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SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE

THE MODFATHER

It’s 31st December. So what?

Tomorrow’s just another day – only it’s another year altogether. An arbitrary line drawn in the sand but nonetheless, it’s easy to get all misty-eyed and nostalgic about your life. Especially, if like me, you turn 50 in about 45 days…hum.

Most of all, for some reason, my mind is brought back to the early 80s when I was absolutely besotted with the music and image of Paul Weller (The Jam/The Style Council). I bought all the records (singles, 12″ and LPs) and grabbed every magazine he was featured in. Simply put, I was a fan.

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THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

2010

Charles Dickens wrote – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” or something like that. It is probably an understatement to say that 2010 was one of the toughest years of my entire life. At the beginning of 2010, I became unemployed or to put it in a nicer way, “self-employed” and for a good ten months, money was really hard to come by. Still, GOD provided and although it was a struggle, we managed somehow. During that 10 months, I applied for the usual in-house legal vacancies but despite going for three interviews, which I felt went well, was eliminated in the first round, so to speak.

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THE SOCIAL NETWORK

The problem with making a movie about events that occurred only six years ago is that the people involved are in a good position to find fault with the representation of such events. Since director David Fincher chose to use real names and events in The Social Network (colloquially known as the Facebook movie), without any qualifications, a movie goer is going to take the story presented here as fact.

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NOISE-TIMBRE SINGER-SONGWRITER PROGRAMME

A couple of days ago, I was interviewed by The New Paper regarding the Noise-Timbre Singer-Songwriter Programme and was asked if I had any tips for aspiring singer-songwriters to be noticed in this Programme. Well, one tip is of course to watch, listen and learn from people who write good songs and perform them well on youtube. Alright, I have made this process a little easier for you – check out the examples below.

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SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE

Thirty years ago, the 80s began (we thought we’d got John Lennon back but he was all too quickly taken away from us. Damn). I had just been conscripted and had begun to take pop and rock music appreciation seriously. Through the next ten years, I would discover amazing music and bands which to this day continue to thrill and touch me. During the 80s, I got out of army, did four years at Law School, got my degree, got a job, got married and became a father. Music was the soundtrack to it all. People often ask me about the best music of the 80s, so in the spirit of answering that question, here is part one of my top 25 essential LPs of the 80s (in alphabetical order, not by merit).

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PoPTV – COVE RED

Rachael Teo (left, who with Yinky make up Cove Red) was one of my first apprentices under the Noise Apprenticeship Programme. When we started working together, she had half a song and in our sessions together, we co–wrote Love & Water, a song I still hold close to my heart. Since then, of course, Rachael has grown so much as a songwriter. Recently, Rachael wrote a beautiful Christmas song called Christmastime and it contains the kind of gorgeous melody that Rachael is now well known for. The gurls have just done a music video for Christmastime and it’s truly appropriate for the season. It certainly made my Christmas! Enjoy and share…

…still there’s more…

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NOISE-TIMBRE SINGER-SONGWRITER PROGRAMME

THE ART OF SONGWRITING

Why do I believe so strongly that the development of songwriting in Singapore is crucial to the “saving” of the Singapore music scene? There are many reasons but chief amongst which is the idea that in order to establish a unique Singaporean culture and identity for Singapore music, we must have our OWN songs! Makes sense, doesn’t it? What about the homegrown Chinese, Malay and Indian songs that already exist? Well and good, of course, but we do business in English, we teach in English and by and large we converse in English (or Singlish, same difference) AND we are entertained in English, so it’s not enough. We need our OWN English songs!

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PoPINIONS

S-ROCK: THE YEAR THAT WAS 2010

In the end, 2010 was a good year for S-ROCK (rock music made in Singapore, in case you’re wondering).

In the last quarter of the year, the likes of Lunarin, TypeWriter, Basement in my Loft, Meltgsnow and Stellarium released albums that provided evidence that there was still fire in the bellies of these ‘indie’ bands. When you consider that none of these bands are truly “full-time” musicians, the quality of the music, songwriting and performances on these albums is outstanding and you cannot help but wonder what the results would be if they did not have the ‘distractions’ of day jobs.

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SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK

If you’ve seen and loved the movies, Human Nature, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation, because of their delightfully written stories then like me, you are a Charlie Kaufman fan. Kaufman was the screenwriter for all these films and Synecdoche, New York marks his debut also as director.

Perhaps that is why Synecdoche, New York is the most un-commerical of all Kaufman’s movies thus far (and that is saying something). Truth is, depending on your perspective, the two hour long film will probably be the best or the worst you’ve ever seen. Me? I am trying to stay on the fence of that particular argument.

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TECHY ROMANTICS

TECHY ROMANTICS Touch (Party Bear)

When I first saw Philippine trio Techy Romantics at Baybeats 2010, I was struck by how much it seemed to be a hybrid of electronic music and twee pop! With Dondi Virrey manning the machines, Ryan Villena playing guitar and Camyl Besinga singing on top, it all just seemed perfectly engineered to present the best of technology and romance. Voila! Techy Romantics, indeed!

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GEEK OUT!

HANNA

The title character of this adventure thriller, filmed in Europe, Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity. (from Wikipedia)

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GEEK OUT!

THOR: TEASER TRAILER

I liked the 5-minute Comicon trailer that was leaked online months ago so it was a no-brainer to also like this official teaser trailer for next year’s Marvel Studio’s blockbuster of our fave Norse God of Thunder. The trailer basically shares the same opening sequence of Thor being questioned by Agent Coulsen (of SHIELD) before moving over to Asgard wherein Odin banishes Thor. We also see Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, the Destroyer and Thor in full battle action. Those fight sequences look quite awesome, filled with Kirbyesque power! Yum.

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BEE GEES

BEE GEES In Our Own Time DVD (Eagle Rock)

I have been a Bee Gees fan for as long as I have been a lover of pop-rock music. I was hooked to them the moment I heard those wonderful songs on the soundtrack on the S.W.A.L.K. movie. So most of what is detailed in this latest documentary on Bee Gees history is nothing new to me. Except perhaps the TV clips of the very early days in Australia.

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TAB

So what’s happening at TAB in Jan 2011?

Artist-in-Residence

4th – 8th Jan: Boots Factor (http://www.bootsfactor.com/)

11th – 15th Jan – Jim Wolf (http://www.jimwolf.com/)

18th – 22nd Jan – Brett Young (http://www.brettyoungmusic.com)

25th – 29th Jan – Stacy Clark (http://www.stacyclark.net/)

More info at www.tab.com.sg

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BLURB-O-RAMA

Better late than never? I have been tardy about covering seasonal releases. You know how it is, the deluge of Christmas albums can be a tad overwhelming but I felt that I should mention a couple that came to my attention. So last minute and all that, but you might want to check out these…or not (as the case may be). Ho ho ho…

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NOISE-TIMBRE SINGER-SONGWRITER PROGRAMME

This programme is an excellent collaboration between the Noise Singapore and Timbre Music Academy and a good opportunity for aspiring singer-songwriters to be heard. Not only because I have been fighting for something like this for a couple of years (and thus I am deeply involved) but also because this programme is a welcome shot in the arm for the S-ROCK scene! Kudos to National Arts Council and Timbre Music for sticking their collective necks out to invest time, money and effort in our music scene. So my message to all singer-songwriters out there, send a strong message to the movers and shakers out there (whether on the government or commercial side of the fence) that this is the sort of programme YOU want and submit those songs and videos now. We will be waiting for you…

…still there’s more…

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THE POWER OF POP INTERVIEW – BASEMENT IN MY LOFT (PART 2)

Continued from Part 1

By now, it should come as no surprise that Adrian is full of surprises.

A conversation with this man is much like talking to a river. Like a mind-reader, Adrian is prone to answer the question on your tongue before you ask it, but through the course of his reply he is wont to change course several times until together, the two of you are cutting a path through new, uncharted wilderness, far away from your original destination.

So it is that a simple question I ask about the emotional honesty of his songs leads into a deep discussion of spirituality and transcendence—hardly your typical rock and roll topics.

“Transcendence is about sitting with your own mind, seeing the shit that goes on,” explains Adrian.

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OWEN PALLETT – LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Transcript of the email interview with Owen Pallett, which formed the basis for my TODAY piece, Fancy Flights of Fantasy.

What is it like to be Owen Pallett?

Tough in the mornings but fun at night.

Do you get bored and restless easily?

The only time I’m happy is when I’m at work.  It runs in my family, my mom is a workaholic as well.  I have to be careful and make sure I get vitamins, exercise and sunlight.

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THE POWER OF POP INTERVIEW – BASEMENT IN MY LOFT (PART 1)

NIGHTS out with Adrian Jones, the always-colourful frontman of power trio Basement In My Loft, are invariably bound to turn surreal.

Here I am, the Singaporean army boy slash music writer, seated at an Irish pub along East Coast Park with a Welsh skinhead and his respiratory disease specialist girlfriend.

A minor furor has conspired to occur here tonight; a favourite vegetarian burger has gone AWOL from the menu. Foul play is suspected.

Said Welsh skinhead is currently engaged in a half-serious heated discussion with the manager, who faces the daunting task of trying to account to the punk rocker the mysterious disappearance of the veggie burger.

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THE CAMERAWALLS

THE CAMERAWALLS Bread And Circuses (Lilystars)

Simply put, this EP is one of the most accomplished pure pop music that South East Asia has produced in 2010. Composed of Clementine (vocals/guitars), Law Santiago (bass) and Joseph Rudica (drums), The Camerawalls is a Philippine band that has been around for about three years and this EP contains five strong reasons why classic pop fans need to sit up and take notice.

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