Kuniaki Haishima – Grain

“Grain” is dark, atmospheric, chilling, surreal. It reaches for the sacred while wallowing in the profane. It is like nothing else I have heard. It is perfection.

Monster OST 1 - GRAIN (opening theme)

It is also the opening theme for Monster, one of the best fictional work I have ever experienced, in any medium. Highly recommend, even for, to use a cliché, people who hate cartoons.

Kyon – Hare Hare Yukai

On one sunny day
She, who is endlessly wishing for
The fun beyond magic, is a problem

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱) or The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi was one of the better anime of 2006. Not the best, mind you, but definitely one of my top 5. The ending theme Hare Hare Yukai (Sunny Sunny Fun) is generic J-pop fluff (i.e. not my idea of art or a good time), but the ending animation is strangely addictive, a guilty pleasure.

Just found out recently that the voice actors each recorded a version of Hare Hare Yukai in character. Thanks to YouTube, I managed to listen to a few. Mostly rather mediocre (as I expected) but there is one gem, the Kyon version.

ハレ晴レユカイ~Ver.キョン~

It has a bluesy, “unplugged” feel, and Kyon (Tomokazu Sugita) has a fine singing voice. Plus, the lyrics are hilarious for anybody who’s seen the show, or read the manga or novels.

Jim Carrey – I Am The Walrus

There! I did it! I defiled a timeless work of art!

Sir George Martin’s “In My Life”, meant to be his farewell album, gathered some unlikely personalities covering Beatles songs, with Sir George producing, of course. Having Jim Carrey do a cover may seem like a joke, much less something iconic like I Am The Walrus, but… well listen for yourself.

I guess Jim proves on this track his performance of the Might Mouse theme in the Man On The Moon was no fluke. A great set of pipes, and the progression from just plain crazy to totally deranged is perfect for the song.

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Categorized as Music

Look over there! No, THERE!

Seen posted on the F365 forum by a Gooner:

“Lets al laugh at…
Liverpool and all the other clubs that will finish below Arsenal without any silverware this season….”

There’s sad and then there’s PATHETIC.