The first band voted by Singaporeans. Champion of a talent scouting competition, Superband, milubing has finally debuted, after a wait of more than a year. I have never really paid much attention to the competition, never really took note of this band, which means i wont be able to compare their performance in this album to that in the competition. It would be a fresh start, no prior impressions.

The first track, 泪 (tears), is the first hit of the album. I first heard it over the radio, and was utterly impressed. The song was written by milubing themselves. I am not sure if they have prior experiences, but i would say that this song is good. it isnt a typical slow and calming song, which i expected from the title of the track. instead, it made use of the fast beat to bring out the agony and pain. maybe it’s just me, but in the mandopop industry, i dont see much of this. usually, songs with titles like this would be linked to a very slow and sweet kind of song. i would say that this is a good attempt away from the norm. by placing this as the first track, it does leave a good impression.

the next track, 适应, is a slower song written by Sam, the drummer, and remains the 2nd hit of the album. very slow and soothing, quite a breakthrough from 泪 i would say, yet it brings out the feeling equally well, or even better. it is the kind of a song which would get you addicted to it…泪, gets you up, all angsty. the track following,适应, however would calm you down, and brings you to another kind of sadness. There is an acoustic version of this song later in the album [track 7]. i’d have to say, this is a song that really would get stuck in your head…

next up is Get Alive, another upbeat song, a total breakthrough from the previous track. I wouldnt say that i loved it when i first heard it, but i wouldnt say that i didnt like it either. However, it would just grow on you, and you cant help but just start to get high along with the song. It might not be the best. In fact, it might be just slightly above average, but i would say that it really did reach its goal, which is to make you just go high. The purpose of this song was just to encourage people to take a break from whatever you are doing, and just to get high, abit like mayday’s 离开地球表面. yes, compared to mayday, they are not as good, but they have tried, and are trying, and at the very least, achieved the initial goal.

Track 4, 天使眷恋, would be another ballad i pretty enjoy, especially the chorus. yes, the music may be kind of common, but it is still another good ballad. and the verse, which i may not enjoy as much, helps to build up to the chorus. and the verse itself, i would say would grow on you. but i would say that this song has not impressed me to the extent 适应 did.

我为什么还爱你 would be the next track, and i would consider this as one of my favourites. the chorus especially, would get stuck in your head, like totally. it is a ballad, really sad and yet carries a little teeny bit of sweetness. and yes, it does sound great. this is a song which you would really like once you hear it, at least i did. and this is the song i would be able to listen to over and over again, apart from 适应.

Track 6, So Sad, would be the song i like the least in the album. It’s an upbeat song, and so i expected it to be something like 泪. and yes, i was totally wrong. the verse may have sounded quite alright, but i didnt like the chorus. the song, it really did not sound anything like “so sad”. somehow the chorus reminds me of 183 club. i’m not sure why, but it just does. and although i may have not liked it so much, i cant help but sing along with the song. it just has the power to make me do so…

Track 8, 百万宝, was the theme song for a Singapore Mediacorp series, 百万宝. it is the kind of a song where by you would be totally cheered up by it, and i would say that it really matches the drama serial, equally cheerful. there are bits of laughter in the song, which is, in my opinion, quite useful to make the song the cheerful way it is…

The last track, 勇气, is a fish leong song. the milubing version was recorded in a compilation Superband album, and i would safely assume that milubing fans are very familiar with this song. i personally prefer fish leong’s version of 勇气though, but i prefer the milubing’s version over 光良’s version.

I would rate this album a 7.5/10. Considering that this is a debut album, i would say they did pretty well. The album brought you through many different kinds of feelings, and the order of tracks are such that the fast songs and slow songs are alternated. i am not sure if there is a particular reason, neither do i see the purpose in it. but if you take apart the songs and listen to them separately, the songs are really good. even if you listen to the whole album as a whole, i would not say that it is bad. it has a good starting, and a good ending. it isnt a album with 10 tracks like the norm, but the 9 songs are good enough. [note: you can listen to their songs on imeem.com]

recommended tracks: 1,2,5,8

1) 泪 Lei (Tears)
2) 适应 Shi Ying (Getting Used To)
3) Get Alive
4) 天使眷恋 Tian Shi Juan Luen (Blessing from Angels)
5) 我为什么还爱你 Wo Wei Shen Me Hai Ai Ni (Why Do I Still Love You?)
6) So Sad
7) 适应 (Acoustic 版) Shi Ying - Accoustic Version
8) 百万宝 Bai Wan Bao (Million Dollar Baby)
9) 勇气 Yong Qi (Courage)

Discuss this album here

- Milubing Official Website
- Milubing’s Blog
- Watch the live performance of 勇气 Yong Qi (Courage)