DISCOGRAPHY
Watchmen – Democracy (1993)
“an excellent album – brimming over with musical ideas ” (BigO)
“songs have the spontaneous charm of great rock and roll” (Straits Times)
“the new album is a constantly surprising melange of influences – a landmark in production for Singapore music ” (Writz)
Watchmen – Love EP (1994)
“I Love Singapore is an astounding indie rocker with lyrics that bite” (BigO)
” All I Know is reminiscent of the early hits of the Beatles with its jangly guitar rhythm and soothing harmonies” (City Weekly)
“4 Love highlights Watchmen’s stylistic inheritance of 70s-era romantic pop” (8Days)
The Crowd – Pop (1997)
“infectious melodies reminiscent of good old ’60s pop songs” (Straits Times)
“instantly enjoyable … should be a Crowd-pleaser” (Etc)
“buy this candy-sweet bubblegum treat of a pop album” (M3)
“a sure hit” (LIME)
Popland – Groovy (1998)
“Like its delightful packaging, Popland have delivered a musical journey that covers tons of ground, but never once sticks to the same (middle of the) road, less its impact and interest overstay its very welcome.” (Gary ‘Pig’ Gold)
“Mathews’ plaintive vocals are perfect for the acoustic tunes that pepper the album, ranging from the unabashedly tender love songs of Distant Mirrors, Here and the appropriately titled Beautiful, to the wistfully nostalgic reminiscences of a long-gone Singapore in Past Tense” (BigO)
Popland – Action! (2001)
“Well, let me just say that Kevin’s brand of music comes as no surprise to me. For someone who loves pop music (and that’s “pop music” in the most respectable sense of the term, not “pop” as in “poop”) as much as I know Kevin does, his own 11 tunes included within Action are a very nice mix of all sorts of great pop, ranging from garage-like rave ups to more sentimental and emotional singer/songwriter fare.” (Pop Matters)
“For Action!, whilst still brimming along the kinda Kinky guitar parade which made their previous work bash and pop itself silly, reveals a proud maturity within the duo’s songcraft and arranging skills.” (Gary ‘Pig’ Gold)
“Has an amateur twill to it, a bit clunky here and there, but that makes it endearing in spots. “The Hip Song” is suitably nasty, a diatribe against those who live or die depend on whether the doorman likes the look of them enough to let them into the party. Being a sentimental sap myself, my favourite is the ballad “Feel the Same Way,” plaintively sung by Mathews as if he really means it.” (The Big Takeover)
“Brimming with wide-eyed optimism and cheery, upbeat melodies, Popland and Zip Records are to be cheered for embracing such enjoyable hard-to-classify music!” (Bruce Brodeen)
“Mathews shows that he can walk the walk as well as he talks the talk, with strong vocals on this versatile pop-rock album.” (fufkin.com)
Kevin Mathews – @midnight (2008)
Kevin Mathews – Emo FASCISM (2013)
“On his latest solo outing, Kevin Mathews has morphed into a midnight troubadour in the mould of Sheffield’s Richard Hawley or Chicago-based Kevin Tihista.” (Straits Times)
“a singer songwriter album of love lost and found and dwindling about as good as you will hear by any one this week. 10 songs and all lovely, tasteful, well written and melodic.”
(Singles Going Steady)
Kevin Mathews – #alpacablues (2014)
“The guy’s found his inner Lou Barlow, the gauche-but-still-lovable dude past his prime – which means he’s hit his stride, ironically.” (Straits Times)
“Truth be told, with its brutal imagery, this isn’t the sort of EP that you can play at a party, but it is a lovely, introspective rendering of Mathews’ experiences — both personal and musical.” (TODAY)
Kevin Mathews – Present Sense (2015)
“With help from backing band The Groovy People, Mathews has crafted a solid collection of fetching tunes.” (Straits Times)
“So what if Present Sense ain’t cutting-edge? So what if it ain’t gonna win the proverbial Mercury Prize? Through and through, it sounds like an album made by a guy who truly enjoyed the ride. 54 years and going strong, without any semblance of sounding jaded in a scene that can be ‘under happy’, Kevin Mathews still appears joyous to be a part of it, making music that’s genuine, unconditional and close to his heart. Who are we to doubt his spirit?” (JUICE)
“Mathews is still going strong, having just released a new solo record entitled Present Sense. The man may be older now, but as this record proves, Mathews is still pretty young at heart. Present Sense powers through its 10 tracks with the gusto and wild abandon of a teenager.” (Bandwagon)
… still there’s more …