William Chong

Korean plums. Hot bubble milk tea. Blogging at work. Life is a diaspora of edible things and credible thoughts.

On Wednesday I had the misfortune of rolling my ankle while running down a hill searching for the next control. I managed to still lose to Leo, but Jared and Kristy tried out o’teering for the first time, which I think they enjoyed.

Went to Alicia’s birthday bash at Sixth Sense - being sociable, catching up with other people. Rainbow decided she wouldn’t like to be a flight attendant now that she’s been unsuccessful twice. Logan’s at animation school, May’s in her job for the benefits, and Joel wore a half-cowboy hat.

Paperclip was good – just sat around and chatted with Sonny and Dennis. One of the things about working as a writer is that you’re in mostly solitary mode through the week, except for the odd meeting or chat. So scheduling time to see friends and family is still paramount.

My dad came and went this time round. It’s good that we’ve moved on from our previous misunderstandings about his not-so-new relationship with Jennifer, and in any case life just goes on. I think the struggle now is trying to fathom why my mother doesn’t burn in my heart as strongly as before, and whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

2 years on and look where everyone is.

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Kelly O’Connor from the Rational Response Squad once said in a TV debate, “I’d rather go to hell than worship a megalomaniacal tyrant God.”

The last I heard, He took the fall for us – is that so tyrannical?

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Ethan Waters: Crushes and Waves EP

A college pop audio film about fleeting short distance relationships. B+.

Up and coming singer-songwriter Ethan Waters, who also goes by the pseudonym of Dennis Liu, is onto something. His first EP, Crushes and Waves is a self-described concept album in true singer-songwriter vein providing a well-rounded mélange of college pop.

Centred on the ubiquitous “that girl” narrative, Waters (currently an Honours film student at Auckland Uni) sings earnestly. He dubs and redubs subtle-yet-significant layers of thoughtful guitar-based instrumentation through the songs. He plays it safe with pleasing acoustic riffs and a rather conservative range of keys, accompanied with smart lyrics that draw on frequent music and film references. His voice is mellow and the music is all him, down to the almost toy-like drum loops. But don’t be surprised to hear clarinets and strings mixed with victorious brass buildups when he sings about spaceships.

Crushes and Waves is an admirable achievement that explores love. He asks, “What do we have to lose anyway?” in Untitled, a mix of Bloc Party rhythm and Jay Chou-style sensitivity. He talks about what’s missing in life in Before we wake, in true never-been-jilted fashion. This is very much a collection of tracks with an underlying, infectious enthusiasm – One Day stands out with its optimism and fairground-fun beats.

Waters doesn’t shy from the soulful or the reflective however – with Where to go’s nostalgic echo drums underpinning heartfelt lyrics, he asks “Am I close to the place that everyone calls love?” The EP’s arc draws a journey of budding love, from the first “Let’s do this before we wake…” to the last “…you were part of every doubt” – almost a tear-jerking moment as the CD spins down.

Yes, there are concerns – Heart on my sleeve could have broken ranks from its Green Day-Time of my Life guitar strums and step towards a new and daring youth anthem (in the “Oo wo-oh, oo wo-oh”). There’s voice-range issues, just a bit too much of recitative-like lyrics in One of those girls, and some awkwardly sung meter (like when the girl has “absolutely no acting chops”). But maybe Waters’s bold musical enjambments are just what we need in among today’s recycle-pop and hollow top 40 tracks. And if his upcoming music and film works are any indication, this guy’s just getting started.

One Day Music Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbvw0q6h-1U
Website – http://www.ethanwaters.com/
Artist contact – waters dot ethan at gmail dot com

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This review was published in Issue #3 of Craccum magazine on 17 March 2008.

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