Album Reviews

Album Review: Nantida Kaewbuasai – “’17”

Posted by Tahmnong on July 9, 2017
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I know this album has been out for several months now, but I’m finally getting around to listening to it in its entirety~
Nantida Kaewbuasai is one of Grammy’s oldest pop divas, and I was happy to see her still doing her thing and making a comeback after an 8 year break since her previous release.
Whether you were a fan of Nantida from her beginnings in the 80s, or if you’ve just recently discovered her, I think ’17 an excellent showcase for how far she’s come in both the music industry and everyday life.

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Album Review: Paradox – “Before Sunrise / After Sunset”

Posted by Tahmnong on May 7, 2017
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So this isn’t exactly a new release, having come out at the end of January, but I’m extremely disappointed in myself that it took me this long to get around to listening and reviewing Paradox’s latest album, “Before Sunrise / After Sunset,” because this is the first album in a long, long time I would rate a perfect 10/10.

I’ve been a fan of Paradox since the 90s, and the best thing about this band is that, though they have evolved and have such a wide range of styles, they still have an underlying unique “flavor” that you can hear a song and instantly recognize it as them, even to this day. Even after being signed to GMM Grammy’s Genie records branch for a while now, they never let going major greatly affect their music, and I really respect that. This album contains singles dating back to 2013, and as such, has a whopping 22 tracks on it! Not only do you definitely get your money’s worth for this release, but with such variety in their musical stylings and unique, poetic lyrics, there is literally something for everyone in this album.

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Album Review: Getsunova – “The First Album”

Posted by Tahmnong on June 14, 2016
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Getsunova~ After so many years of chart-topping singles, the band finally gets their work fully compiled on their first major album, aptly titled “The First Album.”

Anyone who knows me knows that I haven’t exactly held the highest opinion of this band and have regarded them with mixed feelings, despite their explosion in world-wide popularity, but I tried to put aside my personal opinions of the band members and focus on the music itself. Though that was pretty simple; as Getsunova have had so many releases over the years that were put on this album, since 2012, only two of the songs are B-sides that haven’t previously been singles or movie/drama soundtracks, and thus were the only new songs for me that I haven’t heard before.

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Album Review: Slur – “B”

Posted by Tahmnong on February 6, 2016
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Alternative rock band Slur’s latest album, “B,” actually came out about a month and a half ago, so I’m a little late with this review. The band has been around for a while and has become a fairly staple band among alternative rock fans, especially after the growth in popularity of Pae Arak, who used to be the guitarist before he quit to focus on his acting and solo careers. Though Slur has never been a particular favorite of mine personally, they have had some songs with really intriguing or humorous lyrics, and some songs with a catchy, unique sound that I have enjoyed, so I was looking forward to giving their latest release a listen. However, after the first time I heard it from start to finish, I had little to no motivation to listen to it again, and it took a lot of will-power for me to translate all the songs, listen a few more times, and write up this review, which I feel already says a lot for this album.

But, after a lot of feet-dragging, here I am, and my first impression is that this album is pretty black and white; I’m pretty equally torn between loving half the tracks and hating the other half, with no “eh, it’s all right” grey area in between.
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Album Review: The Yers – “YOU”

Posted by Tahmnong on December 20, 2015
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After a couple years since their last album, Y, Genie rock band The Yers are back with a brand new release entitled “You” ~
When I first browsed through this album teaser video Grammy uploaded to get a first overall feel of it, I originally wasn’t that impressed; with so many songs seeming to have the same beat, speed, and vocal sound, I thought they sounded too similar and was afraid the whole album would be flat and monotonous. However, after I finally was able to listen to the album in its entirety, paying more attention to each individual song, I found myself pretty taken by it~ I think Grammy chose horrible soundbites for the teaser video, and it’s actually a fairly solid release for this group.

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Album Review: 25 Hours – “Mom & Pop Shop”

Posted by Tahmnong on September 12, 2015
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The very first major label release for band 25 Hours, I have been eagerly anticipating their Mom & Pop Shop album since it was first mentioned. I’ve been following 25 Hours since their very first indie debut. There’s just something so unique and endearing about them, about their sound, about their lyrics, I had no doubt that they would go far in the music industry, and I couldn’t wait for this album to come out. Now that it has and I’ve listened to it in its entirety over and over numerous times… I’m afraid those of you who prefer my negative reviews, criticisms, and snarky comments might find this review a bit boring, as I think I can only gush about this album.

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Album Review: Yinglee Sijumpol – “อยู่เย็นเป็นโสด (Yoo Yen Bpen Soht)”

Posted by Tahmnong on August 9, 2015
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Thailand’s currently reigning country princess Yinglee Sijumpol is back with a much anticipated second album, “อยู่เย็นเป็นโสด / Yoo Yen Bpen Soht (Living Singly).”

Yinglee exploded in popularity from the very beginning with the debut single “ขอใจเธอแลกเบอร์โทร / Kor Jai Tur Laek Bur Toh (I Want Your Heart In Exchange For My Number).” If you were in Thailand from 2012 to 2014, you’ve heard the song, it was everywhere; at restaurants, in shops, in bars, on the radio in taxis and on buses, everyone was singing it in karaoke and making covers… And while it was a catchy song, I must admit I didn’t understand what the hype was. It was a nice song, but it was just..nice. Her debut album, too, was a nice solid first release, but again, didn’t blow me away and wasn’t something I could listen to for extended periods of time. I guess I just didn’t understand all the fuss and didn’t jump on the Yinglee bandwagon right away. But then I gave her new album a try…

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Album Review: Sek Loso – “Part 2”

Posted by Tahmnong on July 11, 2015
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Sek Loso - Part 2 album cover

I wasn’t even aware he was working on a new album, but veteran rock and roll star Sek Loso is back with his latest release, “Part 2,” his second album since his stint in rehab following an unveiling of his drug addiction. Seems like the singer has split ways with major label GMM Grammy that has hosted him and his former band, Loso, for almost two decades, and is now with indie label, Yess Records, but Sek shows no signs of slowing down his music career, regardless of his age, label, or public favor, as he makes it clear throughout this album.

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Album Review: Sek Loso – I’m Back

Posted by Tahmnong on May 18, 2014
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Credit: Gmember for the top picture

A little late, I know, considering rock god Sek Loso’s comeback album came out last November, but I was so busy moving, and my friend and fellow translator/reviewer Ann Norman wrote such a lovely review of Sek Loso’s “I’m Back” that I never got to share, so I wanted to finally give everyone a chance to read it~ 🙂

Sek Loso’s new release, aptly titled “I’m Back,” is the first since his hospitalization for drug addiction and a subsequent year-plus-long bout with severe depression, specifically bipolar disorder. His fans and well-wishers can be relieved that the sidelined rockstar has returned with a solid album. I’m not the best one to review it. I know of Sek Loso mainly because of the mutual respect between him and Aed Carabao (Sek calls P’Aed a hero). I am a huge Aed Carabao fan, but even I have to admit that, these days, the younger man outsings our hero. Sek Loso has a rich deep voice with an eerie vibrato. He reminds me of Lady Gaga somehow, being an enormously skilled performer channeling mysterious wild energies. I recently saw a YouTube in which Sek pulls off a flawless and oddly erotic cover of “Booa Loey” while simultaneously smoking a cigarette, playing guitar, and strolling through the crowd, greeting fans.
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Album Review: Ebola – “Still Alive”

Posted by Tahmnong on July 27, 2013
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It’s been a while since my last album review, though to be fair, there hasn’t been much in the way of full releases lately that aren’t just compilations of older songs or multiple artists. But rock band Ebola has finally released their EP “Still Alive,” aptly titled since it’s been a couple years since the band has released anything, and a 5-track half-album is better than nothing! 🙂

Ebola is one of Thailand’s pretty well-established rock bands, having been around since the late 90s, and I respect them for their dedication and the music they produce, though for me their songs have always been hit-or-miss. It seemed like with every album there was always one or two songs that I absolutely loved to death, but then the rest of the album was full of slow rock ballads with sappy sad and pessimistic lyrics that were just bland to me. But because of those handful of songs that are just too awesome for words, I’m always willing to give their new releases a listen.

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