Pop culture musings by Kevin Mathews
Some of the best horror movies ever made involve characters getting caught up in a common misfortune: home invasion. While rampant gore, the undead, and killer clowns are creepy and frightening, nothing is scarier than a horror film which revolves around everyday events. These terrifying home invasion movies will have you triple-checking your door locks at night well after Halloween is over.
Continue reading “GEEK OUT! FIVE TERRIFYING HOME INVASION MOVIES TO ENJOY THIS HALLOWEEN!”
Check out this cool Youtube cover by the gorgeous Gayle Nerva. Shot in a van, no less!
As promised, we present to you the thoughts of the collaborative artists behind Dimensions & Demons, to be performed at the Esplanade Recital Studio on 5th November, as part of Singapore Writers Festival 2015.
“The work of Ferry and Stephenie Ye, Rain City is a series of bittersweet narratives that charts a course through a web of parallel existences and possibilities.”
Continue reading “SINGAPORE WRITERS FESTIVAL: DIMENSIONS & DEMONS – FERRY + STEPHANIE YE”
“Dive into dream worlds coloured by words and music, the creative outcomes of three collaborative projects between Singapore writers and musicians. Each interprets a dream in all its intimacy and duality, navigating through the blurry spaces of consciousness and the boundaries of conscience.”
2015 is the 50th anniversary of many critical events – as we are often reminded. However, as a fan of mind-bending science fiction, I would also like to point out that 1965 was the year Philip K Dick’s novel, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch was published. Along with other Dick classics like Ubik & Time Out of Joint, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch questions the very nature of reality itself with the story revolving around the use & experience of simulated reality by its key characters.
It’s been three years since The Sam Willows released its debut EP. Since then, the quartet (Jon Chua, Ben Kheng, Sandra Riley Tang & Narelle Kheng) have gone from strength to strength, developing into arguably the top pop group in Singapore and signing for Sony Music Singapore.
I caught up with Jon, Ben, Sandra & Narelle recently at the official press event for the release of their first full-length album, Take Heart, and found them to be the same down-to-earth, earnest, fun-loving group that I met in 2012, except now with a major label backing their music.
Continue reading “POWER OF POP INTERVIEW: THE SAM WILLOWS – THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT”
Brilliant on so many levels. Essential reading!
Buy now!
Supergirl is the latest superhero TV series and joined the likes of The Flash (2nd Season), Arrow (4th) & Agents of SHIELD (3rd) in an ever-increasing costumed tights buffet. I don’t count Gotham as a superhero TV series as it is just a (boring) police procedural set in the Batman universe & worse still, a prequel (I hate prequels).
Ironically, despite the fact that the pilot was leaked online months ago, Supergirl’s premiere episode did very well out of the blocks. Presumably, the female lead and Superman associations put the new series in good stead. Apparently this series is based on the Christopher Reeve Superman continuity and thus adopts a more light-hearted tone. And thus has nothing to do with current DC comics continuity (which is messed up) or the DC movie universe as established by Man of Steel (very very dark) – which makes sense.
However, because of this, there is less Geek Out value to Supergirl compared to the other series above-mentioned & will probably appeal more to the Gotham crowd than hardcore comic book geeks. The Flash and Arrow still have an edge over Agents of SHIELD, due to the CW writers and producers being more faithful to the source material than even Marvel itself, surprisingly.
Oliver Queen’s running for Mayor of Star City (Arrow) and the appearance of King Shark (!!!) in The Flash (not to mention the new Firestorm) in the latest episodes gives us geeks exactly what we want in a superhero TV series – nods to original material, over the top heroics & of course, ridiculous villains! Awesome fun!
Watch now!
One of the best parts of having a new Star Wars movie this year is – apart from the film itself – the creativity demonstrated by hardcore fans. Here’s a heartfelt tribute to the original trilogy set to the score on the latest The Force Awakens trailer by Medley Weaver – it is breathtaking and emotional to witness. Kudos!
Another music event that one should not miss at the upcoming Singapore Writers Festival is the performance of New Zealand artist Tiny Ruins (aka Hollie Fullbrook). Last time out, Hollie touched Singapore audiences with her gorgeous fragile folk-pop in May 2012 at the Esplanade Recital Studio. Since then, she has released a critically lauded sophomore effort, Brightly Painted One, and will be back on Sunday 1st November at the Arts House, Chamber from 8pm. We caught up with Hollie via email with our queries about her inspirations, influences & receiving acclaim.
What do you remember from your last visit to Singapore?
Moseying around the botanical gardens with my bass player Cass; delicious food from the night markets; taking a walk along Arab St & a curry in Little India; the humidity and walking around without a coat at night! All the lush greenery & flowers. Looking across the city from a tall building and seeing some of the crazy architecture; meeting many lovely Singaporeans, and being given a beautiful scarf which had a different material for each of the different cultures in Singapore.
Since then, you have released a critically acclaimed 2nd album – Brightly Painted One – did you anticipate the album being as well-received as it was?
Being an island nation, maybe you can sympathise, but as a musician working & living in New Zealand, you’re a long way away from the action, and the idea that your music could cross oceans and make any impact in what sometimes feels like an impenetrable industry is kind of crazy. So for me, the real feeling of success was actually getting to tour with my band overseas for as many months as we did last year – even though we are still small fish, so to speak, the feeling it gave me was that there was some momentum behind us.
What do you think is the strength of your songwriting?
I hope it strikes a balance between truth/reality, the real world, the way I really speak, for instance, and then also a sort of hyper-reality or dreamlike world, where I am free to tackle some bigger thoughts. It’s a bit of a mash-up of my real life, and the flashes from my subconscious & memory. I hope the writing is honest and relatable, but also with an element of strangeness or sort of contemplation about it.
Where do you get your inspirations for your lyrics/stories?
I try and be open to possible songs while reading newspapers, in conversations, observing politics, characters in books, films, or other peoples’ songs; just generally everything, everywhere! I also believe in the idea of the muse – one person, or a small handful of people, who are sort of mental gatekeepers.
There is a sense that Tiny Ruins is of another time & place – is the evocation of the UK 70s folk scene deliberate, or simply a by-product of your influences. In either case, why so?
Yeah, the British folk sound, well – it’s true that was an early influence on me. I was born in Bristol, and lived there ‘till aged 10. My Mum was in a London folk band in the 1970s, and I grew up listening to a lot of her & my Dads’ records. I was especially drawn to fingerpicking guitar, sad mysterious stuff – Fairport Convention, Lindisfarne, Pentangle, Donovan, Leonard Cohen (though not British, his was the first record my Mum bought when she was 12, and she gave it to me at the same age with a sense of ceremony!), Irish folk music etc. I was enthralled watching my mother and grandfather play the guitar, and they taught me my first songs. I also played the cello from a young age – maybe the music I was exposing myself to there was also of the more melancholic variety. I remember being thirsty for pretty much anything throughout my teens that wasn’t on commercial top-40 radio, which I found cheesy. Given how sparse a lot of songwriter stuff is, there’s often a lot to unpack in the songs – things to decipher and stories to keep returning to. So I did love songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Nick Cave and The Smiths in my later teens and then Joanna Newsom, Nick Drake, Smog/Bill Callahan in my early twenties, too.
Is the minimalist style evident on your first two albums, something you are exploring now and do you intend to add more textured arrangements or even change directions completely in the future?
The songs I’m writing now are still fairly minimalist, yes, but different too. I won’t say anything about them until they’re ready to be shown. I have no rules for myself in terms of ‘where I am going sound-wise’…it’s really just where the songs point to, and with whom I end up working.
There have been a couple of female Kiwi singer-songwriters that have left NZ – Kimbra, Gin Wigmore – do you see yourself following the same path one day?
Not really. I love to get home to Aotearoa, and at the moment there is no pressing reason to have a full-blown life upheaval.
What can Singapore fans expect from your performance at the Singapore Writers Festival?
I’ll be playing solo, and will be sure to visit every record I’ve released so far, as well as some new material.
What’s next for Tiny Ruins?
I’m releasing an EP in a month’s time (single, Hurtling Through, is out now), which I collaborated on with Hamish Kilgour from a great New Zealand band on the Flying Nun label, The Clean. I’m also writing our next album, to be hopefully recorded as a band early next year.
Tickets for Story Songs by Tiny Ruins, available from SISTIC. If you want free tickets for this show, simply write in to with a 50-word note on why you love Power of Pop so much! (Also include your full name and NRIC No., please) Oh and winning entries will be published! Be warned!!
Join Debra Khng and Neil Chan for Mooziq : Live on Friday, 30th Oct at 7:30pm at Bacon & Booze.
More info at http://www.baconbooze.com/ and https://mooziq.sg/debrakhng.
The late Arthur Lee and Love (the band Lee led & fronted) remains one of the most under-rated bands from the 60s/70s. Well, at least compared to their peers. Already well-documented is the fact that the likes of Jim Morrison (The Doors), Jimi Hendrix and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) were massive fans of this ground-breaking iconoclastic band. Certainly, the backward gazing bands of the 90s British indie scene owed a thing or two to Love.
One of the most freewheeling eclectic 60s bands, Love (which also included guitarist-songwriter Bryan Maclean, lead guitarist Johnny Echols, bassist Ken Forssi & drummer Michael Stuart) were never constrained by genres or styles and dabbled in folk, baroque pop, psychedelia, acid rock and even proto-punk (check out “7 and 7 Is” is below).
Not only that but the band can lay claim to producing one of the bona fide rock masterpieces of all time – the magnificent Love Changes.
However, due to drug problems and internal disagreements, the band’s commercial success dissipated in the late 60s, with Lee fronting a new set of musicians, but this incarnation of Love never garnered the widespread acceptance or acclaim of the original group.
Reel to Real was Love’s final official album and until now, has never been issued on CD! By the recording and release of this album, Love was essentially Lee with an assortment of session musicians but despite its marginalisation in rock history, deserves serious re-examination.
Not least for its daring coverage of a multitude of styles, despite its primary focus being on soul, R&B and blues-rock, one could imagine the young Prince, Lenny Kravitz or Terence Trent D’Arby listening to Reel to Real and copping one or two musical ideas.
Whilst modern pop fans would probably find themselves grooving to soulful gems like “Time is Like a River” and “Stop the Music”, alternative rockers might take a shine to off-beat numbers like “Singing Cowboy” and “You Said You Would”, which sound like Hendrix channeling Buck Owens! And that last song – “Everybody’s Gotta Live” – is the Lennonesque anthem Noel Gallagher wished he was smart enough to rip off!
The new reissue has rather illuminating outtakes which on occasion outshine the original tracks with their spontaneity and raw energy. There’s also a sloppy studio rehearsal of that classic Forever Changes outtake “Wonder People” for all your Love completists out there.
A hidden treasure re-discovered. Essential!
Buy now!
If you haven’t seen The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 3 yet, then I suggest you stop reading because SPOILERS ensue!
Continue reading “GEEK OUT! DO YOUR EYES DECEIVE YOU ON THE WALKING DEAD?”
Probably aware that comic fans might just be getting tired of publishers using the death of superheroes to create the facade of something new happening in their titles, DC have decided to kill off its most iconic villain, Darkseid (see above)!
This event occurred in the currently ongoing Darkseid War within the pages of Justice League. With the demise of this dark god, DC have elevated five characters to divine status viz. The Flash – God of Death, Superman – God of Strength, Batman – God of Knowledge (see above), Shazam – God of Gods and Lex Luthor – God of Apokolips! Of course, everything returns to normal by the end of this arc but curiously to see how it all pans out.
What was perhaps jarring was that Act One of Darkseid War had quite brilliant artwork by Jason Fabok but Act Two features less impressive work from Francis Manupal. Although that last full page seemed just fine (see above). Well, of course, the narrative could have done with less characters – it’s so hard to keep up as usual with superhero plots (convoluted for its own sake) but all things considered a good run thus far.
Pre-order
Alright, here’s the concept – let’s have ‘crossover’ events with music for the Singapore Writers Festival 2015. All perfectly logical – after all songs have lyrics.
Now, let’s stretch that further and have the opening event a concert featuring two of Singapore’s leading INSTRUMENTAL rock bands!
Yes indeed, that’s the way to do something completely different and with In Each Hand a Cutlass (left, above) and I Am David Sparkle on board, one can be sure that the music will be up to the task.
Luckily for Power of Pop, we get to quiz the bands and they get to write some words to – hopefully – offer some clarity about Island of Dreams.
How did the organisers set out the task assigned to you regarding Island of Dreams?
Sujin Thomas (IEHAC): We were approached at first as a potential band to write the theme song for the Singapore Writers Festival and later commissioned to do the job. I think the organisers decided on an instrumental band because we offered that element of songwriting without words. What was cool was that they left the creative process entirely to us to work out.
Daniel Sassoon (IEHAC): We definitely appreciate the creative freedom given to us, although the track is ultimately a commissioned piece. We shared our ideas and vision of what the song was meant to capture – namely, the spark of inspiration that ignites the whole creative process, and the birthing of new worlds as a result. They saw where we were coming from and liked the demo, and gave some feedback; we tweaked it a little when recording it, and off we went to Snakeweed Studios.
I Am David Sparkle: Expressions of life’s liberties.
What was the main challenge in coming up with a set that would be suitable for the theme assigned to you?
Sujin: For the theme song itself, we had to think outside of our familiar realm, that is, to steer away from the technicalities and mood shifts of our own tracks. We kept in mind that we had to create an instrumental song that could not only be catchy and engaging but also be palatable for mainstream listeners. Our set for the gig is made up of a range of songs off our second LP, The Kraken, with a few tracks from our debut album, and of course, the theme song. Again, we kept in mind that the audience at the gig may not all be familiar with our stuff so we’ve curated a set list that will offer them an easy introduction to the band, with a few fan favourites thrown in the mix for good measure. Basically, we plan to blow their minds to bits.
IADS: Aggressive discipline and barbaric control.
What is your interpretation of Island of Dreams – what does it mean to you?
Amanda Ling (IEHAC): Dream factory, through the mind, to the hands and out to the world.
Daniel: I imagine this island as a safe space in the middle of the ocean, which carries certain danger and the unknown that lurks in its depths.
IADS: No disguise can deface evil, that stains the primitive sickle blood red.
As an instrumental band, how do you convey your ideas effectively, without the use of words?
Amanda: Music is a universal language that can be understood through its emotive nature of the mood, tempo, instrumentation set by the musicians. The dynamics of each element interplay with each other and the wordless nature provides the listener with a vast possibility of interpretation through their imagination.
Nelson Tan (IEHAC): Most of the time I go with the flow. If I feel that it sounds right, I would go for it. I also try not to focus too much on the technical aspect of my bass playing but more like let the song develop into the way I feel is right. Many a times I’ve tried to introduce more advanced ways of playing only to find that grooving with the drummer prevails over tapping demisemiquaver notes over a 3 octave B harmonic minor scale in major 3rds using both hands at 300BPM. Sometimes less is more for most of the time.
Daniel: I didn’t even understand that, but that’s why Nelson’s got that music degree!
IADS: Oppression ruled by bloodshed.
Besides the music itself, are there any other aspects of your performance that will go towards an interpretation of the theme?
Daniel: We should be having some background visuals and mood lighting that would enhance the atmosphere; but we’ll leave that to the professionals to come up with all that good stuff. We’ll just focus on playing as best we can.
IADS: Seizing all civil liberties.
Island of Dreams will be held at the Victoria Theatre on 30th October.
Tickets available from http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/swf2015c
Listen to In Each Hand a Cutlass’ “The Paper, The Pen and the World Began” – the theme song of the Singapore Writers Festival.
Liverpool-based indie rockers Circa Waves have emerged as the next big thing on the UK music scene with a Top 10 debut album (Young Chasers) and a sold-out UK tour to boot. Taking the early Noughties indie boom (think: The Strokes, The Libertines & Arctic Monkeys) & re-packaging its shiny bright sound for today’s teenagers, Circa Waves have caught on like wildfire.
Truth be told, when I read the email about Dr Martens bringing the band on a South East Asian tour for #StandForSomething, I had not even heard of them! But a quick listen to Young Chasers, led me to conclude that it’s at least comforting that a real pop band playing real pop music is making waves (sorry!) out there in the pop wasteland.
Before their gig at Theatreworks last night, I was privileged to speak to Kieran Shudall (vocals, guitar) and Joe Falconer (guitarist) – the band is completed by Sam Rourke (bass), Colin Jones (drums). I must say that it was probably one of my most enjoyable face-to-face interviews since… the one with Travis last year (?) Well, you know, I’m an anglophile so chatting with British musicians is always a bonus for me. Check out the highlights of our conversation below.
Where do the songs come from? Your head, your heart or your groin?
Kieran – Somewhere in between the head and the heart, maybe the neck? In that area, collarbone. They’re a mixture of all things – contemplation, frustration – not many from the groin. Although there are some sex songs on the next record.
What is your musical philosophy?
Kieran – Be genuine, I think. (PoP – What does that mean to you?) It means, not compromising too much, always making music for yourself. If people like it, it’s because they like what you’re thinking about or talking about. You’re trying to write something cuz you love it.
Are you happy people?
Joe – Yeah. I mean, I’m not unhappy. It does sound like an upbeat record except for the lyrics…
Kieran – Well, I’m pretty upset with myself, most of the time.
Joe – I think that’s good. Who listens to songs with happy lyrics? Really.
Kieran – Like the Cure or The Smiths – some of the songs are major-y but they’re all about heartbreak.
(PoP – “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” is a good example)
Kieran – Yeah, that’s spot on with our music. “Lost It” is major chords and quite happy but it’s about being fucking miserable.
(PoP – That’s the vibe I get from “Fossils”)
Joe – Guess it’s kinda like the equivalent of shouting into a pillow. A release. Y’know positive energy comes out of it.
Kieran – There’s a happiness and euphoria about telling people how miserable you are.
What do you hope to get out of life?
Joe – I don’t want to do anything I don’t want to do. Being in this band is the most fun ever. And if this all ends, then I hope that the next thing I do is like that — I want to do that everyday. I never want to turn into those people who literally dread waking up 5 days a week. Well, y’know, I feel like that has to happen but will try to avoid it as much as possible.
Kieran – I’d like to get to the point where I don’t give a shit about what people think of me. Just being content with my lot. Growing old and just being happy with the paper and a cup of tea. And that would be nice.
(PoP “When I’m 64” Kieren starts singing…)
Kieran – Yes, I would like to be content. 3 kids. House in Spain, house in Canada. Maybe an apartment in New York.
What is it like to be a band from Liverpool, which has such a rich heritage of producing some of the greatest bands ever?
Joe – It’s the sort of place where people encourage you when you’re doing well. ‘Well done. Go ahead lad’. Everyone wishes you well. Lots of people are still around – Zutons, Bunnymen, for example. It doesn’t feel like we’re that separate (from the bands that came before).
Kieran – It’s a very real place and people don’t tend to forget who they are and where they are from. It feels like you’re from somewhere with a real identity.
When you are playing on stage – what do you feel? What goes on in the head?
Joe – The perfect show is when everything is happening automatically but at the same time you’re taking everything in. So you’re aware of the experience but you’re not distracted and you know something good is happening. The worst gigs are the ones when you can’t get out of your head. Your mind goes blank and you go off stage and it’s like it never happened. Those are the best gigs.
Kieran – Hard to explain when it’s really going well. Euphoric feeling – like having a constant orgasm really, on stage.
It did seem, from my perspective, when Circa Waves finally took the stage at 10pm – Riot !n Magenta opened with an invigorating set with Ginny Bloop bringing it! – that it was the young lasses in the audience that were the ones getting off – know what ah mean? Really enthusiastic crowd that did justice to the band’s energetic performance. Especially the kids that were cordoned off – underaged at an event with free booze – there was something for everyone, definitely.
Kudos to Dr Martens for another great #StandForSomething show (remembering the memorable night with Deap Vally last year). How about Nada Surf in 2016??? Pretty please???
Thanks to Andy Chua (Dr Martens) and Pardon My French PR (Sandra Cameron & Sharon Wong) for kind hospitality etc. All photographs by Jazreel-Anne.
It’s always intriguing to have two opposing ideas build up to a contrast in a music video. And this is why the music video for THELIONCITYBOY’s new single “All Night Feat Sezairi, Mr Boo” works despite the inevitable clunky acting.
The song itself is quite lightweight pop with local crooner Sezairi providing the sweetness but there is a edgy underbelly when you appreciate where THELIONCITYBOY’s lyrics are coming from. It’s a refreshing take on hip hop’s usual concerns about partying and hooking up with the opposite sex.
The video is altogether a different proposition. Ostensibly, it may seem corny and cliched to come up with a horror story before Halloween but it seems that the zombie motif is really a deep commentary on relationships and it resonates when the actress involved is THELIONCITYBOY’s own better half, Aarika Lee.
A masterstroke!
I mean, that scene where she’s asking her zombie partner why he’s so slow (riding his bicycle at the beach – what a twist on the cliche!) is hilarious. So when the ending comes, it makes so much sense and the viewer is nodding in a knowing agreement. Which is why I have always appreciated THELIONCITYBOY’s work – it lures you in with superficial hip hop tropes but then slays you with a meaningful thought-provoking message.
Kudos!
It begins with a barrage of ambient noise before settling into an acoustic/electric guitar dream-pop soundscape topped by the angelic vocals of Michelle and Lisa. Certainly, the arrangements have altered quite a bit from the way in which the band (now with new lead guitarist and drummer) used to play “Crystallized” live but from my perspective, it feels ‘right’. I would say that guitarist Ridhwan (from wyd:syd) has provided the definitive last piece that completes the jigsaw with his textured work.
After a prolonged wait, it is exciting that Enec.e is finally going to release recorded material & this is big news! Only the tip of the iceberg. MORE!
“Crystallized” is available now.
More info – https://www.facebook.com/enecdote
The Quartermasters want the music to speak for itself – no hype, no labels, just the music. On that count, this debut EP should be enjoyed on its own merits. By and large, it will be.
From a reviewer’s perspective, stripped of the need to pigeonhole this music, it is obvious that the Quartermasters’ goal was to make emotionally resonant music and again, on that count, they have succeeded.
For the bulk of the EP (viz. “The Harlot Train”, “Catch on Fire” and “Invincible”) reflects the influence of country-folk music that runs across the past five decades. Whether or not this music has been somehow appropriated by modern indie-pop fans (due to the popularity of Noah & the Whale, Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Son), there’s little doubt that the ‘age’ of the reference points have not impacted on opinions of millennials who have adopted this kind of music as somehow relevant and suitable modern pop.
Which goes to prove that folks still judge a book by its cover. Form over substance.
But these extraneous concerns are moot when one comes to the gorgeously soulful “Worry”, which manages to insert jazz-inflected harmonic progressions within its generic country-folk construct. No mean feat and at over six minutes there’s a whole lotta country-soul to enjoy!
The most anticipated movie of the year has released a new trailer. If I am understanding the implications of what is depicted in this trailer correctly, after the Battle of Endor and the Return of the Jedi, something happened to thwart the actual return of the Jedi because 30 years later, the very idea of the Force is now a myth. Isn’t this the premise of Star Wars: A New Hope? So unlike the numerous books that chronicled post-ROTJ events (which has now been rendered non-Canon by Disney), we are back to square one.
Once more, we have a young adult living on the desert planet looking up to the skies, we have a malevolent force wearing a helmet and we have the threat of the Death Star (see the poster below) – so Star Wars: The Force Awaken is in reality a REBOOT! Sigh. What an alarming and revolting development! Hopefully, I am wrong in my assessment of the trailer. Cuz, even though the visuals are amazing and awe-inspiring, if that is indeed the plot of the new Star Wars movie, then it is going to be a disappointment. Don’t fuck it up, JJ!
Watch the new trailer.
Check out also this amazing clip that combines all the footage so far in the Ultimate Trailer!
Attending the SGIFF 2015 press conference, I was pleasantly surprised to come across many familiar faces and pleased as punch to discover that the Festival would feature a restored version of Eric Khoo’s Mee Pok Man (on its 20th anniversary) and a Singapore premiere of his latest opus, In The Room.
I have always wanted to me more involved in the indie film scene in Singapore and this event was deeply encouraging for me to keep at it. So expect some form of coverage here at Power of Pop.
In the meantime, check out what’s happening at SGIFF2015.
Zhong Ren Koh is probably one of the most talented musicians in Singapore that you have never heard of. Well, to be fair, if you are a hardcore S-ROCK fan, you might remember Zhong Ren playing bass in Basement in My Loft or sessioning as a cellist for Hanging Up the Moon, Victor Low or Alise.
But really, what you should realise is that as Plate (with support from drummer Jason Cruz and violinist/co-producer Yi The Seow) – Zhong Ren (on (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, cello, glockenspiel, drum machine!) is one of the more exciting singer-songwriters out there in the #sgindie wasteland. And here’s the evidence: a nine-track debut album (Tear Down the Marketplace) with a maturity and intensity that belies Zhong Ren’s own personal under-stated style and underscores the artistic depth of what can still be achieved in 2015 with indie rock.
The easiest reference point for Plate is Radiohead & perhaps early Muse (especially on the opening tracks “Revolutionaries and “Building With Sticks” but that is only the starting position for Plate). On the atmospheric, cinematic folk of “River”, “Nest” & “Landslide”, Plate echoes the work of Hanging Up the Moon and Leslie Low, plundering the 1970s British electric-folk scene for raw inspiration.
There is a strong melancholic vibe on Tear Down the Marketplace that is fairly relenting – on “Straphanger” & “Expanse” Zhong Ren explores the lower register of his vocals to induce a depressive mood and again, displays the range of his inventiveness – ever restless to find the suitable ambience for the song. It’s difficult not to respond emotionally to what the compositions convey.
Though this album has been out for a while now on Bandcamp (see below), Plate is planning a general release on 31 October with live shows to follow. For more info, follow Plate at https://www.facebook.com/platemusic.
Australian songstress Lenka is coming back to Singapore for a one-night only headlining show. Providing support will be our very own Charlie Lim.
Show Info
Date: Tuesday, 1st December 2015
Venue: *SCAPE, The Ground Theatre
Showtime: 8.00pm
Doors Open: 7.00pm
Ticketing Info
Tickets available now at http://lenka.peatix.com
VIP (incl Meet & Greet): $138
Early Bird: $68 (until end Oct or until soldout)
Standard: $88
At Door: $108
All tickets are free standing
The Quiet Beatle, the Mystical Beatle, the one who stood on stage between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It must have been difficult for George Harrison to play third fiddle to pop’s finest songwriting team but he bided his time for his debut proper solo (triple) LP (technically his third but the two instrumental LPs before this do not count), All Things Must Pass. Quite possibly, the best amongst the numerous solo Beatle LPs that flooded the market in the early 70s, All Things Must Pass provided that Harrison was a songwriter who’s work was on par with his illustrious former partners.
As the first two sides demonstrated, Harrison had a great deal of pent up creative energy that was unleashed in magnificent material like “My Sweet Lord” (notwithstanding the subsequent copyright action), “Wah-Wah”, “What Is Life”, “Behind That Locked Door” that revealed the breadth of Harrison’s ability, shorn of the Beatles.
Not that the rest of the album is lacking in wonder as “Beware of Darkness”, “Awaiting On You All” and the title track prove. If nothing else, All Things Must Pass announced the end of the 60s but celebrated the beginning of the 70s and ushered in perhaps the best rock decade ever.
Buy now from Amazon.com
