The beauty of Spotify‘s immense catalogue of tracks is the ability to create playlists of my favourite songs over the decades and thus, here are my playlists for the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s for your listening pleasure…
Month: May 2014
THE POWER OF POP INTERVIEW: BUFFALO SUNN
It’s a small world, after all!
When I saw Dublin sextet Buffalo Sunn play at Beer Market for Music Matters Live ’14, I was entranced by their wondrous approximation of country-folk-rock and post-punk styles into a pleasing whole. Having four brothers in the lineup – the musical Paxton men (Daniel the songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist, Neil on keys, guitar and backing vocals, Conor on keys and guitar and Ruairi on bass) – sure helps in producing those heavenly harmonies. Together with Donagh O’Brien on drums and Patrick McHugh on vocals and guitar, the Paxton brothers as Buffalo Sunn made for a formidable band, as many in the audience at Music Matters Live found out.
On a personal note, I had the chance to talk to the band’s management team (Elvera and James Butler) and discovered that the band are mates with members of Pugwash, whom I had met last year in London! In that light, I felt it appropriate to make available the recording of my conversations with the band last week in the Green Room at Music Matters Live.
First off, we talked about Sweet Jane and similarities with The Beach Boys…
Next, the band discussed why it was important for them to play in Asia…
Is it a good time to be a musician? The band weigh in with their thoughts on how technological developments have impacted their music…
We wrapped up with a discussion on the Buffalo Sunn music videos on YouTube and the master plan for world domination…
Well, that’s it!
Look out for Buffalo Sunn’s debut album coming soon. In the meantime, check out the music video of the latest single, “By Your Side” below.
Buy on iTunes http://tinyurl.com/m2croya
www.buffalosunn.com
www.twitter.com/BUFFALOSUNN
www.facebook.com/BUFFALOSUNN
GEEK OUT!
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Directed by Bryan Singer. Starring Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and many more.
Well, for once, the hype was justified. X-Men: Days of Future Past is no doubt one of the biggest comic book movie adaptations ever, not only for its epic scope but also for its large cast of characters. Essentially a sequel to X-Men: First Class with the younger (1973) versions of Professor X, Magneto, Mystique and the Beast joined by the original X-Men movie characters i.e. Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, Storm, Colossus and older versions of Professor X and Magneto.
Despite the potential challenges that such a large cast provides and rather distasteful previous outing for the original X-Men movie characters (i.e. X-Men: The Last Stand), director Singer not only averts disaster but delivers a widescreen heartfelt superhero film that erases the atrocity that was X-Men: The Last Stand and quite like the Star Trek reboots, wipes the slate clean so that the X-franchise can begin anew. No mean feat.
One gets the sense that Singer wanted to make things right after abandoning these characters for Superman Returns and allowing X-Men: The Last Stand to tarnish the reputation of our merry band of mutants. There are action sequences of awe and humor that need to be seen more than once (Quicksilver anyone?) but there are also intimate character moments where hearts are touched and tough decisions are made in the name of the greater good. Seen together with X-Men: First Class, there is a powerful emotional resonance amongst the characters that shines through.
The acting is of the highest order and that is to expected when you consider the calibre of the talent involved. Kudos to the 15,000 involved in this stellar production and one can now only wait with bated breath for the final installment in this particular trilogy – X-Men: Apocalypse. Don’t miss this.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is showing in the cinemas now.
JPNSGRLS: OSHEAGA 2014
JPNSGRLS have made it onto the shortlist for the chance to play on the Molson Canadian main stage at Osheaga 2014!! But the band needs your help to seal the deal!
What can you do to help?
1. go to http://molsoncanadian.ca/en/live/
2. scroll down to the shortlist
3. click on JPNSGRLS
4. Under the picture (see above) cheer for the band on either Facebook or Twitter
Well, what are you waiting for?
DISCOVERED @ SPOTIFY
THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP
You know the saying, a band takes a lifetime to write and record its first album and then six months to record the follow-up. Sometimes, this results in a poor second album and whether a band can overcome this setback or not is never a certainty. We look to the 80s for 4 examples of how bands coped with the second album syndrome.
THE KNACK – But The Little Girls Understand…
The band’s debut album, Get the Knack, was 1979’s best-selling albums, holding the number one spot on Billboard magazine’s album chart for five consecutive weeks and selling two million copies in the United States. It’s biggest hit – “My Sharona” was the song of ’79. The band rush-released But The Little Girls Understand… (in early 1980) which came across like an inferior version of the debut LP. Although, the album still went gold, the album left fans and critics unimpressed and the third LP – Round Trip – was a flop. But in hindsight, the album is really not as bad as it sounded back in 1980…
PoP RECOMMENDS: LOVE X STEREO
Better late than never, eh?
Oliver Mann (JPNSGRLS) was raving about Korean alt-electro rockers Love X Stereo and so upon his recommendation, I followed him to Paulaner for the band’s final gig at Music Matters Live 2014 at 1 am. What I witnessed was an epiphany! The tunes had epic pop melodies, the arrangements were tight with a post-punk revival vibe but ultimately it was charismatic vocalist/synth player Annie Ko that sealed the deal for me.
Upon further investigation, it appears that Annie and guitarist/producer Toby were both part of a ska-punk band called Skrew Attack and re-invented themselves as Love X Stereo in 2011 (and picked up bassist Sol along the way). With critically acclaimed releases Off the Grid and Flow under their belts and significant appearances at top indie rock festivals, Love X Stereo is definitely a band to explore.
Hopefully, we will be able to get PoP fans an interview with Annie soon. In the meantime, enjoy…
Official Site
JPNSGRLS
Great to know that life is still able to surprise me, even in this day and age. When I originally got in touch with JPNSGRLS regarding their performances at Music Matters Live ’14, all I was thinking about was getting an interview out of that contact. I seriously did not expect more than that. But from the moment, guitarist Oliver Mann recognized my name tag at the first day of the Music Matters conference (21st May) and introduced himself, it set off an unusual sequence of events where I would learn tons, enjoy awesome music and bond with four incredible young musicians!
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Lighter moments with The 13 Band from Taiwan. Guess I should have paid more attention during Mandarin classes. Enjoy…
GEEK OUT! GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY TRAILER!!
What more can I say? Against all conventional thinking, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy just might be the best comic book movie ever. Well, based on the amazing trailers so far, in any case. Expectations are high for 1st August!
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Melbourne band EMPRA has a strong Lion City connection as their frontman Sanny Veloo is Singaporean and part of the legendary local indie rockers Boredphucks/The Suns. Fittingly, EMPRA will be town as part of the Music Matters Live 2014 lineup. Sanny graciously filled in our MML Q&A.
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
Cos we needed an excuse to return to Singapore to eat more sambal kangkong! (Damn good reason – KM)
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
We’ve had some interest from Japan, India, China and Asia and we were hoping that we could perform at Music Matters and blow all these promoters away so they’ll book us into cool tours of Asia and Festivals with great Singapore food on our band riders.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We’re pretty busy… here’s what we have on at MML…
21 May
10 – 1030pm Crazy Elephant
22 May
830 – 855pm Beer Market
1130-1am Hard Rock Cafe, Orchard
23 May
8 – 830pm China One
24 May
1210 – 1240am Paulaner
25 May
1215 – 1245am Timbre @ Substation
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We’ve actually been doing heaps of shows in Australia, rehearsing heaps and having losta fun hanging out at live venues with all our mates who are in bands and planning an itinerary of places we wanna visit in Singapore including various food stops, touristy places like the Night Safari and cool clubs and bars!
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
Cos we have been lifting people’s spirits since 2011 and I promise you that if you come to an EMPRA show you will leave feeling utterly amazing and you’ll wanna hang out with us after the show for beers!!!
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Next up in our recommendation list for Music Matters Live ’14 is SEYRA!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
It is a great platform that allows proper, personal interaction between local independent artists and people who are in the big game. We always wanted to be a part of it the past 2 years and so we’re really glad to be playing this time around!
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
Being a part of an event on the scale of MML is both a privilege and opportunity to showcase Singapore’s musical talent. It is also strong recognition of the strides that the band has made in recent years. We will be launching our next EP sometime in the 3rd quarter of this year and we have been planning a regional tour to promote that. It would certainly be helpful meeting all the other regional bands and contacts from the music industry. We are also looking forward to attending some the conferences scheduled through the week.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
23 May, 9 – 9.30pm at China One
24 May, 10.30 – 11pm at Kuro
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We’ll be playing a mixture of popular songs from our existing repertoire as well as a couple of new ones that will be in our upcoming EP. We are rearranging some of the songs, tweaking some parts here and there and trying out some new stuff.
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
People should come and watch because we believe our music resonates with a common desire for understanding and connection. The band’s multi-ethnic composition demonstrates this too. We sing about life as it is – fractured yet beautiful.
We also tend to be regarded as an acoustic band known for our stripped down sets. We’ve actually not played at that many public shows with the full band and always have tons of fun rocking out on these rare occasions! It is part of our new sound moving forward as well, so we would love for you to be able to witness it first-hand.
… still there’s more …
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Can you feel the anticipation? We have been covering bands/artists whom we’ve thought you ought to check out during next week’s mammoth Music Matters Live festival but of course, we simply cannot cover all the worthy bands/artists coming down. So… here’s a list of the best of the rest that we think you should consider when making that #MML checklist.
BOXER REBELLION (UK)
23rd May | 11:50pm | Fountain Stage
24th May | 11:30pm | Aqua Nova
PoPTV: BEATLES ARE FOREVER
Because we can, here are our favourite solo Beatles videos. Enjoy…
JOHN
PAUL
GEORGE
RINGO
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Yet another band to look out at Music Matters ’14 – the avant-garde rock beast that is sub:shaman!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
We’ve grown and evolved a lot as a band in the past couple years, and have new material that we’re very excited to share with as many people as possible! Music Matters being a traditionally great platform to reach out to a diverse and often new profile of listeners, we really wanted to test the waters and see how people outside of our regular, gig-going circles respond to our music.
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
Playing this festival helps us to leave some sort of mark, or at least make our existence known to a larger network of people. We are also hoping to make lots of new friends and perhaps, along the way, open ourselves to new opportunities that hopefully extend beyond our shores as well.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
Our set timings / venues are:
[Friday 23rd May] 1120 – 1150PM at AQUANOVA.
[Saturday 24th May] 940 – 1010PM at Fern & Kiwi, and 1 – 130AM at Kuro Bar Restaurant.
How are you preparing for MML’14?
Probably what every other band is doing!–Jamming, writing, etc. We’ve been busy with a host of other projects as well, so it’s been a little tough, but nonetheless extremely fun and fulfilling.
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
We would say that we’re a slight deviation from your run-of-the-mill rock band, and judging from some of the response so far, music lovers in particular have really appreciated some of the intricacies we have worked into our music. We can’t promise that you’ll love it, but it’ll definitely be a unique experience and we’re very excited to share our sound!
… still there’s more …
GEEK OUT!
GODZILLA
Directed by Gareth Edwards. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston.
Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich re-imagined the legendary Japanese monster as a female creature attacking New York City to nest its young. Based on the trailers, it did seem that Edwards’ Godzilla might follow that same path. But thankfully, Edwards movie takes a totally different tack and by the end, Godzilla is considered the “King of the Monsters” and a “saviour” of sorts.
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Continuing our series on bands you should really check out next week at Music Matters Live ’14. Ladies and gentlemen… The Pinholes!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
Since Music Matters Live is being held in Singapore, I will take the opportunity to showcase my group and represent my country to another audience or music moguls that will come from all over the world. It feels like the best time.
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
I guess playing in this Music Festival definitely bring connectivity. I will try and make as much contact as I can. As I think that this is really important cause you will never know who you will meet.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We will be playing on one date which is on 21 May at Paulaner from 9.40pm to 10.10.10pm. This is due to our short tour to Hanoi for another ASEAN Pride Festival the following day.
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We are definitely putting our best of what we can do. We just released our debut album and we are really excited to showcase that to a different audience. And we will try and give our best half n hour show like there’s no tomorrow. Its gonna be just Wham Bam no commercial set.
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
Its a music festival, We are all about good vibes, songs and rock n roll. And the chain reaction will be perfect if the music lover are there to have a good time.
Thanks to Famie for the answers!
… still there’s more …
HOSTESS CLUB WEEKENDER – UPDATE
Hostess Asia have announced the addition of British outfit TOY (above) to the existing lineup of Cat Power, Blonde Redhead, Perfume Genius and Sohn. Hostess Asia have also confirmed the venue at Infinite Studios, 21 Media Circle. Tickets are now available from eventclique.com.
Check out the band’s latest album – Join the Dots – at Spotify below!
BAYBEATS 2014
There was a time when the Baybeats Festival was the only indie rock festival in town. But thankfully, times have changed to such an extent that it’s almost easy to lose sight of the festival’s significance. In that respect, it’s good to know that the Esplanade has pushed to include a big number of Singapore indie bands/artists in the line-up. Looking at the above list, it’s clear that the priority for Baybeats is to give our local bands/artist pride of place! Kudos to the organizers.
… still there’s more …
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Definitely one of the main highlights of Music Matters Live ’14 would be JPNSGRLS – pronounced “Japanese Girls” – a band that manages to combine the dynamic pleasures of 80s post-punk and 90s alt-rock. The band kindly answered our queries before making their way to our shores from Canada! Don’t miss them!!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
We have been really fortunate to have the support of CIMA which is Canada’s not-for-profit trade association that represents our independent music industry. Part of their mandate is to create export opportunities for “export ready” Canadian indie acts, like ourselves, and so, last year, we were brought to Spain to play at BIME 2013. The opportunity to travel to another country, engage with a new audience and culture, and network with the business people of a different market was really an amazing opportunity and experience for us. The idea that we will get to do the same in Asia is a dream come true. We were ecstatic when we found out we were accepted to play at Music Matters Live.
MUSIC MATTERS LIVE ’14
Music Matters Live returns next week for its 2014 edition. We highlight bands we think that Power of Pop readers would want to check out at MML’14! First up, Singapore indie rock outfit wyd:syd!
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
We caught the 2013 edition of Music Matters and we were thoroughly impressed by the entire setup. We applied this year and thankfully, we were given the opportunity to perform. We want to thank SGMUSO for their kind assistance as well!
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
We hope to establish a bigger following after our performances! At the same time, we would like to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere and enjoy the other great acts, both local and abroad! Hopefully, we’ll gain a few tips on how to improve accordingly.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We will be performing at Aquanova on 23rd May (10:30pm – 11:00pm) and Kuro on 24th May (9:40pm to 10:10pm)
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We are putting in extra work during jamming sessions! Hopefully we would be able to complete our final song and debut it at the event!
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
We believe that listeners will enjoy the soundscapes that we’ve painstakingly crafted. If you like ambient or indie rock, we’re the thing for you!
Follow wyd:syd at https://www.facebook.com/wydsyd.
… still there’s more …
GEEK OUT!
CONSTANTINE
“Based on the wildly popular comic book series Hellblazer from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine specializes in giving hell… hell.”
Comic book fans can breathe a sigh of relief as this TV adaptation of Alan Moore’s occult anti-hero delivers a more faithful version than the ridiculous Keanu Reeves movie did. A look at the trailer makes it clear that the series will take its cues from the highly rated Hellblazer series penned by Jamie Delano. Yes, he’s English, has blonde hair and relatively unknown Matt Ryan (who is Welsh) seems to have Constantine’s characterization down pat. Debuting this Friday on NBC. Do not miss it!
Official Site
GREASE
GREASE started off as a Broadway musical by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey in 1972. However, the musical is most popularly known for the 1978 hit film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This production knows that, so four songs written specially for the film, “Grease is the Word”, “Sandy”, “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and “You’re The One That I Want” have been incorporated into this version. On top of that, Sandy is now Australian, which is a nod to the film. (The film changed the character of Sandy to an Australian in order to accommodate Australian pop-star Olivia Newton-John’s accent.) This is, of course, ironic given that this is an Australian cast.
GEEK OUT!
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
Directed by Marc Webb. Starring Andrew Garfield, Jamie Foxx and Emma Stone
Based on the trailers & promotional materials, the producers of Amazing Spider-Man 2 had indulged in misdirection to suggest that Spidey would be fighting THREE villains in this film viz. Electro (Foxx), Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti). In that respect, there were concerns that the film seemed too similar to Sam Raimi’s flawed Spider-Man 3 which was bogged down by THREE villains as well.
LISTENING ROOM
21st CENTURY S-ROCK
Bandcamp.com is a good place to listen to indie music that is fairly under the radar. No other ‘genre’ can possibly be more marginalized than S-ROCK (or Singapore Rock or Singapore indie or whatever the fuck you wanna call it – don’t get your panties in a twist!) i.e. music made in Singapore. BUT there are numerous indie bands and artists that worth are investigating and these are the ones you can find at Bandcamp.com. Enjoy…
HOSTESS CLUB WEEKENDER [NEWS]
Good news indie pop fans as Hostess Asia has announced the preliminary lineup for the next Hostess Club Weekender scheduled for 14 June with other details to be confirmed.
… still there’s more …