't have continued making music this long, and they wouldn't have evolved their music to grow up along with them. And so began my delving into the Foxhole, perhaps hoping that their art could help inspire something of my own.

Spicy Asian fruit salad

The papaya is just a humble, common Asian fruit. To most of us, it's a sweet dessert fruit, cut to bite-sized portions and served chilled. But in Thailand, the pre-ripened fruit is mercilessly shredded and served with cut chillies as a sour-sweet, spicy appetizer that explodes in the mouth with an overwhelming mix of flavours. That's how it is with 'Pa Pa Ya!!', where even the song title is shredded!!

The dance beat hits right from the get-go. Everyone is jumping and amplifying the rhythmic pa pa ya vocalizations provided by guest collaborator, F. Hero, a Thai rapper of some renown. The verse comes in, catchy as heck. The pre-chorus builds anticipation, then whack! The chorus smashes in with even more energy, and we all go nuts. Very simple lyrics and a predictable composition makes it easy for the crowd to know when to respond with a "hey!" a "yo!" a "pa pa... ya!" and a towel (or official merch bandana) twirl.

Just when things get too predictable, F Hero shows up, spittin' a hard hitting rap in Thai-English, though on their world tour concerts it's a recording. His harsh, staccato flow contrasts against SU's melodic lines. Each brings their own distinctive flavour to the table, but both complement each other so well in this one delectable, exciting, and fun dish of a song.

The choreography borrows from traditional Thai dance, though not as heavily as it does from traditional Indian dance in 'Shanti Shanti Shanti'. There's a more contemporary feel to these movements as the traditional ones are blended in with F. Hero's Molam sub-culture.

BABYMETAL's positive vibe continues through this song, but they politely let F. Hero deliver the main lines:

Knock, knock, knock, struggling

Pound our lives with some happiness and sadness

Papaya needs to be pound[ed] hard

So it can be yummy, crispy and delicious

Translated lyrics from here.

I appreciate SU making the effort to roll her 'R's every time she sings "brrring it on, brrring it" in the pre-chorus. The 'R' sound is absent in most long-established Asian languages, so it has to be learned and practiced consciously to be pronounced. Props to her for striving to respect the languages she uses to engage her internationally diverse audience.

It's hard to believe we're all jumping, sweating, and yelling ourselves hoarse in a cardio workout of roughly 4 minutes to a song about fruit salad. Thanks, ladies!

The fourth member of the band

Although there is an official MV for 'Distortion', the ninth song in the KL setlist, I've chosen to feature footage from another fancam on site. Again, I hope they don't mind.

What we see is a view from the audience's perspective of what it's like being in the crowd at a BABYMETAL concert. This song, in particular, seems to invite the audience to join in with simple repetitive English phrases, and a catchy 'Wo-o-o-o-o-o-oh!', while we respectfully leave the Japanese words to SU.

It doesn't matter how badly we mangle our parts in the song, we're all creating this shared experience together, and it's part of the fun. It's especially awesome that these performers encourage the crowd to sing along, yet they still deliver a bangin' show without getting distracted or thrown off by our awful accompaniment.

It's this feeling like they treat us collectively as the fourth member of the band that makes their 'live' performances so special. It's possibly the reason that despite my miscreant tendencies, I had to buy a ticket to the show without hesitation. I wasn't going to be there just to coldly audit the show, I was going to be a part of it.

This monochrome firework

I started this BABYMETAL journey with 'Monochrome' on The First Take. I'm just a whatever's-on-the-radio's-fine-with-me mainstream guy, so I have no alignment to any musical preferences at all. While I did listen to Linkin Park (which is sort of metal) for a while back in the day, I was no fan of the genre as a whole. But when I stumbled on BABYMETAL performing on piano, I was intrigued. What would a metal song sound like without the metal? The performance SU and MOA presented was beautifully melodic, passionately, and sincerely delivered with love and tenderness -- so uncharacteristic of my stereotypical conception of metal that I got drawn in right away. If this is what metal can be, I want more!

Immediately, I searched for and found the official lyric video. Certainly, the instrumentation was heavy, as I'd expected, but the guitar produced yet another beautiful melody of its own, leading in to SU's main vocals and MOA's supporting vocals that hit like hammer on anvil, respectively, with the drummer putting out rhythms at a speed I'd never heard before. I didn't see any choreography since it was a lyric video, but when I discovered more of their music, the dance was yet another layer on a package that was both thoughtfully composed, and movingly heartfelt. And I'm a sucker for theatrical performances with high production values. And poetic lyrics that make you think. This band ticks all the right boxes for me, so I'll be stuck in this foxhole for quite a while yet.

Anyway, the featured video (above) is not the official lyric one, but a fan edit that was clearly painstakingly put together to integrate the official video with the band's 'live' performance, as I would have experienced in KL, although the size of the audience would have been a tiny fraction of what we see here. The girls here are dressed in their pre-world tour 2023 outfits, but if you go back to look at their current concert attire (which I saw them wear for the first time on The First Take singing 'The One -- Unfinished ver.'), they're still wearing all-black, but with plastic chromatic frills that reflect light in a spectrum of multi-colours. It's a clever way to brighten up an otherwise drab monochrome dress with a costume feature that creates dynamic rainbow colours with every movement. I believe this song is the very inspiration behind this unique design choice.

'Monochrome' appears on the KL tour setlist right in the middle of the repertoire, making it the feature song of the concert. For the special connection I have with this song, oddly enough in its non-metal form, it's definitely this fanboy's favourite.

BxMxC (the x's are silent)

We're now smack in the middle of the KL setlist, arguably where the most fun songs in the repertoire are. The energy skyrockets with fan-favourite 'BxMxC', a metal hip-hop rap battle. Pardon me if I leave my brain out of this one, and just jump with the beat, shouting along to the 'B! M! C!' chant, since there's no way I can match SU's spittin', even if I knew Japanese.

I imagine a scenario in which SU is having a heated debate with her Other, but she is monopolizing all the airtime, while the Other can't get a word in edgeways. Her upward inflections at the end of every line in the pre-chorus suggests that she ain't done talking yet, so just shut up and listen, yo! The choreo is aggressive, featuring lots of restrained kicks and sweeping punches. It's clear they've conquered and assimilated hip-hop, with SU throwin' down some acapella bars in the final verse for good measure.

The video I chose to feature above is their performance for TV broadcast on NHK. I feel that the official MV contains an unnecessary storytelling element, and that their 'live' shows are much better at showcasing their newer music. This video also features a short interview with SU and MOA, so I thought I'd let the ladies speak a bit, and introduce themselves for a change.