Sodagreen does Shiina Ringo!

At a recent roadside concert to promote the 'Walk Together' concerts, someone requested for sodagreen to sing Shiina Ringo's 'Yokushitsu', or 'Bathroom'. Tsing-Fong obliged, and remarked that Xiaowei and A-fu could just turn the song into 'Kitchen'. They performed only a part of the song, but I was delighted at the prospect of sodagreen covering a song by a singer I really respect. Shiina Ringo is a great artist, and sodagreen's cover largely did justice to the glorious original. I was surprised that they decided to perform SR's 'Stem' at a Hong Kong concert last month, and this cover only reinforces the growing suspicion that they are SR fans like me. :)

Deserts Chang releases new song

Long-time sodagreen friend Deserts Chang has released the MV of the main plug for her new album 'Games We Play'. Entitled 'Brilliant Fire' (艷火), it has a light rock-ish sound combined with an indie-like arrangement. Although the tune is nice, the lyrics make the song as beautiful as it is. Here's the Youtube link:

Latest movements

 

According to media reports, Tsing-Fong was suffering from gastroenteritis as sodagreen recorded a programme in Taiwan, where the band performed many of their classic songs. During the recording, he frequently joked about his condition, leading to much laughter from the audience.

Because of his gastroenteritis, Tsing-Fong could only eat crackers, which led to (the host) Blackie Chen to say, "No wonder you're called 'sodagreen'!"*

During the show, Tsing-Fong criticised the government for saying they wanted to help the creative industry but not doing much to help, citing the expensive venue rental prices as an example. "(Does the government) actually use any of the money collected on us?" He asked. "We practically can't feel anything," Blackie Chen said.

Tsing-Fong also spoke about people flaming him on PTT, saying (jokingly, I hope) that he doesn't care about them because "these people don't have enough class; no matter how they do it they won't be able to attack me because they all aren't as mean* as me!" He also talked about how he become friends with a former critic after they managed to civilly exchange their viewpoints and gain respect for each other.

Source: ETtoday

(This is a translated article.)

Translator's notes (Yes, here too):
* This is a pun. 'Crackers' can be translated as 'suda bing' in Chinese, which literally means 'soda biscuits'.
* The term he used: 'jian suan ke bo' can mean 'mean', 'harsh', 'sarcastic', 'cold', or/and 'distant'. This may or may not (I may be too sensitive about this) also be a pun, as 'suan' was the word used to describe the action of disturbing, or in this context, flaming Tsing-Fong.

Meanwhile, in other news, the band's good friend Deserts Chang will release her new album, 'Games We Play', on the 10th of August. The first plug, 'Fireworks '焰火', was released to stations on the 2nd this month. I've heard it, and it sounds great like her other songs, and it's also the one she sang at the sodagreen concert in March. Do support her when the album comes out!

Spain wins Euro 2012

Unrelated, I know, but I just can't resist broadcasting my delight. Spain played classy football and Italy was just unlucky. Talking about sports, I think that almost all the members of sodagreen (except A-gong) were involved in sports at some point of time. A-fu was a school basketball player, and Tsing-Fong was briefly on the team as well. Xiaowei, Claire and Jiakai were in the swimming team in university. Those who say Tsing-Fong is girly can eat their words. :P

Sodagreen to feature in another short film

Sodagreen will appear in yet another mainland-produced short film, officially entitled 'I Love You to Love Me', and I don't know if this should be good or bad news for us fans. The band seems to have set their sights on conquering the mainland market this year, with their nationwide tour, the endless promotion campaigns as well as the two short films. All of these things would undoubtedly provide them with a lot of good exposure and good press, but once again, the prospect of 'commercialisation' looms. With the previous short film a platform for a car/soft drinks (I'm still not sure) firm to advertise their brand name, the new short film, set to be released on the 6th of July all around China, will feature products from brands like LG and Samsung, all sponsored by Suning Appliance, one of the largest privately owned electrical appliance retailers in China, according to Wikipedia.

The exposure may be a good thing for the band, but I'd rather them stick to what they do best- music. It's good for artists to branch out to other media to fully utilise their talents and skills, but exhaustion and pressure may get to them and it's never good for their health and productivity. Look what happened to Jay Chou, who insisted on releasing an album every year despite his busy filming schedule. His albums have (in my personal opinion, Jay fans, sorry and please don't be annoyed) steadily deteriorated in quality. They seem rushed and lack the passion and energy that could be heard on his earlier albums. I appreciate sodagreen's somewhat sudden interest in film work, but I'd love to hear that 'Autumn' album out soon, especially since autumn would soon arrive in Beijing, where the band plans to record the album.



According to the official synopsis, Mark (Zhao Youting) and Dizi (Yao Di) are a couple who fell in love at first sight at a concert by sodagreen, a mutual friend (?!). When the brightness and beauty of love runs into the complications and troubles of everyday life, tension mounts between the two of them. After a quarrel, Dizi chooses to leave temporarily, going far away to further her education. Would their love end like this? Can their dreams continue? You can find your answer in this short film.

According to the source, sodagreen's presence made the short film seem just like an MV, with the band performing many of their classic songs. Before the launch of the film, trailers would be uploaded onto media-sharing platforms like Youku, Sina, Tengxun, Wangyi and Souhu. At the same time, the producers would commence a 'Love Precepts' promotional activity on Weibo, sharing with fans the feelings the film seeks to bring across.

Despite my personal opinion that the band seems to be getting too caught up in the somewhat over-commercialised mainland entertainment scene, I am looking forward to the movie. I hope that it would be successful and would not feature too much blatant advertising. The news comes as a bit of a surprise to me as the band members have never mentioned anything about it on their Weibo accounts. Sodagreen released a new song together with the previous short film, so I'm hoping that they would take this opportunity to release another new song. This may be wishful thinking, though...

Translations for 'What Is Troubling You' complete!

It's been hard translating all of the songs- I highly suspect that there are more than just a few translation errors lying around, but I'll make changes where necessary. But most importantly, here are the English translations for sodagreen's latest album, 'What Is Troubling You'. I hope that anyone who happens to read this would find them useful! You can find other (uncompleted) album translation projects by clicking on the 'English Translations' tab right at the top of the page, under the banner!

WHAT IS TROUBLING YOU 你在煩惱什麼 (2011)

1. 片刻永恆 This Moment is Forever (Instrumental)
    Music: sodagreen
2. 幸福額度 The Limit of Happiness
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
3. 你被寫在我的歌里 I Wrote of You in My Song (ft. Ella Chen)
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
4. 如果凝結就是愛 If Love is Like Condensation
    Lyrics: Gong Yu-chi
    Music: Gong Yu-chi
5. 喜歡寂寞 Enjoy Loneliness
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
6. 燕窝 Bird's Nest
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
7. 茧 Cocoon
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
8. 当我们一起走过 As We Walked Together
    Lyrics: Shih Jyun-wei
    Music: Shih Jyun-wei
9. 浪漫派 Romantics
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Liou Jiakai
10. 控制狂 Control Freak
      Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
      Music: Shih Jyun-wei
11. 你在烦恼什么 What Is Troubling You (ft. Suming)
      Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
      Music: Wu Tsing-Fong

浪漫派 Romantics*- English translation

路过的狂歌者 躁动的音乐声
正认真准备着坠落的一盏星辰
掉落的一根针 在寂寞上睡着了
正忐忑祈祷着平安的一队旅人

Wild singers are passing by with the restless sound of music
Earnestly preparing for a falling star
A fallen needle is asleep on top of loneliness
A band of travellers anxiously pray for peace

发梢雨丝彼此磨蹭
风的强迫症

Hair and rain wear each other out
The obsession of the wind

我的红色敏感 你的灰色地带
流水云彩 无关紧要的对白
起劲到费力的爱

My red sensitivity; your grey region
Water and clouds; unneccesary dialogue
Energises that straining love

怎么说 你的眼是一面失焦的镜
因此我多喜欢看着你 像看自己
弦月的脚步声 华丽得令人窒息
或舞蹈或劳动 或漠然得令人着迷

How do I put it? Your eyes are like an unfocused mirror
Because of this, I like watching you; it’s like watching myself
The steps of the string-like moon are suffocating in their splendour
In dancing or in labouring, or in its bewitching indifference

比一尾鱼更哑更聋
更冷进怀里

Muter and deafer than a fish
And colder in my embrace

我的金色狂烈 你的墨色呜咽
身体取悦 灵魂已凋谢
我的褪色倒影 你的染色身形
我将是你 最丑陋的装饰品
炙热到冷却的心

My golden intensity; your ink-coloured sobbing
The flesh obtains gratification while the spirit withers
My fading reflection; your tinted physique
I will soon become your ugliest, crudest decoration
A heart heated so much that it becomes cold

越发鲜艳 终究成为一团黑

No matter how bright it becomes, it would become a black mass* in the end

快乐不再是重点
忧郁不再来盘旋
无穷无尽的思念
以真以假的爱恋

Happiness is no longer the point
Depression will no longer linger
Endless longing and yearning
Love based on both truths and falsehoods

Translator's notes:
* My personal interpretation of the title is that it refers to participants in the Romantic movement, or Romanticism, which in Chinese is '浪漫主义'. The '派' in the title refers to people belonging to a certain group, or a clique. Thus, I rendered the English title as 'Romantics', participants in the Romantic movement. You could very well accuse me of not having done my research, but from what I know, Romanticism is connected to Bohemianism, another artistic movement, which is often associated with a lifestyle dedicated to the arts as well as loose living and hippies. I'm not sure what Tsing-Fong means, giving his song this title, but as the first sodagreen song I've seen with relatively obvious references to sex (Tsing-Fong's confirmed this himself), the title could be a reference to this. I know my 'argument' is weird, but *shrugs* I'm no Literature student.
* 'A black mass' here is my translation of '一团黑', which literally translates as 'a group of black'. You could replace 'a black mass' with 'a pile of darkness' or 'completely dark'. I felt that 'black mass' better captures the essence and flow of the lyric. 'Black mass' in the translation does not refer to the rite, the Black Mass.