HSM3

This was first on my personal blog but it's music-related so I decided to post it here..
I watched High School Musical 3 for the first time a while ago, and I cried. Now you might think, why would someone like me cry over something like that?

I cried because three years ago on June 5, 2006 at seven-thirty in the evening I was sitting in front of the TV, my thumb on the record button of the remote pointed to the VCR recorder, ready to tape and document the first airing of High School Musical in Asia. I cried because three years ago, I bought the limited edition soundtrack the day it hit stores here and I still have the receipt to prove it. I cried because two years ago, for my grade school graduation, my cousin in the US sent me the Remix DVD and it's there on my dresser, right next to my Westlife DVDs.

I cried because two years ago, I was waiting day and night to hear the second movie's soundtrack and when I did, I was blown away. I cried because a week later, I saw the movie before any of my classmates saw it and it wasn't what I was expecting. I cried because last year, I was the first one to let my classmates hear Now Or Never but I never watched the movie in the cinema.

I cried because the songs are brilliant, because every other new musical nowadays is compared to it. I cried because I'd like to think I've witnessed Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu and all the other main cast members go from DCOM actors/actresses to superstars.

But most of all, I cried because whether or not me or you or anyone else likes these movies, it defined my generation. This will be the movie that people in the future will associate us with, not Twilight or any other movie, THIS is the one that we'll carry with us to wherever we go.

# 24: HSM 3 Cast - A Night To Remember

Ah yes, the phenomenon that is High School Musical. I must admit, I was a huge fan, when I was in the sixth grade! I don't know, I suppose this is the style that's already marked my generation for the next ones, but it's not like I'm complaining, there are some amazing songs that've come out of it.

A Night To Remember is one of them.

I ADORE this song, it's this huge show-stopping uptempo and it's catchy as hell. Melodically it's probably one of the strongest songs over the three movies and arrangement-wise, it's new and fresh. Can this get any better?

Oh yes it can.

I love the fact that the cast's nasal voices aren't highlighted too much on this track compared to the others. Could it be because they're kind of screaming during the chorus? Maybe.

Still, I won't deny that I sort of grew up with this movie, and it's going to be remembered for years to come, no matter how cheesy some of the songs get.

New Music!

This week was full of amazing album leaks and releases, so what better way to celebrate than to look back at all the releases I've written about, and write about some more!

• Some amazing releases from Leon Jackson, The Saturdays and Craig David and the Clique Girlz came out/leaked this week. Check out my reviews!
• On the subject of the Clique Girlz, their album is worth at least one listen for you, but there are songs like So Hard, So Far and Who Wouldn't Wanna that are worth careful consideration, they rock! One issue I have though, is the amount of covers on the album, and the fact that there are two covers from one artist.
• The new Lady GaGa tracks from her US release are goooood! It's a nice shift from her regular album that I kind of got a bit sick of..
• HSM3 hit theaters here yesterday, and I was in one of the big malls. Tons and tons of kids watching! It's a good thing I won't be watching for the next week or so, mainly because there are too many people.
• Clips of the new Girls Aloud album have surfaced. Popjustice said not to listen to them, but when I read it, I had already heard the whole sampler. Still, it's proving to be a strong album, a worthy opponent to The Sugababes and The Saturdays.
• BoA has been planning a US launch, and Eat You Up is proving well with the music blog circuit. Some of the lyrics(yum, yum????!!) are strange, but the melody is good and the dancing is amazing, as usual.
• Britannia High starts Sunday night in the UK, I don't know what to expect, really. Start Of Something is not bad, but it sounds like an attempt to make another I Dream. I adore I Dream, but I don't see the point in another one.
• The new weekly top ten is up, a lot of new entries and a lot of exits, but all of this week's new releases are represented! Last week's number one song, Side Chick slips to number four, behind Leon Jackson's Ordinary Days, which enters at number three Craig David's Insomnia, which retains it's number two position, and The Saturdays' Work, which zooms into the coveted top spot. To see the whole thing, look for the chart on the sidebar!

What to expect this week:

• An X Factor Live Show Recap
• Some Taylor Swift?
• And let's hope we get more new releases!

High School Musical!?

Now, we all know that the songs from each HSM movie follow a pattern based on the first movie. So what is it? Let's do a recap of the songs from the first movie and their counterparts during the second(and maybe some predictions from the 3rd movie..)

• First, there are your 'Start Of Something New' and the 'What I've Been Looking For''s. These songs are the secondary songs that Troy and Gabriella sing, second to 'Breaking Free'. The 'What I've Been Looking For''s almost always have reprises, whether it's slower or faster. In the second movie, if I'm correct there was only one song that applied to this, 'You Are the Music In Me'. In the third movie, the 'Start Of Something New' equivalent will be either 'Right Here, Right Now' or 'Can I Have This Dance' and the 'What I've Been Looking For' equivalent will be the medley of reprises.
• Then you've got your 'Get'cha Head In The Game''s, which are always sung by the guys(most often with Troy and/or Chad on lead/s) and have something to do with sports and game and competition or something to that effect. In the second movie it was 'I Don't Dance' and yet another prediction from me is that the 3rd equivalent is 'The Boys Are Back'.
• Let's move over to a Sharpay song, the 'Bop To The Top''s. This is the main Sharpay/Ryan song in every movie and in the second one it was 'Fabulous'. In the third one, it's clearly 'I Want It All', very Sharpay.
• The second Troy and/or Gabriella song are the 'When There Was Me and You''s, the heartbreak-like songs. In the second movie, it was 'Gotta Go My Own Way' and possibly 'Bet On It'. For the third movie, I'm guessing it'll be 'Walk Away', but I haven't heard it yet so I'm not really sure.
• Now you've got your 'Breaking Free''s. For the past two movies, these have always been sung at some kind of talent thingy. In the first one, it was an audition and for 'Everyday' in the second one, it was the country club's talent show. I can't really clearly see an equivalent from the third movie yet, but I think it's 'Right Here, Right Now'.
• And finally, you have your ending team spirit/resolving, 'We're All In This Together' songs. In the second movie it was 'All For One' and in the third one, I'm guessing again that it's 'High School Musical'
• Now, one song that wasn't in the first movie, but is clear in the second and third movies is a 'What Time Is It?'. In the third movie, it's predictably 'Now Or Never' and coincidentally, they were both first singles. Strange, much?
• Then we have the songs that weren't in the movies but are on the soundtracks. For the first movie, it was 'I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' and in the second it was 'Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. I have a feeling for the third movie it's 'Last Chance' perhaps?

So, what do you guys think? Am I right or have I got anything wrong? Comment away!

Things have been quite slow for me this week..

Seriously.

I got sick, missed out on 3/4 of the school week(my school week has four days in it, Mondays off!) and apparently, I missed out on some cool and not so cool stuff in music... check it out. Oh, and also included in this post are some of my re-discoveries and recent musical findings...

• Why did it not surprise me when I heard that Britney Spears is releasing an album and a single this year? Oh, right... MOVING ON,
• The new Leona Lewis song off her UK re-release is nothing special. I'm not a big fan of the rap at the start, but the chorus is not bad. Still, for me, 'Misses Glass' is the better track. You can hear it on the UK re-release of 'Spirit', which hits shelves on the UK on November 17 so get your copy, OK? OK.
• The single, 'Forgive Me', is nothing special as well. I kinda liked it when the album just came out last year but I'm afraid it doesn't quite cut it for me.. 
• I cannot get the new Christina Aguilera song out of my head! Seriously, it won't go away! Which prompted a look back at her music over the years, which I might write about in the coming week.. might.
• I found the European edition of Atomic Kitten's 'Feels So Good' in a bargain bin at my local record store yesterday. Just how lucky am I?
• I'm eagerly awaiting BoA's US debut, the song is absolutely phenomenal! Could we have another Leona Lewis(in a different way, I think Leona got too overrated after she cracked the US) in our hands? We'll wait and see.
• New HSM3 Songs are slowly leaking and coming out on iTunes, even a sampler has made its way into the blogs.
• I haven't listened to the new Pussycat Dolls album yet, but I'll get to doing that one of these days. Although I'm not really hot about them, they're worth one listen at the very least.
• Some cool new single/album covers just in(click to enlarge), I adore them! The colors on the Agnes one remind me of the new iPod Nanos(I'm getting one day after tomorrow!):

What to expect this week:

• Maybe a flashback to Christina Aguilera's debut album, it's definitely one of my favorites from the late 90's/early 2000's.
• A review of The Saturdays' new single, 'Up'?
• More random, spur of the moment, short reviews..
• And some unexpected stuff!

Some songs I just got, re-discovered or listened to again this week..

Let's get this rolling..

1. Just in this morning from Ashley Tisdale, 'I'm Back' is not something I'm raving about. Stylistically, the song is good, the melody's strong and the vocals are well, expected. What blows it for me is that she made absolutely no transition from her first album, it doesn't sound fresh. I'm always complaining that artists change too much in the wrong way or experiment too much once they release their sophomore albums(Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus...) and now I complain that they don't change, what am I really looking for? I need something that's fresh, new but not completely different. The best example of my point is Jordan Pruitt. Her first album was good, it showed off her vocals and it defined her as an artist. Her sophomore release was amazing, the songs were gorgeous but if you listened to her first and didn't know that you were listening to her second, you'd know it's her. So I hope Ashley's new album is light years better than Vanessa's.

2. I've heard the new NKOTB album and there are a few solid tracks but I just re-discovered(if I even did..) their current single, 'Single'(redundant much..). I don't know if it's the video or the song or what but I clearly remember that when I first heard the song, I wasn't a big fan of it. Oh well, things change.

3. The 'Extended' iTunes version of 'Now or Never' from HSM3 is the same old 'Now or Never' we've all heard with maybe some dialogue and a longer start, nothing special.

4. Just got my hands on Annie's new album, 'Don't Stop'. I haven't listened to the whole thing though, but it's looking up to be a great album.

5. I caught on to the Chris Brown 'Forever' frenzy a bit late but hey, I can't believe I absolutely adore the song. It's a bit more pop than his other songs(which explains why I like it..) but(here we go again with the identity thing..) it's very him. The chorus is as catchy as you can get and it fits perfectly into the club scene without a remix! I just can't get enough of this song! I still kinda cringe a bit when I hear the doublemint catch phrase, but I must admit, the advert and the way it's tied up with the song is hands-down brilliant, see?