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LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – ARE WE THERE YET?

Jun 152013

We are about seven weeks away from the launch of Emo FASCISM Launch Week!

As far as the music is concerned, Pat and I are working on the final mixes of the 12 songs that will make up the CD. A 4-track sampler is now available at Soundcloud with opening track “Silver” the final teaser in the set. Check it out below.

Eric has done his part – the cover design – and the art concept will be carried through on the CD sleeve, merch and posters (with the assistance of the lovely 23賴). See below.

Four dates have been confirmed during the Emo FASCISM Launch Week. Details to come soon.

Emo FASCISM will also be available on Bandcamp and iTunes in August for those unable to attend any of the gigs.

Very excited about this new milestone in my musical career and none of this would have been possible without the amazing Patrick Chng, who has been an inspiration and endless source of encouragement to me to record a new album after all these years!

So, look out for more news to come in the weeks ahead.

… still there’s more …

LISTENING BOOTH: CELESTIA “BOY IN THE WELL” [STREAMING]

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Jun 062013

Here’s a promising track from Celestia, one of the bands on SPear. “Boy in the Well” is an intriguing (probably unintentional) combination of post-punk BIG music (U2, Simple Minds), alt-country and rock n’ roll, with an ironically passive female vocal (and she does go quite flat on the crucial last note!). Wish the SPear website had more information about the song and the band. In any case you can check out Celestia and three other bands tomorrow at the SPear Launch at the Coliseum. In the meantime, enjoy “Boy in the Well”.

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

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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!

LISTENING BOOTH – SATURDAY APRIL THIRTEEN [STREAMING]

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Apr 132013

We get tons of links every day from publicists, labels and bands to showcase new music at Power of Pop. So, in order to satisfy everyone, we will do these daily (!) wrap-ups of fairly interesting new songs from the modern rock wasteland. No judgement, no assessment, mere presentation. Enjoy…

KORUSCANT WEEKEND “Last Train Home”

DALE EARNHARDT JR JR “Hiding”

TOUCHE “Bad Dreams”

CUMULUS “Do You Remember”

VIOLETA VIL “Aguamarina”

…still there’s more…

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.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD – THE HIGH COST OF LIVING (DEATH VALLEY 92328)

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Mar 302013

Despite the relative success of “Orchard Road” (with the track getting radioplay and music video being featured on national TV), my ambitions were still modest. I was happy to be able to record and release another song, whatever the platform. The guys from BigO magazine wanted me to test a MiniDisc player/recorded and to review it for the mag. So I ended up writing and recording two songs – “The High Cost of Living” and “The Offender”, the latter as yet unreleased. The song ended up being featured on BigO’s free CD, Death Valley 92328, and was played on radio again (which still amazes me, considering the lyrical content)

“The High Cost of Living” was basically inspired by two things – the opening chords to The Style Council’s “Speak Like a Child” and The Clash’s Cost of Living EP title. Contrary to popular belief, the song had nothing to do with Neil Gaiman’s mini-series about Death. The content of course, was all about inflation in Singapore and little did I realize that 1993 was to the beginning of a vicious inflationary cycle that the country is still a victim of.

Twenty years later, the lyrics still resonate and that speaks volumes in itself. So, check it out for yourself if you’ve never heard it before and download if so minded as well. The song will be the opening song for the upcoming Kevin Mathews/The Groovy People performance at Home Club in a month’s time (see what I did there?). Heh.

More of my music at Bandcamp.

LISTENING BOOTH: DANCING HEALS “ALWAYS ON MY MIND” [STREAMING]

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Mar 222013

Australian based Dancing Heals has just releasing the gorgeous track, “Always on My Mind”, and are currently finishing up their second album, that captures more of their live sound and draws from longtime influences such as Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. The band loves to wave the nostalgia flag and “Always On My Mind” is no different. A sonically raw reflection on the confusing emotions of letting someone go… and never forgetting.

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LISTENING BOOTH: PONY BOY “GREAT UNKNOWN” [STREAMING]

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Mar 222013

Pony Boy, aka Marchelle Bradanini, puts a seductive, modern twist on the Americana sound with sultry vocals atop twangy, buzzing guitars. “Greatest Unknown” is simultaneously beautiful and eerie, sounding as though it belongs on a Twin Peaks soundtrack. Catch her live show in March and April as she opens for Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rockettes:

3/23: Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
4/8: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
4/9: Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

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THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “DARE (FT. DANIEL SASSOON)”

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Feb 142013

Courtesy of Cass Goh

Here we are – all set to go!

“Dare” is the first track to be made public from the Emo Fascism recording sessions which took place mainly in September last year at Patrick Chng’s excellent home studio. The album will consist of ten tracks (with two bonus tracks on the CD) and for the most part I wrote, sang, performed and produced the lot with Patrick engineering, mixing and mastering the recording. Only one other musician played on Emo Fascism (“Dare” to be specific) and I am proud to say that it was none other than Daniel Sassoon.

Daniel has of course, in the past, been closely involved with legendary S-ROCK bands like Livonia and Electrico. Of late, Daniel has been leading the instrumental rock outfit – In Each Hand A Cutlass – and is renowned for his talent and skill on the guitar. Sometime back, I had finally recorded a proper demo of “Dare” (which has been kicking around for decades – I shit you not) and sent it to Daniel for feedback. What I got was an offer to contribute guitar ideas to the track and I jumped – didn’t need to asked twice! So earlier this year, Daniel laid down his amazing guitar lines (and a mind-blowing solo) for “Dare” in a fecund three-hour session at Thom’s Loft.

And now you can hear the results! I am particularly proud of the final product and I am so excited to be able to share the first fruits of our labours with you all. If you liked what you heard, I hope you will share the links on your respective social media platforms and spread the word around! That would be so cool and greatly appreciated! Remember – Emo Fascism is due for release in August 2013.

…still there’s more…

Cass Goh’s Official Site

FUZZY VOX – TECHNICOLOR [REVIEW]

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Feb 112013

The French rock n’ roll band known as Fuzzy Vox behaves as if no new music was made after 1969! This myopic vision provides incredible focus as this five-track EP amply demonstrates. The music here is simple yet powerful, straight-forward and visceral. If push came to shove, probably the most accurate reference point would be the first Stooges album. Sure, one could also point to the influences of the mod greats (The Who) and blues-rock legends (The Rolling Stones) but there’s a basic garage-punk energy that suggests Iggy and his band of freaks held greater sway. In the modern context, The Hives come to mind immediately and every other garage-punk revivalist you would care to mention. The scintillating cover of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” provides a clarity of purpose, translated well on the meaty title track, the beaty “Same Old Story”, the big “I’ll Be Gone” and the bouncy “Hurricane”. Pure & easy.

Listen to “I’d Be Gone” and the rest of the EP at Soundcloud.

Like Fuzzy Vox at Facebook | Buy the EP at Deezer

LISTENING ROOM: SAM PAGE “HOLD ON” [STREAMING]

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Jan 272013

Yes, we’re always on the look-out for good old-fashioned pop-rock sweetness here at Power of Pop! So here’s Sam Page, who’s got a new album in tow – Breach – and you can listen to “Hold On”, a charming lil ditty that recalls Dinosaur Jr and Matthew Sweet in a very good way. Check it out!

Official Site

LISTENING BOOTH: THE CANNANES – BUMPER [STREAMING]

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Jan 132013

The Cannanes are back. The Aussie duo of Fran Gibson and Steven O’Neil are back (after 11 years) with the kind of music that the late great Kurt Cobain himself name-checked. A cool retro vibe permeates this wonderful new track – “Bumper”, even if the three chord progression is as old as time itself. Be warned, it’s highly infectious! New EP to come…in the meantime…

LISTENING BOOTH: IRN MNKY – DJ SHADOW MIX [STREAMING/DOWNLOAD]

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Nov 152012

The word ‘remix’ basically defines DJ Shadow‘s stellar work and it’s a fitting tribute to the master himself for a new electronic artist like Irn Mnky to make a remix out of DJ Shadow’s own sampling works to create something new and distinct! What goes around comes around. Listen to and/or download the “DJ Shadow Mix”.

JIM JAMES ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM REGIONS OF LIGHT AND SOUND OF GOD OUT FEBRUARY 5TH ON ATO RECORDS [NEWS]

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Nov 132012

“I wanted the album to sound like it came from a different place in time,” says Jim James. “Perhaps sounding as if it were the past of the future, if that makes any sense—like a hazy dream that a fully-realized android or humanoid capable of thought might have when it reminisces about the good old days of just being a simple robot.” Based on the first single – “Know Til Now” – it appears that the My Morning Jacket frontman has gone some way to achieving this effect. Check it out below.

TEGAN AND SARA SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM HEARTTHROB JANUARY 29th

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Nov 102012

Tegan and Sara‘s new album (their seventh), Heartthrob, will be coming out on Warner Bros. Records January 29th worldwide, with the exception of UK/Europe which is February 18th. Listen to the new single, the catchy danceable “Closer” below. Review to come…

Official Site

Buy at iTunes.

LISTENING BOOTH: EL PERRO DEL MAR – PALE FIRE [STREAMING]

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Nov 102012

Popular blog aggregator HypeMachine has universally premiered El Perro del Mar‘s new album, Pale Fire, which will remain up till the release date of November 13th. So what are you waiting for?

LISTENING BOOTH: PANCHO-SAN – AMERICANS [STREAMING]

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Oct 262012

Pancho-san is songwriter Patrick Abernethy (formerly of Beulah, and Rogue Wave) and, for sophomore album Americans, his old bandmates Pat Spurgeon (of Rogue Wave) and Eli Crews (of Beulah/tUnE-yArDs producer) provide invaluable assistance. By all accounts, the sound is a mish-mash of Roy Orbison, Brazilian pop and ’80s-’90s art rock! You can stream the entire album over at Bandcamp. The opening track – “Americans Can’t Be Romantic” – is available for free download.

LISTENING BOOTH: THE SAM WILLOWS EP

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Oct 212012

The Sam Willows will be launching its debut EP next Saturday, 27th October at TAB. Here’s a preview of the EP streaming now at Soundcloud. Check it out.

Official Site

THE DEMON BEAT – LESS IS LESS [REVIEW]

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Oct 182012

You can pretty much line up the influences that fuel The Demon Beat’s rock n’ roll machine and put a string right through them all. Less is Less for me, sums up the trio’s (Adam L. Meisterhans, Tucker Riggleman & Jordan Hudkins) manic agenda for world domination – pillage the best bits of fifty decades of rock n’ roll, pour into a cauldron and stir fuckin’ hard! A strange brew, indeed!

LISTENING BOOTH: CHAMBERLIN – “YOU CAN CALL ME AL”

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Oct 182012

Contrary to what most of you might think, I am not against covers – well, I am dead against carbon copy covers – but when a band is able to put its own spin on familiar favorites so that you’re forced to re-assess the song from a different perspective, well that takes talent and skill, folks. So am deeply tickled by this amazing version of Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” by country-folk-rock outfit Chamberlin as the band channels Neil Young/Crazy Horse to achieve its aim. Well done!

Official Site

… and for those of you too young to remember the 80s…

LISTENING BOOTH: ELEPHANT 12 – “HOLIDAY” [STREAMING]

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Oct 142012

Rock n’ roll meets lo-fi electronica seems to be on the agenda for UK band Elephant 12. Simple but effective – rather old skool Beastie Boys as well. Listen to “Holiday” to get a good idea of what Elephant 12 is all about. Definitely worth closer investigation.

LISTENING BOOTH: YOUNG VOLCANOES – “TRAFFIC” [STREAMING]

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Oct 102012

Multi-instrumentalist, Zac Clark, known for his work with The Queen Killing Kings [Wind-Up Records] and Smoke Signals, has been keeping himself busy as an active touring member of Vermont’s Chamberlin and prepping for the launch of a project that finds him truly coming into his own, entitled Young Volcanoes. If “Traffic” is any indication, I am certainly looking forward to listening to more from Young Volcanoes, for its wonderful evocation of 70s country-rock stylings. In addition, after losing his mother to cancer, Clark looked to use his talent to help the cause and raised thousands of dollars through Pledge Music to support Burlington’s Cancer Patient Support Program. The Young Volcanoes project will continue to support this cause.

Official Site

LISTENING BOOTH: CITIZENS! – “TRUE ROMANCE” [STREAMING]

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Oct 062012

Yet another UK band hyped up to be the “Next Big Thing” – can Citizens! live up to the hype? You decide. Produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, the debut album – Here We Are – will be out on 9th October via Kitsuné / Cooperative Music. In addition, Citizens! might be making its way down to our shores as well soon…

LISTENING BOOTH: ALT-J (∆) – FITZPLEASURE

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Sep 192012

UK-based band alt-J (∆) released their debut album, An Awesome Wave, in North America today via Canvasback Music. Already the album is a firm favorite here at Power of Pop and now, you can listen to “Fitzpleasure” a superb track that highlights the eclectic nature of the band’s songwriting and production. Cool stuff!

ALT-J (∆) – AN AWESOME WAVE [REVIEW]

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Sep 132012

Mercury Prize-nominated album An Awesome Wave is as fresh, sophisticated & imaginative as any eternal UK music believer could ever hope for. The name of the band is ∆ but referred to as alt-J (which produces ∆ on the computer keyboard – go ahead try it!). What is intriguing with ∆ is its sound – a hybrid of folk, pop, electronica, dub and hip-hop and trip hop which works beyond a music scholars wildest wet dreams.

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KORUSCANT WEEKEND “Last Train Home”

DALE EARNHARDT JR JR “Hiding”

TOUCHE “Bad Dreams”

CUMULUS “Do You Remember”

VIOLETA VIL “Aguamarina”

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