Finally, after almost two years of waiting! The album was actually released two days ago, but I wanted to listen to the album enough times to give a proper review, since it usually takes a while for Jay's songs to grow on you. There are mixed reviews for this album -- in general, people who liked his previous album, Capricon, doesn't like this album, while those who didn't like Capricon likes The Era. I belong to the third group -- the one which likes both albums. In a way, it's more daring than his previous album, which, albeit good, left one feeling like Jay wasn't really trying to make any breakthrough in the album. I guess it's because he's had more time to complete this album this time around, so it doesn't sound rushed and he could experiment more, with some new effects, type of music, and ways of singing. All in all, it's a great album, and it's still the same old Jay that we know and love :).
At first when I listened to the preview of this song, I was like, "NOOOO, he's using autotune!" However, after listening to the full song, the autotune is actually alright; it blends in with the song and it's not too obvious. Besides that, the song itself is nice! I like the piano part in the middle. I always like Jay's rock-ish songs.
2. 說了再見
2. 說了再見
I almost cried the first time I listened to this song, even when I wasn't looking at the lyrics, because he was singing the lyrics clearly and the way of singing spells out his sadness, even though it's not as desperate as some other songs of his. His falsetto sounds so sad, IDEK. See, Jay can sing clearly when he feels that it suits the song better! SIGH, I LOVE JAY'S BALLADS. I love this song :). And it gets better after each listen.
3. 煙花易冷
3. 煙花易冷
The first 中国风 song in this album. It's a soothing song and the rap is nice, but other than that I have nothing much to say ^^;;.
4. 免費教學錄影帶
4. 免費教學錄影帶
I think this is the first time Jay includes some English words in his songs? Must be all the Western influence from filing Green Hornet, haha ^^;;. I LOVE the spontaneity of the song! This song made me laugh out loud a couple of times, LOL. Especially the middle part, where there's a rather impressive guitar solo and suddenly the string broke HAHA. In the MV we see how he played that guitar solo; it's cool! But anyway, this is such an energetic, fun song, from the first second to the last. You can take my words on that! The lyrics are so playful, hehe ^^. He made a few funny sounds too (POK!), which are cute, but I think nothing can be cuter than those in 甜甜的 hahaha. The dance moves are cute too!
5. 好久不見
I like the lone, strong guitar in the beginning! He sings in Taiwanese in a good half of this song, which is not that great 'cos I don't understand it, but I don't mind haha. It's a very light-hearted, sweet song which will make you smile ^^.
6. 雨下一整晚
This song surprised me! It is the second 中国风 song in the album, which is already out of ordinary 'cos usually there's only one in each album, and moreover, the 中国风 element is only apparent from the instrumentals at the end of the first chorus onwards. Jay's singing is very good here! The beginning was totally gorgeous, with gentle-sounding guitar and his voice singing in a soft way, plus a bit of echo effect on the voice. He sings totally differently in the second verse, singing with a slightly hoarse voice and with a hint of a nonchalant attitude. I like the instruments used in this song a lot :)). There are a lot, but I can't name them due to my ignorance on Chinese instruments ^^;;. I feel that the ending is kinda abrupt; the song should be longer!
7. 嘻哈空姐
While in 跨時代 the use of autotune was okay, in this song, it turns me off -.-. Maybe it's because the autotune is used throughout this song, not just in the chorus like that in the earlier song. The song would have sounded much better if he had taken the autotune off the chorus. And the lyrics are so shallow; they totally turn me off. Its MV will have hot stewardesses in mini skirts asking, "Coffee, tea or me? -.- I am not gonna tell you that my favourite parts of this song are the "Ah~" sounds Jay makes at the end of a few sentences in the beginning, 'cos that sounds totally wrong, like HUH?!
8. 我落淚．情緒零碎
I like the piano melody! It's a really nice, soothing ballad, albeit sounds quite ordinary. 哭久了會累 也只是別人的以為.
9. 愛的飛行日記
Another collaboration with Gary. I guess Jay must really like working with Gary, huh xP. Not that I mind, because their voices go well together. Somehow all their songs give me a village feel, lol. This song reminds me a little of 陽光宅男 and 時光機, but other people might disagree with me.
10. 自導自演
This song reminds me of 对不起, especially because the strong beats in the background.
11. 超人不會飛
The first single off the album, which I had posted previously. I've grown to like this song a lot, and the lyrics too. Some parts of the lyrics made me laugh, but in general the whole song made me feel sorry for Jay, and well, perhaps celebrities in general. There is something about Jay's singing that is different here, and he used it in 說了再見 as well -- I can't put it into words but you'll perhaps notice it if you listen to the song, especially in the chorus part. I think Jay looks great in the MV :D.
Well, honestly, I like almost everything Jay makes. For me, 周杰倫 isn't just the name of a musician (or actor, director, whatever); it is also a brand of music, one totally unique genre that is different from the other genres. And I love that brand of music. That's why I LOVE JAY :).
