POP CULTURE AS SEEN AND HEARD BY KEVIN MATHEWS
As a card-carrying Floyd geek, there’s precious little that I don’t know about the band after years of reading books and viewing documentaries. But I always welcome new documentaries that share further insight into the rock phenomenon that was Pink Floyd. On this occassion, the focus is on the 1975 album, Wish You Were Here, which just might be my favourite one of the lot – and that’s really saying something!
Continue reading “PINK FLOYD: THE STORY OF WISH YOU WERE HERE”
POWER OF POP’S NIGHT AND DAY WITH HOT CHIP
For one of their two stopovers in Asia – the other being in Tokyo, Japan, Hot Chip swung by our island for a one night only concert, that could very well be a one life stand affair for those who attended, and also those who had missed out.
The Singapore indie music scene is slowly but surely becoming more global and cosmopolitan. Last Friday (22nd June) Hong Kong-based Untitled Entertainment promoted a headlining gig at the Home Club for Aussie band, The Jezabels, to launch the band’s debut album, The Prisoner.
Perhaps (too) much has been said about Lana Del Rey, but plastic surgery aside, her debut impresses at first listen, with its soaring melodies and cinematic sound. Her drawling voice mystifies the record, making it much more interesting to listen to than an average mainstream pop record.
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When I arrived at Lido 5 ten minutes late due to some unnecessary administrative hassle, the film had just begun and whilst I was struggling to find my seat, I missed a scene between a very young Peter Parker and his father Richard. Great start! BUT once I settled down in my seat, the story of awkward, geeky teenager Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) began to unfold before my eyes. Very soon, his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field) were introduced, in addition to the gorgeous Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and I bought it lock stock and barrel!!!
In the spirit of the “Friendship” theme running through this year’s Baybeats Festival, I decided to dig out my summary of Baybeats 2007 originally posted at my S-ROCK blog. Much has changed in the last five years fo’sure…
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This is my 100th post so perhaps it’s fitting that it’s a summary of Baybeats, the biggest indie rock festival of the year.
And I almost forgot about Seth MacFarlane’s weed-smoking, pussy-chasing, potty-mouthed Teddy Bear! Ted opens at the end of June and here’s a clip from the upcoming movie. It’s NSFW if you were even wondering…
I must admit that I am a relative latecomer to Korean film. In fact, the first Korean film I ever saw was Oldboy. Seriously, that movie blew my mind and remains in my opinion one of the best movies ever made. So when I saw that I Saw the Devil also starred Oldboy actor Choi Min-sik, I just had to take a look and I was not disappointed.
The next chapter in the year of the 80s indie icons continues with the Stone Roses reunion tour, which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 22nd July.
FACT. Any band worth its salt transcends genre and style. UK band Hot Chip is commonly labeled as a electronic band and whilst it certainly uses synths/electronics to play its songs, it’s the way the band mixes and matches forms and styles to create something distinctively its own that marks Hot Chip out as one of the greats.
A satisfying week for all concerned at KAMCO Music (meaning yours truly!) as the first edition of Indie Solo Live ran smoothly with a attentive group of family, friends and fans packing the Soho Coffee cafe. After the success of SING A NEW SONG, it was gratifying to put on a show on a smaller scale but once again with the focus on Singapore singer-songwriters sharing their original music.
This literally made my day! A wonderful video from Eytan and the Embassy that involves 18 costume changes – a world record! Eytan begins the video dressed as Buddy Holly and makes appearances as John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Elton John, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Cobain and the Beastie Boys amongst others as he pays tribute to some of his favorite artists. Not only that but the horn-infused bopping Britpop gem that is “Everything Changes” is the perfect soundtrack to match! Enough talk, enjoy…
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To be candid, when I first listened to this EP from Leeds-based British Racing Green, I was certain that they were Arctic Monkeys clones and nothing more… and I could have easily have left it at that. But somehow there was something that drew me back to the EP. Call it a certain brash verve that managed to rear its head above the slightly derivative fare or just attribute it to a dynamic flair that makes these ears perk up.
Continue reading “BRITISH RACING GREEN – IN DISGRACE WITH FORTUNE EP”
Two-note chorus. Quirky energetic rhythms. Britpop-channeling vibe. Edinburgh’s The OK Social Club 2nd single “The Late 90s” may be a cute song but the music video is even cuter. Doesn’t take too much for me to get enthused about a UK band – just make sure the chorus is an earworm. This totally works for me…
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Continue reading “NIGHT OF SONG AND DANCE FT. SHADES IN GREY AND KEVIN AKA GHOST”
So with Harry Redknapp consigned to the history books, Spurs fans are eagerly anticipating the replacement manager who will move the club forward. Or at least that is the sincere hope. Well, the press has not been idle to present to us all the candidates being considered by Spurs. Allegedly.
So you think you know Best Coast? Based on its well-received debut album with its fuzzy, low-fidelity sound in the vein of surf rock you would be surprised that by and large the duo (Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno) eschews the overdriven guitar agenda in favor of a cleaner approach.
With each new trailer of The Dark Knight Rises, director Christopher Nolan has revealed more and more of his epic vision for this final chapter of the Dark Knight trilogy. This final (?) trailer is probably the best yet with enough reveals to send shivers down your spine but still with so much held back to keep one in eager anticipation of the power and glory to come. Certainly all bets are off on whether The Dark Knight Rises will be the best superhero movie ever… was there any doubt??
When I first heard that SONY Pictures had put a stop to developing Spider-Man 4 with director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire and decided instead to reboot the franchise completely with The Amazing Spider-Man I was skeptical about the idea as it had only been a decade since Raimi’s Spider-Man and I thought that it was much too soon (as did many many other geeks).
YouTube sensations New Heights perform in Singapore on July 7, 8pm at TAB. Ticketing information at www.tab.com.sg.
Check out the interview with Chris Kwak at TODAY.
Stay tuned for a New Heights ticket giveaway soon.
I am constantly (pleasantly) surprised by the sheer volume of songwriting and performing talent that we have here in Singapore. Despite our inhospitable arts climate, our singer-songwriter-musicians continue to believe in themselves and their own music and against all odds, thrive.
The above image is ‘borrowed’ from a Mirror column (from Feb 2012) that advocated that the English FA sack Fabio Capello and appoint Harry Redknapp as England manager immediately! Of course, Capello subsequently resigned and Redknapp was installed by the media as the favourite to replace him. Redknapp himself encouraged this speculation, talking up the England job non-stop. This had a devastating effect on Spurs’ season, then sitting comfortably in third position, a good ten points clear of Arsenal.
Is it impossible for Singapore musicians to build a fan base in their own home town? Uh-huh, one of those topics about which the local indie music hipsters can argue about till the proverbial cows come home. Frankly, I am tired of talking about it and so this Saturday, I take a small step towards trying to build a fan base for local indie music with SING A NEW SONG, an afternoon of original acoustic music from six talented Singapore acts and yours truly!
Royal Wood is a Canadian pop music singer-songwriter/ producer, based in Toronto, Ontario. His classic pop style has drawn comparisons to Hawksley Workman, Ron Sexsmith, Randy Newman and Rufus Wainwright. It’s comforting to know that people like Royal Wood still make music like they used to before. Listen and weep…
Buy from iTunes | Official Site