Posted on

POWER OF POP INTERVIEW: LUNARIN

(Answers by Linda Ong)

Now that Duae is out and the Baybeats performance history, what’s in store for Lunarin in the months ahead?

We are busy planning for the album launch on 1 October 2010. It will be our first full length concert in 4 years, so we are really excited about it and hope to put up a good show!

Going forward, we have a bunch of b sides that we have been really wanting to record and release but haven’t had the time. We will probably be working on those with a view of releasing them later in the year.

Continue reading “POWER OF POP INTERVIEW: LUNARIN”

Posted on

PoP10 – KARNIVOOL

(Answers by Mark ‘Hoss’ Hosking)

1. Why play music?

Music resonates with people much more than anything I have experienced. It sometimes feels like a fast track to emotions and feelings that can take years to uncover or appreciate without music. Plus it’s an incredibly challenging and invigorating way to live a life! Don’t really know or can’t imagine life without it.

Continue reading “PoP10 – KARNIVOOL”

Posted on

PAUL COLLINS

PAUL COLLINS King of Power Pop! (Alive Naturalsound)

Well, that’s some claim isn’t it? But can Paul Collins back with up with the music?

Collins has cache in the power pop community, having being a part of The Nerves and The Beat (not to be confused with the English band of the same name), both legendary power pop outfits in the late 70s/early 80s. Since the 80s, Collins has been mainly involved in the power pop scene in Spain and has been a Spanish resident for some time now.

Continue reading “PAUL COLLINS”

Posted on

KEWEI

KEWEI Come Closer With (S2S)

Without a successful mainstream in Singapore, there can be no underground. In that light, I am pleased to review the debut album of Singaporean thrush KeWei, who has been prominent in the Singapore music scene for a couple of years now.

Continue reading “KEWEI”

Posted on

PoPTV

It’s Monday – only the start of the week; and CJ already feels like a rebel, wanting to break all boundaries, rules & regulations to skateboard, even if he doesn’t really know how to or really want to.

Continue reading “PoPTV”

Posted on

XTC

… and over at the PoP Blog, I extol the virtues of this seminal POP band. Go now!

[amazon-carrousel height=”150″ width=”400″]1e567a7e-0cdc-40dc-91e9-edb042c37f9b[/amazon-carrousel]

Posted on

53A

It’s good to see that even though the powers-that-be continue to marginalize the S-ROCK scene, S-ROCKers themselves strive to “do it themselves” to get their music out there! So kudos to 53A who will be launching their debut album – Settle the Kettle – on 1st September. Details below.

Continue reading “53A”

Posted on

THE POSIES

This piece of delicious news came in the mail –

The Posies announce their U.S. Fall 2010 tour with co-headliner Brendan Benson and opening act Aqueduct, in support of their upcoming album BLOOD/CANDY on Ryko. Kicking off in Milwaukee on November 5th and wrapping up in their hometown of Seattle on December 11th, the tour spans over 20 major U.S. cities and immediately follows their European tour which begins September 28, the same day BLOOD/CANDY will be available nationwide.

Continue reading “THE POSIES”

Posted on

SPURS 0 WIGAN 1

On paper, this looked like a walkover in Spurs’ favor. Spurs, confident after qualifying for the Champions League Group stages and Wigan suffering from the worst ever start by a Premiership club. In their hearts, diehard Spurs fans knew that this was probably the best scenario for an upset. And we were proven right, sadly.

Continue reading “SPURS 0 WIGAN 1”

Posted on

RUSSIAN CIRCLES – LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Yes it’s official – post metal giants, Russian Circles will be performing in Singapore on Saturday, 18th September! Brought to you by the kind folks at Kitty Wu.

Details at the Facebook Event page.

Suffice to say that this has been on the cards for a while and I am personally very excited about seeing Russian Circles, one of the premier post-metal bands out there, without a doubt.

Check out PoP’s review of Geneva and the PoP10 with bassist Brian Cook.

Thanks to Daniel Sassoon for the heads up. More information when its available.

[amazon-product alink=”0000FF” bordercolor=”000000″ height=”240″]B002N1AECS[/amazon-product]

Posted on

VAMPIRE WEEKEND – LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Back in February 2008, I wrote –

Music journalists worldwide are highlighting the current New York music scene as one to watch closely. One of the upcoming bands mentioned is Vampire Weekend. Already, David (Talking Heads) Byrne has endorsed VW. No wonder, as VW’s style incorporates a heady mix of African pop, Western classical music and 80s new wave, which has to be heard to be believed.

Continue reading “VAMPIRE WEEKEND – LIVE IN SINGAPORE”

Posted on

RYAN CABRERA @ TAB

Last night’s TAB launch party was filled to the brim with invited guests as we dined on TAB’s wicked food menu (set out buffet style – I particularly enjoyed the ribs) and free flow (for 2 hours, I was a good boy and had three glasses of apple juice). Well, you see, I had to set a good example for Debra and her friend, Cheryl. Or something like that.

Continue reading “RYAN CABRERA @ TAB”

Posted on

PoPTV

The weekend has begun and as usual, I’m opting to stay safe at home, where the long arm of indifference cannot touch me and I can avoid the cold stare of diffidence and despair. So I let the music take me there… oh, and there’s PoPTV too.

Continue reading “PoPTV”

Posted on

J TILLMAN

J TILLMAN Singing Ax (Western Vinyl)

Yes, Tillman plays drums in Fleet Foxes so that gives you a fair idea of what Tillman’s music is about. 2009’s Year of the Kingdom was one of my favorites, especially for its austere, intimate recording approach. Singing Ax brings this agenda to its logical conclusion, with Tillman choosing to present in black and white i.e. voice and guitars only (save for the occasional minimal synth and percussion).

Continue reading “J TILLMAN”

Posted on

KEWEI

Text from the Press Release from S2S Pte Ltd:

25th August, Wednesday saw the successful launch of Come Closer… with KeWei Press Conference at the new concert venue, Tab, for her debut solo album Come Closer…with Kewei (可為). Warmly received by close to 40 invited media, industry friends and die-hard fans, Kewei (可為) performed two new original compositions from her album, “So in Love” and  “This too shall pass”, pouring out her heart and soul with each note. Kewei also shared what each song meant to her as a song-writer.

Continue reading “KEWEI”

Posted on

DELTA SPIRIT

DELTA SPIRIT History from Below (Rounder/Universal)

“If your god forgave all of your sin/then why would you make martyrs out of them/for money or power or glory/do you even care?”

These final lines from the thought-provoking opener – 9/11 – sets the agenda for this truly excellent sophomore effort from San Diego quartet, Delta Spirit. Spiritually-fueled lyrics backed by sweet country-soul music.

Continue reading “DELTA SPIRIT”

Posted on

JOE PUG

JOE PUG Messenger (Lightning Rod)

Modern music gets me down. Sometimes.

So why does the revisionist country-folk of Joe Pug raise in me mixed feelings? Pug (shortened from Pugliese) easily channels the specters of Johnny Cash, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Neil Young and of course, Bob Dylan in his rustic folk exercises. So is this music something old or something new?

Continue reading “JOE PUG”