Singapore » POWER OF POP: Music, Film, Comics & Book Reviews

ESTHER LOWLESS: STRANGE PLACE TO MEET EP [NEWS]

May 022013

This is special. I’ve first came across Esther Lowless back in 2007 as the frontperson of the now-defunct Indus Gendi and was duly impressed by her vocals, songwriting and keyboard playing. With respect to the last matter, enough to have her on board as part of The Groovy People and she contributed amazing vocal and keyboard parts to the Watchmen@Midnight EP. Since then, she’s gone on to be a side-woman of sorts in Monster Cat and DEON but finally, Esther Lowless steps out of the shadows and releases her debut EP, Strange Place to Meet, on 21st June.

But there’s more. Esther herself is also a freelance actress and in that spirit, decided that her project could serve as an “anthological mosaic of short films that displayed the brilliance of Singapore’s filmmakers” with the music films in Strange Place To Meet made possible by Henry Hiah, Leonard Soosay, Gerald Stahlmann, Sivaraj Pragasm, Wu Jun Han, and Esther herself.

To be released via http://www.youtube.com/user/estherlowlessmusic from 19th of May onwards, the 6 short films – visual representations of Esther’s songs – will lead up to the album launch of Strange Place To Meet, to be held at the Esplanade Recital Studio this 21st June 2013, 9pm. Tickets can be purchased by emailing estherlowlessmusic@gmail.com one’s name, contact details, and number of tickets one wishes to purchase.

Apart from the launch, Esther will also be playing with a full band at Hood Bar and Cafe on the 18th of May 2013, 7.15pm, and three acoustic sets on Baybeats Day 3 (30th June 2013): one acoustic set at the Esplanade library at 3.30pm and two acoustic sets at the Chillout Stage at 7pm and 8.30pm.

Reviews to come. Suffice to say that Esther Lowless has truly evolved into a genuine art-rocker and the music on her EP will rather amazingly evoke the likes of Sakamoto, Massive Attack, Russian Circles and more. A truly scintillating EP!

…still there’s more…

TRICKS & CIDER (EP) [REVIEW]

MUSIC 1 Response »

May 012013

A promising sign of a developing indie music scene is the ability to embrace different styles of music where the key factor is not ‘genre’ but an appreciation of ‘good’ music. Melodic pop-rock quartet Tricks & Cider is a wonderful example of this.

I first met singer-songwriter-guitarist Victoria Ho (above, far left) a few years back (as part of the Noise-Timbre Singer-Songwriter Showcase) and was impressed by her lovely husky voice and songwriting (and easy going manner). I remember her sharing with me some tracks she had recorded (live in a jamming studio) with a band and though the songs were promising, the performance itself was at best, shambolic.

Fast forward to last year and I’d invited Victoria to Sing A New Song, a songwriters’ showcase held at Esplanade Library (which included then-newcomers The Sam Willows and Tall Mountains). She performed as part of hew new band, Tricks & Cider (which included a former piano school colleague, the talented Dawn Ho on bass) and by all accounts, most were impressed by their set.

And so here we are in 2013 and the Tricks & Cider debut EP is playing on my laptop speakers – five songs that showcase the individual talents of the band (multi-instrumentalist Karen Lee and drummer David Liu round up the team) – and indicate that there is certainly a place for well-crafted melodic pop-rock in our S-ROCK scene as well!

Basically, the songs on this EP straddle different styles across the length and breadth of pop-rock – from 70s-channeling “Girl from Outer Space” to the new wave-evoking “Superstar” to the jazz balladic “Summer Breeze”, the tunes will stick in your head and the instrumentation/arrangements will impress the more musically-inclined listener.

It is a good time to be a S-ROCK lover in Singapore and you need to add Tricks & Cider to the burgeoning list of essential Singapore bands you have to listen to and savor…

… and you can this coming Friday, May 3rd at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre when Tricks & Cider perform three sets viz. 7.30pm – 8.15pm /8.45pm – 9.30pm /10pm – 10.45pm.

RSVP

FRED PERRY’S ‘ONE LAST PARTY’ [REVIEW]

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Apr 252013

Last Friday (19th April) Fred Perry launched a vinyl exhibition at the Fred Perry Laurel Wreath Collection Shop, held in conjunction with Record Store Day, which is curated by #vinyloftheday and record store Vinylicious and showcases over 100 exclusive vinyl editions alongside all-time favourites.

THE KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [REVIEW]

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Apr 202013

Thursday’s (April 18th) S-ROCK gig at Night & Day Bar was significant for two things. One, it was the debut performance of Bored Spies (Cherie Ko, Sooyoung Park, Orestes Morfin & Adel Rashid) and two, it was the final performance (before a short hiatus) of everyone’s favourite spector-gaze band, Obedient Wives Club.

Of course, most importantly, it was another impressive show of how much indie rock has grown in the Singapore music scene in the last couple of years. A packed crowd jammed the arty venue and soaked in the ambience and atmosphere engineered by these two bands.

Bored Spies’ repertoire consists mainly of midtempo slow-burning numbers which accentuate Ko’s pleasant vocals and Morfin’s controlled rhythms. Considering that this was the band’s first gig, it was a very calm and assured performance, as if the band had been together for years and it was refreshing to encounter and appreciate the beauty of subtlety in songs like “Summer 720″.

Obedient Wives Club is practically an indie rock staple now in Singapore and the songs off their two EPs have become classic S-ROCK in a short space of time. I have always felt that - of all the new bands out there – OWC best channels the spirit of 90s S-ROCK. The songs are sweet but never lacking for an edge, with vocalist Yinqi coming into her own more and more with each succeeding gig. “Murder Kill Baby” is a special track, retaining a Singaporean quality in the way Yinqi sings in her lower register at the end of each phrase – spine tingling! The band will be preparing a new EP in the break and so there is much to look forward to!

It was also good for the S-ROCK scene that this event was hosted by a ‘new’ venue – Night & Day – and hopefully we will have more venues opening up to S-ROCK as we are currently very very short on venues like that. So all in, a very significant night for S-ROCK!

…still there’s more…

(Pictures courtesy of Robin Chua)

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “BEYOND THE ASHES”

MUSIC, PERSONAL 2 Responses »

Apr 192013

Kevin Mathews/The Groovy People by Cassandra Goh

“Beyond the Ashes” is the second teaser off the upcoming album, EMO FASCISM – due in August.

Catch Kevin Mathews/The Groovy People play “Beyond the Ashes” next Friday, April 26th at Identite 9.3 – KAMCO MUSIC at Home Club from 8pm. Cover is $12 (one free housepour and free entry to Kicks! afterwards). Also on the bill – Enec.e, Tricks & Cider and TypeWriter.

See you all there!

DUNE RATS – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [NEWS]

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Apr 192013

Other Sounds has a second show and this time the featured band is Australian garage rockers Dune Rats. The Brisbane duo will be bringing their raucous and energetic live show to Singapore at Night & Day Bar, alongside local garage pop favourites The Pinholes.

Details: -

Date: Friday, 31 May 2013
Time: 9pm
Venue: Night & Day Bar (139 Selegie Rd)
Tickets: $15 at the door (includes one drink)

Facebook event page.

A KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [NEWS]

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Apr 122013

Two bands will be coming together for a secret pop-up gig this April 18! It will be a night of fuzzed out intrigue! Fans are invited to solve a crossword puzzle to reveal the line-up and location of the gig. The bands will also be seeding clues with the hashtag #KODoubleBill via Twitter and Instagram leading up to event day. Solve the puzzle and find out who and where. Free Entry! For more clues, look for #KODoubleBill

BORED SPIES 7 INCH SINGLE “SUMMER 720″ [NEWS]

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Apr 112013

Here are the details of Bored Spies‘ debut 7 inch single “Summer 720″ from KittyWu Records.

Title: Summer 720 b/w 沙鼠E
Artist: Bored Spies
Street date: 20 April 2013
Format: 7″ Single
Edition: 100
Genre: Minimalist Pop Rock
Label: KittyWu Records
Catalog No.: KWR015

TRACK LISTING
A. Summer 720
B. 沙鼠E

Recorded and produced in the summer of July – August 2012 at Seagrass Studios (Los Angeles) and Snakeweed Studios (Singapore) by Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate, Pete Yorn, Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo) with engineering support from Leonard Soosay (Snakeweed Studios). The recording was mastered at SAE by Roger Seibel.

‘Summer 720′ is pressed on gorgeous sea foam green vinyl, and is backed with the b-side ‘沙鼠E’ (shāshǔ E) and is a 7″ release in an edition of 100 with KittyWu in Singapore/Asia, Deer Island (edn. of 150) in N. America and Damnably (edn. 250) in Europe.

The 7″ single is now available for pre-order on kittywurecords.bandcamp.com/album/summer-720-b-w-e
and will be sold through all good record and vinyl stores from 20th April 2013 onwards.

All 7″ singles comes with a digital download coupon.

We reviewed the single here.

LISTENING BOOTH: TRICKS & CIDER [STREAMING]

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Apr 092013

Tricks & Cider (Victoria Ho on lead vocals and guitar, Karen Lee on backing vocals, keyboard and violin, Dawn Ho on bass guitar and David Liu on drums) is a melodic pop band that incorporates diverse musical styles. Check out the two advance tracks from the band’s upcoming debut EP below.

Check out tricksandcider.com and follow the band at @tricksandcider on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Soundcloud.

POWER OF POP INTERVIEW – DIVIDE

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Apr 072013

How did DIVIDE form?
Apparently we know each other because we went to the same high school.

Why do you play such angry heavy music?
We play such music because this kinda music is our real passion even tho we actually listen to many kinds of genre.

What is your message?
Our message is we’re trying to tell about the concept of God, human interaction, the gap between the rich and the poor and anything about life.

Do you think your fans are more into your music or your message?
From what we’ve seen people only listen to the music at first, but eventually they also learn about the lyrics.

Do you face social objections for the music you play in Indonesia? If so, what is your response to that?
We’ve never really faced any direct social objection, but if there’s one we’ll try our best to respond it.

Why is your tour called “This is Not a Headline Tour”?
The reason why we called it ‘Not a headline tour’ is because we wanted to make it a friendly tour of sorts as most of the special guests bands are good friends.

DIVIDE + guests play Home Club on Saturday, 13th April.

THE XX – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [NEWS]

MUSIC 1 Response »

Mar 282013

This is a big one for the hip and cool kids in Singapore. Most may be unaware that the British trio actually performed at the Esplanade in 2010. Here’s a portion of my review back then -

“…there is an intriguing method in the xx’s sound, with electro beats and minimal guitar-bass interplay, I was impressed by the simplicity of the music and also how they incorporated some of my own favourite influences into catchy yet intelligent material.”

Little need to oversell this one, I’d imagine. Fans will be champing at the bit.

Details: -

Now/Live Presents

Title: The xx
Venue: The Star Theatre
Date: Friday 2nd August 2013
Time: 8pm
Organizer: Now/Live – www.facebook.com/nowlivesg | www.twitter.com/nowlivesg
Tickets: $148, $128, $108, $88, $68 (+ $3 SISTIC Fee)
Ticket Sales Launch Date: Wednesday 17th April
Tickets available via SISTIC
- Online (9am): www.sistic.com.sg
- Tel (10am): +65 6348 5555
- In person (10am): At all authorized SISTIC agents & box offices

STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK [NEWS]

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Mar 282013

And the results are in! The four Singapore bands selected to be produced by legendary producer STEVE LILLYWHITE are Atlas, MONSTER CAT, sub:shaman and The Sam Willows. Congrats to all the bands!

The bands will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Lillywhite during four intense days in early April. But that’s not all, Lillywhite will also be the special guest at SGMUSO’s inaugural SOUNDCHECK event on Friday, 5th April, something no self-respecting music lover can afford to miss…

More information at SGMUSO web site.

PoPINIONS: HATERS GONNA HATE [OP/ED]

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Mar 242013

I am a people pleaser. Chronically so, in fact. Sometimes it hurts so much to realize that another human being actually hates me that I lose all rationality and respond in the wrong manner. Two wrongs don’t make a right. But in the final analysis, I’ve come to understand that you just can’t please everyone, no matter how you try.

My inherent inferiority complex and low self-esteem have been the bane of my existence but one truth I’ve learnt is that I can never control the way another person thinks or feels, I can only control my own response to this person’s opinion. Of course, there have been challenging negative experiences that have tested this principle to the hilt and whilst it has always been difficult to navigate those stormy seas, I think I arrive home, safe and sound at the end of each voyage.

The S-ROCK scene is nascent but growing. There are many players who are doing their part in their own way to improve the scene for musicians. The authorities are also involved in this process. It isn’t easy by any means – so much emotional and historical baggage to overcome but nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy. Scour through social media and you will, of course, find the ‘haters’ – folks who post potentially libelous statements against these players (yours truly, included) making accusations that are plainly inaccurate and unwarranted. Conduct a simple online search and you will discover these defamatory posts easily.

What can we do? Do we resort to legal means to protect our hard-earned reputations? Certainly, we would be legally entitled to do so but what good would that do, ultimately? Do we fight fire with fire – by posting similarly hateful statements targeted at these ‘haters’ – to name and shame them?

No, we take the higher ground – we simply ignore them. Not entirely of course – which is the whole point of this op/ed. If you’re reading this, dear ‘haters’, I would humbly ask that you would consider spending your energies in more productive activities and stop your futile personal attacks, especially if you truly love the S-ROCK scene. No good can ever come out of this course you are taking. Of course, this is a ‘free’ country and whilst you are entitled to your opinion, at least show respect to a fellow human being, if nothing else. Let’s agree to disagree but kindly stop the personal attacks. Thank you very much.

…still there’s more…

STAGERIGHT @ ARTISTRY #2

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Mar 212013

LOST WEEKEND

Simply put, the 2nd edition of STAGEFRIGHT @ Artistry went down very well. I am again very thankful to Marcel and Prashant for making Artistry available to showcase music made in Singapore. Very pleased with the packed crowd of family, friends and fans who came down to enjoy the music. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

LISTER

A ‘well-done’ goes out to Lister, By Any Means, Raufi Heights, Marcel Pereira and Lost Weekend for touching us all with their music. Aspiring bands/artists who want to showcase their music at the next STAGEFRIGHT, please send your demos, videos and online links to kamcomusic@gmail.com. I will be waiting…

THE STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK

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Mar 202013

SGMUSO are pleased to announce:

The Steve Lillywhite Production Week

1st April to 5th April 2013 | Yellowbox Studios, 1 Ubi View, Focus One, #01-19, Singapore.

SGMUSO are presenting four Singapore bands, the fantastic opportunity to record with the legendary producer Steve Lillywhite. Lillywhite will select from submissions, three bands with SGMUSO selecting one other band, to join him on Monday 1st April to record LIVE. From this recording session, Lillywhite will critique and select one band from these four, to spend the rest of the week to further record material whilst the other three bands will be able to observe some of the following 4 days of recording. There will be other potential opportunities announced for these bands at a public event called SOUNDcheck (details to follow).

Joining Lillywhite for this Production Week will be three Singapore producers who will be mentored by Lillywhite, with these producers being matched with the remaining three bands to come back to Yellowbox Studios at a later date to mentor and record one track each. These recordings will be further critiqued after completed via a video call with Lillywhite, the Singapore producer and band members present.

Bands submit by sending one song, one picture, one-page bio and a paragraph on why they should be recorded by Lillywhite Friday 15th March and closure will be end of Friday 22nd March

The Production Fee for the selected bands, is subsidised from S$6,000 by e2i, SGMUSO, WDA and Yellowbox Studios and will be $500 per band who are members of SGMUSO (the subsidy is for Singaporeans/Permanent Residents only).

This production week will give the selected Singapore bands, a chance to be around one of the top international producers in the world and help them develop their music craft. The producers present will also gain greater skills in production through the mentorship of Lillywhite. SGMUSO will be documenting throughout and posting via social media throughout the week and follow ups thereafter.

The week-long activities will culminate with a new initiative from SGMUSO called SOUNDcheck. SOUNDcheck is to develop a deeper advocacy of Singapore music by providing an update for key advocates such as media, promoters, venues, labels and other music companies. Details on SOUNDcheck to follow.

ALL TIME LOW – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [REVIEW]

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Mar 142013

“NEW YEAR, NEW PLACES, NEW FACES TO MAKE BABIES WITH”

I may secretly – unknowingly even to self – be a punk rock music fan – just a little bit, admittedly.

Originally, I had my reservations. Openly, I am not a fan of All Time Low, and long had I moved on from the mainstream, ready-made radio-friendly formulae. The concert venue added some additional icing on the cake – the last concert-going experience spent at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel was for Nelly Furtado, and waiting two hours in line for a show to start could have very well tested my patience to a whole new all-time low (pun shamelessly and completely intended). I should’ve and would continue to stay the night with my guard let down, thankfully.

NATALIE HIONG – BEAUTIFUL MESS [REVIEW]

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Mar 082013

First thing one notices when listening to Natalie Hiong‘s new EP is the sound production — a marked improvement from her debut EP certainly. This time around, everything one hears seems more organic and more ‘human’, and it’s much easier to get into the songs itself. Natalie has also improved in the vocal department and extended her range of singing styles as well. No longer relying on the cutesy little girl vibe of her debut EP, one senses that this is a chanteuse now coming into her own.

GARDEN OF YOUTH [NEWS]

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Mar 082013

Tiramisu

(Press release)

Garden of Youth is a fun-filled, super dynamic event, richly infused with good clean fun, to excite and engage the youth of our nation and bring their vigor and energy into the wonderful Gardens surroundings for a truly uplifting experience. An event bubbling over with the infectious vitality of youth. Especially for youths and absolutely anyone young at heart! 2013 marks the inaugural launch of Garden of Youth a youth-‐centric annual event set in the Gardens, designed for just about anyone ready for a bit of irrepressible fun & youth pop culture. This year, spanning three days from 15th to 17th March, get set for music gigs, bazaar, and a slew of other activities to get totally involved in. Come on down and play!

The Fantastic Picnic Gig: This event is a must for all music lovers out there. Curated by Tiramisu’s lead singer and performance artist extraordinaire, Rizman Putra, this wonderful event platforms English, Mandarin, indie Bands, up and coming young musical talents as well as offer Acoustic Sessions. Visitors can take in the music while lounging on picnic mats to complete the experience. It will be a great way to take in the music of local talents and celebrate the joy of music and life at the Gardens.

The line-up at SuperTree Grove: -

The Fantastic Gig 16 March 2013 Saturday 6pm-11pm

6pm – 6.30pm: Cashew Chemists
7pm – 7.30pm: Pleasantry
8pm – 8.30pm: ANECHOIS
9pm – 9.30pm: Tiramisu
10pm – 10.30pm: MONSTER CAT

The Acoustic Picnic 17 March Sunday 4pm-6pm
weish
Yuji Kumagai
The Freshman

INCH CHUA “ARTFUL DODGER” RELEASE [NEWS]

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Mar 082013

Inch Chua is back! And already new album Bumfuzzle promises to be one of THE releases of 2013 but before we get to that, Inch has issued the delightful “Artful Dodger” as her opening single. Here’s the press release from Riot! Records.

Inch Chua’s Indiegogo campaign supporters were the first to receive her new music. The Los Angeles-‐based Singaporean artist raised $15,510 on the crowd-‐funding site to finance the mixing and mastering of her highly anticipated follow-‐up to Wallflower. “The new album is very different from my last album and ‘Artful Dodger’ is a song on the album that I feel best bridges my old sound with my new musical direction,” confesses Chua. “The lyrics of my songs are birthed from catharsis. You could literally tear a page from my journal and you would get a song like ‘Artful Dodger.” The release of “Artful Dodger” marks a return to Chua’s indie rock roots, evident in the single’s massive drum and aggressive guitar sounds. “It was fun twisting and turning knobs on this song; there are some cool funky sounds in there.”

“Artful Dodger’s” lyrics and music were written by Inch Chua. The record was produced by Chua, Mark John Hariman and Leonard Soosay, and recorded at Snakeweed Studios, Singapore. Assistant Engineers included Hariman, Chua, Mindy Kon and Issa Mel. Mixing was handled by Todd Bergman at Repro-‐Ductions, and mastering conducted by Howie Weinberg at Howie Weinberg Mastering.

Check out the lyric video below.

“Artful Dodger” is now available from iTunes.

NAMIE AMURO – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [NEWS]

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Mar 072013

(Press release)

Often referred to as the “teen queen” or “Queen of Japanese Pop Music”, Namie Amuro has made a permanent mark on the Japanese music scene.

Over a decade after her debut, Amuro has remained one of the most popular female acts in Japan. Her greatest hits album, BEST FICTION, spent six consecutive weeks at the number-one position on Japan’s Oricon weekly charts, and was awarded “Best Album of the Year” at the 50th Japan Record Awards. Marking the 20th anniversary of her career, in April 2012, it was announced that Namie Amuro would release a new album, Uncontrolled. This was the first album to feature several songs sung entirely in English. The album spent three weeks at number one on Oricon’s albums chart and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. This is her fifth consecutive number one album since 2007, and her sixth consecutive double platinum album since 2005.

Catch Namie Amuro in Singapore for one night only on April 26th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Event details: Namie Amuro Asia Tour 2013

Venue : Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Date : 26 April 2013

Tickets from SISTIC

Price: $288, $248, $218, $168 & $138

Tickets go on sale February 18, 2013

Purchase at all authorized SISTIC Agents and Box Office, online at www.sistic.com.sg, via the iNETS mobile app (SMS to 76387) or call the SISTIC hotline at +65 6348 5555.

A Midas Promotions production.

SINGAPORE EMCEE KEVIN LESTER, AKA ‘THE LIONCITYBOY’ TO RELEASE DEBUT EP EVERYTHING YOU LOVE, YOU HATE ON APRIL 2

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Mar 072013

(Press release)

New York, NY (March 6, 2013) – Award-winning Singapore emcee Kevin Lester, aka ‘The LionCityBoy‘ announces the release of his debut EP Everything You Love, You Hate via Vertusent/Sony RED on April 2. The first single, “Hear Me Go”impacts mixshow radio on March 19 and is available for download at iTunes today.

GHOST CHILD [REVIEW]

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Mar 062013

Ghost Child is a made in Singapore horror film, inspired by the “Toyol” or “Kwee Kia” of South-East Asian mythology. At its Facebook page, the plot is described thus -

Struggling to accept the death of her mother, Kim suddenly has to deal with a new mother in her life. Her dad, Choon, brings home a woman one day and announces his decision to marry her. A series of mysterious incidents start to occur soon after.

Once again, director Gilbert Chan takes on a horror film with local flavour and like 23:59 before, largely succeeds in connecting with its target audience (i.e. teenagers). The film manages to be effective in terms of delivering scares (without almost any gore whatsoever) due to dynamic editing and an excellent sound design. In addition, the lead actors (Chen Han Wei 陈汉玮, Jayley Woo Jiaqi 胡佳琪, Carmen Soo 苏慧敏) have done enough to establish sympathy so that their horror is shared with the audience.

Story-wise, much is unexplained – which is either puzzling or mysterious, depending on your perspective – but at least there are no lulls in the narrative whatsoever as any excess is trimmed to a minimum to keep the action moving. On that score, the film succeeds.

Check out the trailer below.

Ghost Child opens in cinemas on March 7th.

PERSONA – NUS ELECTRONIC MUSIC LAB [NEWS]

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Mar 042013

Message from the NUS Electronic Music Lab: –

Sat & Sun 09 & 10 Mar | 8pm University Cultural Centre Dance Studio | $15

An hour-and-a-half long audio-visual showcase featuring original electronic music by EML members.

Our contemporary environment has been evolving at a tremendous rate and while many struggle to find meaning and purpose in the ever changing environment, some attempt to solve this quandary through the creation of a persona. They view this persona as a safeguard, a comfort zone, and a form of self-empowerment.

Faces, masks, identities – how many do we have, and how real is each one?

Persona is an enhanced audio-visual performance tracing the path of an android and her quest for the perfect persona. She escapes the laboratory where she was programmed to be the perfect alter-ego, and instead travels through the diverse landscape of electronic music – a rendered universe of constructed identities and originally composed music.

Developed by humans as part of a research project in the name of scientific recognition and reputation, it is symbolic of the struggles of the creator and the created over control.

Is the creation of a persona the answer or the problem? Is it the end or the beginning?

Facebook Page

Tickets available from SISTIC.

ANAKI ROCKS THE CITY! [NEWS]

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Mar 042013

Message from the kind folks at Anaki –

Holla holla holla! Anaki Records is upping the DB and taking ANAKI ROCKS THE CITY right to the core of our beloved streets. With our unstoppable Lion City boys rocking a massive playlist of originals across pretty much any genre you can think of, it’s 2 days of refreshing new tunes – created from scratch and rehearsed to sonic nirvana. So if you like the underground & under-hyped with a major lashing of talent overdrive, then this 2-day outdoor music fest will get you pumping your fists and going hell yeah!

24 bands. 2 nights. 1 massive collective. And the best part? No tickets. It’s all love man. Venue - Dhoby Ghaut Outdoor Amphitheatre

MARCH 16 — BANDS
4.15pm • A Common Void Deck • Myre
5.00pm • Zarina Zarr • Au Revoir SG
5.45pm • Red Script • Before The Tempest
6.45pm • Templeshift • Velvet
7.45pm • Second Season Project • Godzilla
8.45pm • SparkleDrivenFairytale • Dracula

MARCH 17 — BANDS
4.15pm • Lot-lot & Friends • Chasing Orion
5.00pm • Obviously We! • Ravage
5.45pm • The Laidcomers • The Lady Tempest
6.45pm • Giveth • Hoodlum
7.45pm • Black Diamond Folds • Stopgap
8.45pm • Black! For Remembrance • Truth Of A Beast

Check out the sneak peek below –

Official Site | Facebook page

NORAH JONES – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [REVIEW]

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Mar 042013

Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images

WAS IT ALL A DREAM WITH NORAH JONES?

Treading on partially wet grounds for my first concert-going experience at the west side of Singapore, The Star Performing Arts Centre served as a blooming fresh outlet for events of sorts. Despite the grandeur of the new environs, it was let down somewhat by the spectacle of snaking (really year of the snake, isn’t it?) queue lines at the ticketing counter .

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ESTHER LOWLESS: STRANGE PLACE TO MEET EP [NEWS]

TRICKS & CIDER (EP) [REVIEW]

FRED PERRY’S ‘ONE LAST PARTY’ [REVIEW]

THE KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [REVIEW]

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “BEYOND THE ASHES”

DUNE RATS – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [NEWS]

A KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [NEWS]

BORED SPIES 7 INCH SINGLE “SUMMER 720″ [NEWS]

LISTENING BOOTH: TRICKS & CIDER [STREAMING]

POWER OF POP INTERVIEW – DIVIDE

THE XX – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [NEWS]

STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK [NEWS]

PoPINIONS: HATERS GONNA HATE [OP/ED]

STAGERIGHT @ ARTISTRY #2

THE STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK

The Steve Lillywhite Production Week

ALL TIME LOW – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [REVIEW]

NATALIE HIONG – BEAUTIFUL MESS [REVIEW]

GARDEN OF YOUTH [NEWS]

INCH CHUA “ARTFUL DODGER” RELEASE [NEWS]

NAMIE AMURO – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [NEWS]

SINGAPORE EMCEE KEVIN LESTER, AKA ‘THE LIONCITYBOY’ TO RELEASE DEBUT EP EVERYTHING YOU LOVE, YOU HATE ON APRIL 2

GHOST CHILD [REVIEW]

PERSONA – NUS ELECTRONIC MUSIC LAB [NEWS]

ANAKI ROCKS THE CITY! [NEWS]

NORAH JONES – LIVE IN SINGAPORE [REVIEW]

WAS IT ALL A DREAM WITH NORAH JONES?

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