Month: June 2018

PoP RECOMMENDS | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : THE SLEEVES – DELIVERANCE

The Sleeves are back with a cracking new album! The Hong Kong – based quartet self-released their debut album Arcade Rock in 2011.

The follow-up Deliverance was recorded in Cambodia, mixed in Hong Kong and mastered at Air Studios in London.

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PoP20 | PoP LEGENDS : ROBYN HITCHCOCK – LUXOR (2003)

Here’s another blast from the past for this throwback Thursday – a 2003 review of one of my favourite artists!

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LIVE IN SINGAPORE : PVRIS @ THE HARD ROCK CAFE

Intimate music shows with rising bands is something to seek out and experience. LAMC Productions certainly delivered with up and comers PVRIS performing an hour’s set to a rabid audience at the Hard Rock Cafe.

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SINGAPORE ROCKS | POWER POP ROCK N ROLL : S-ROCK FIGHTS BACK AT THE MANNEQUINS FOUR EP LAUNCH!!!

It does not matter how many social media ‘likes’ Singapore rock bands are able to muster. It does not matter how many Spotify playlists Singapore rock bands are excluded from. It does not matter if Singapore rock bands are not considered hip and cool amongst the local scenesters and hipsters.

All that matters is a love and passion for rock ‘n’ roll! And in that respect, the recent Mannequins Four EP Launch had that in spades – many not in quantity but definitely demonstrated with intensity!

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PoPTV | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : ERIC FRISCH – “WATER INTO GOLD”

Always a joy to discover a new artist that embraces the full potential of rock ‘n’ roll. On his new EP – Water Into Gold – Eric Frisch, digs deep into the well of country-folk goodness to deliver three gorgeous songs.

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SINGAPORE ROCKS!!! WHY YOU NEED TO BE AT MANNEQUINS EP LAUNCH!!!

In many ways, the upcoming Mannequins EP launch show is a throwback to the recent past, a relic from a different age.

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PoPTV | PoP LEGENDS : GANG OF FOUR – “LUCKY”

Guitarist Andy Gill might be the only original member of Gang of Four remaining but that does not take away from the vitality or relevance of the band’s new music.

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PoPTV | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : COLD FRONTS – “FANTASY DU JOUR”

The Philly-based indie rock band Cold Fronts recently shared the music video for the title track off their sophomore album Fantasy Du Jour which came out April 20 through Sire Records. The video was produced and directed by Peter English.

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PoP20 | PoP LEGENDS : XTC – WASP STAR (APPLE VENUS VOL. 2)

The last XTC album, reviewed in 2000.  Written in a time when I would wax lyrical about my favourite music for hundreds of words. You have been warned!

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GEEK OUT!!! SUPERHERO FILM : INCREDIBLES 2 IS WELL WORTH THE WAIT! (NO SPOILERS)

Fourteen years! That’s how long it took director Brad Bird to put together the sequel to Pixar’s animated foray into the superhero genre, The Incredibles.

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PoP RECOMMENDS | POWER POP ROCK N ROLL : ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. – GLAMPING

Yes, digital disruption and the rise of hip-hop resulted in the decline and fall of Power Pop Rock N Roll. But it’s okay, cuz the wonderful internet has also allowed our favourite artists to continue to make and release new music viable. Like Roger Joseph Manning Jr, for example.

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GEEK OUT!!! SCIFI FILM – JURASSIC WORLD : FALLEN KINGDOM

I must confess that I was pleasantly surprised by this sequel to the billion dollar hit Jurassic World (2015), which I found to be chronically underwhelming. Read my review here.

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THE LISTENING BOOTH | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : LEAD PONY – TWO LOVE SONGS

It bears remembering during these times when everybody is smugly dismissing rock ‘n’ roll as a vital musical force that there are bands who demonstrate that this point of view is simply bullshit. Case in point – Lead Pony.

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THE LISTENING BOOTH | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : HOTEL MIRA – “BABY”

Last time out, I reported that one of my indie rock faves, JPNSGRLS had morphed into Hotel Mira, with a dynamic new single, 3AM Lullaby.

New song “Baby” ups the ante with a sophisticated arrangement that belies its melodic simplicity. Running gamut from funk to alt-rock to soul-pop, “Baby” is a triumph of determined songwriting without sacrificing an iota of hooky satisfaction.

The trio will be releasing a collection of six songs on August 17th. Can hardly wait!

Listen :

… still there’s more …

THE LISTENING BOOTH | POWER POP ROCK N ROLL : TRIP WIRE – “ACT FAST”

I’m often at a loss as to why people find my obsession with Power Pop Rock N Roll incomprehensible. All I’m looking for is music that is ‘real’ and resonates with my own unique tastes. Real music made by real people. Case in point – Trip Wire.

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SINGAPORE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT : FERS – “NEVERLAND”

‘Popular’ music in Singapore currently falls neatly into two categories. One, smooth urban electro-soul that reflects the entitled materialistic extravagance of the nation’s youth and two, atmospheric dreamy indie pop that is a contradiction of faux-art pretensions and grassroots endeavour. FERS is firmly in the latter camp.

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REEL TO REAL : OCEAN’S 8 (REVIEW BY YONG SHU HOONG)

It has been 11 years after director Steven Soderbergh wrapped up his trilogy of heist films that began with Ocean’s 11 (2001) and ended with Ocean’s 13 (2007).

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PoPTV | THE NEW ROCK N ROLL : PETER CAT – “HAND THROUGH HAIR”

Love bands who put the quirky and offbeat back into rock ‘n’ roll, like Glasgow’s Peter Cat!

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