1 |
Intro
Back To - Instrumental |
2 |
Eternal
Summer – Ah Shin |
3 |
Hug
- Mayday |
4 |
Understand
– New Artiste |
5 |
Purity
– Fish Leong |
REVIEW
This one hit me real hard.
While
some soundtrack albums feel too lengthy with over an hour
of material, this one broke me down with merely less than
20 minutes of music. The job was done with just a 20-second
instrumental piece and four Mandarin pop songs.
The
above description may not seem like a big deal, but trust
me, once you grasp the concept behind this disc; you’d
be feeling the fragility and vulnerability of human memories.
And
you’d be soaking yourself in the bittersweet melancholy
of things.
To
provide some context, this Taiwanese film tells the story
of two boys and a girl caught in the confusion and tension
of adolescence. Uncontrollable feelings and strains (cue hints
of homosexuality) only culminate in feelings of helplessness
at the end of the day.
Opening
the album is a short but poignant synthesizer track that sets
the mood of the album. Following that are four songs that
depict the different moods we once went through while growing
up.
Ah Shin from popular band Mayday belts out the main theme
song “Eternal Summer” for the film, stressing
on the angst and anguish we are all so familiar with. Amidst
the rock-influenced melody, the repeated lyrics “I Want/
I Am Angry/ I Am In Love” only add to the poignancy
of this desire to hold on to our memories.
Then
we have a familiar tune “Hug” sung by Mayday,
which balances the romanticism and idealism of youth. “Understand”
performed by a new unrevealed artiste is a sweet recollection
of the notion of love we once experienced. And closing the
album is Fish Leong’s cover of Mayday’s “Purity”,
which once again makes you want to remember every fond memory
you once had.
Also
included in the album are the music video for “Eternal
Summer” and a six-minute clip with snippets from the
movie. Judging by the footage, I can say it would be a viewing
experience which will move the most cynical.
After
repeated listening to this short album, I read the simple
liner notes which said: “Because of what we cannot abandon,
what other things have we given up along the way?”.
Those words made me desperately want to hold on to my memories
even more.
And
it struck me hard, how lonely we are in this busy world.
SOUNDTRACK
RATING:
 
Review
by John Li
|
