Pop culture musings by Kevin Mathews
Art-rockers British Sea Power are back with a brand new album – its sixth – and it’s a glorious return to the exhilarating, bright-minded guitar music that earned them their breakout nomination for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize as they cover subject matter ranging from the stars in the night sky to the methodology of media manipulation.
Brooklyn-based “Nu-Wop” act, PEP returns with their latest track “As Lovers” accompanied by a perfectly timed vintage Betty Boop animation.
Continue reading “PoPTV | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : PEP – AS LOVERS”
Eleven songs – raucous, blues-based, uncompromising – mark a triumphant return for “Hollywood” rockers Junkyard on their first official album in 26 years.
Continue reading “THE LISTENING BOOTH | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : JUNKYARD – CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH”
Legendary ex-Genesis prog guitarist, Steve Hackett has just released his new album, The Night Siren, through Inside Out (Sony).
Continue reading “MUSIC NEWS: NEW ALBUM FROM PROG LEGEND STEVE HACKETT, THE NIGHT SIREN”
Singer-songwriter Joy Heng, who is now studying in Melbourne, recently released a music video of her “Dreams” single.
Continue reading “SINGAPORE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT | POP POWER !!! : JOY HENG – DREAMS”
Now here’s a unique experience – partying in a cinema, made to mimic a club, to an orchestra playing orchestral versions of electro-dance tracks!
Continue reading “LIVE REVIEW : ONE MORE TIME – A TRIBUTE TO ZOUK AT JIAK KIM STREET”
As an artist dropped into the world of 90s alternative rock music, Eric Matthews has always been swimming against the tide somewhat.
Continue reading “PoP RECOMMENDS | POP POWER !!! : ERIC MATTHEWS – TOO MUCH WORLD”
Jazz singer Rani Singam returns with a brand new single “My Muse”.
The song was featured on Singam’s previous album Contentment but now with a new arrangement from Chok Kerong.
It’s classy and smooth and one for the jazz purists out there.
Listen:
Buy: Amazon | iTunes
Singapore music trendspotters would have observed the rise of female singer-songwriters paired with electronic music producers that have ignited serious interest on streaming platforms like Spotify.
Not quite sure what to make of this. Basically with Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman “reaches back through time to the original source stories in a thrilling and vivid rendition of the great Norse tales” – as the press release informs us. So is it something like an album of covers? And why is it so short (304 pages)?
The words “Zouk” and “orchestra” don’t seem to go together. But they will tonight and Saturday night as two contrary musical forces (viz. orchestral music and house music) combine to pay tribute to the iconic club’s 25 year tenure at Jiak Kim Street.
Continue reading “LIVE NEWS: ONE MORE TIME – A TRIBUTE TO ZOUK AT JIAK KIM STREET”
The legend may be gone but his music lives on!
Cigarettes After Sex have announced their self-titled debut album will be out June 9th on Partisan Records.
Continue reading “THE LISTENING BOOTH | POP POWER !!! : CIGARETTES AFTER SEX – APOCALYPSE”
How Power of Pop founder, singer-songwriter Kevin Mathews re-discovered the joy of making music for himself.
Continue reading “SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION : KAYMAC – RET-EL 2.0”
Just like the Marvel Studios films, Marvel Television’s web TV series for Netflix introduced characters through solo series before leading into the Defenders team series, sometime in mid-2017. Iron Fist is the last of the solo series before the Avengers-like team up happens.
Singer-songwriter Fym Summer has released one of the best EPs of 2017 – the Luna EP. Read what Fym has to say about her journey so far…
Big news for fans of 90s pop as French electro star duo AIR make their way to Singapore on 27th May 2017 at the Esplanade Theatre.
One of the best Singapore pop releases this year comes from singer-songwriter Fym Summer.
Continue reading “SINGAPORE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT | POP POWER !!! : FYM SUMMER – THE LUNA EP”
Just got alerted to this single release from Bright Boy.
Continue reading “THE LISTENING BOOTH | POP POWER !!! : BRIGHT BOY – VENUS”
Rock duo the Dollyrots are set to release their sixth studio album Whiplash Splash on March 24!
Continue reading “PoPTV | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : THE DOLLYROTS – I DO”
A melancholy number that will make your day. This is the new single – “Can’t Talk to Anyone” – from Huxley Rittman and the Rusty Hitmen!
UK hard rock band Mallen have released a muisc video for their debut single “Jack of Cards”, issued in November 2016.
Continue reading “PoPTV | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : MALLEN – JACK OF CARDS”
Ironic how ‘genre’ labels make so much difference nowadays. Take “pop-punk” – one of the worst rock ‘genres’ ever coined – turn it around to “punk-rock” and it becomes something vital, vibrant and meaningful.
Which brings us to Tales From A Punk Rock Rock Trip a new mini-album split between Hooligan Crooners and B-Leaguers.
Like most artists that emerged during the post-punk/new wave era, Elvis Costello suffers from the same dilemma, that is, of being perpetually branded as a product of the 80s music scene.
Continue reading “ROCK HISTORY : ELVIS COSTELLO – UNFAITHFUL MUSIC & DISAPPEARING INK”
Guest Rooms is the ambient/alt-pop project of Mason Parva and various friends who are willing to put up with him. Rather sad and self-deprecating description to be found at the Facebook page.
Continue reading “BANDCAMP DISCOVERY | POP POWER : GUEST ROOMS – PUT ME TOGETHER”