Pop culture musings by Kevin Mathews
Every kind of music under the sun
LOWERCASE AND LINCH AGENCY PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH LYON APPRENTICE, GENTLE BONES, LOKIES & LINYING
The year has kicked off and the gigs are coming in thick and fast. A relatively low key event, this stripped down acoustic affair showcased Gold Coast brother act, Lyon Apprentice, as they made their debut appearance in Singapore.
The first impression I had of Aussie indie pop band Fairchild — by watching a YouTube video of “Burning Feet” (off new EP of the same name) — was that the band was a professional set-up with management & promotional support – the whole shebang! But the truth is that the Gold Coast sextet actually have day jobs (!) and ascribe to a D-I-Y aesthetic, depending very much on contacts and their own business acumen to make it this far. Frontman Adam Lyons not only has to juggle a full-time profession with Fairchild but also has a side-project Lyon Apprentice, with his brother Nathan (who is also in Fairchild). The band played in 2013’s Music Matters Live and more recently The MIDI Festival in Shenzhen and will also be showcased at the upcoming Canadian Music Week in May. All these overseas jaunts, virtually on their own dime. Quite an achievement. Over this weekend, I had the unique opportunity to watch both Fairchild and Lyon Apprentice and spoke to Adam about music, passion and how to finance it all by robbing a bank!
Why music?
I was forced to play piano when I was about 15 years old but I played guitar – I didn’t study it (music) at school – I wasn’t allowed to actually, I wasn’t even allowed to do PE – Maths and Science was my thing. I told them (parents) I wanted to do medicine, which I eventually got into. Music is a gateway to something else – it’s not a profession for me per se and I think things change when you switch music from a job to a hobby but we treat music as a job in the way we approach it. I look at my friends at work – 9 to 5 – and that’s all they do but it gives me another avenue to be creative.
Songs! They’re practically giving them away nowadays. So, get them while you can!
SAM PAGE – “Release Me”
DOT DASH – “Shopworn Excuse”
FAIRCHILD – “Dancer”
Yes, again pretty short notice from us but… we met indie popsters Fairchild last night and caught their set at Home Club and it was all good fun. Fairchild’s Adam and Nathan Lyons have a side-project, Lyon Apprentice and the brothers will be bring their brand of indie folk to Lowercase tonight (!) with backing from Joie Tan, Linying and Gentle Bones. It’s at Lowercase, it begins from 6.30pm and the cover is $6. Come on down!
PLAINSUNSET is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of their 2003 release, THE GIFT, with a limited edition collector’s vinyl, cassette & a one-night only show on February 8th 2014 at TAB, where they will play THE GIFT in its entirety. Early bird tickets on sale (till 13 Jan) for $15 here (Standard price is $20). More information available at the Facebook Events page.
Short notice but for indie pop fans, this is the perfect start to a musical year that should not be missed. The first Identite of 2014 brings together Aussie outfit Fairchild and local heroes DEON. I will be covering the event for TODAY so I hope to see you there!
It’s 1st Jan 2014, PoPies (yes just made that up!) — which means that the first big music event viz. St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival Singapore is 24 days away! I’ve got my media pass all sorted out so I guess it’s just a question of counting down the days and hopefully being able to do a couple more interviews – Savages? Kurt Vile? So far, I have interviewed Frightened Rabbit, Haim and The Jezabels for TODAY and it’s been really fun! Fingers crossed?
Regular visitors to PoP will be aware that I believe that the 70s was the finest decade for pop and rock music ever. And one excellent resource which allows the avid music fan to access this classic rock music is Spotify (haha you saw that coming!). But seriously folks, I’d like to leave you with introductory playlists I’ve curated of three classic 70s rock bands, which I hope will encourage you to explore more on Spotify.
Alright. In the booklet insert, there are claims that Caro Emerald‘s music is some unique hybrid of jazz and hip-hop. But clearly, it isn’t! Which is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to bios and press releases that do not tell the truth! C’mon!! At best, Emerald is a jazz-pop singer, and regular visitors will know that that is one ‘genre’ I find particularly risible. It positively reeks of entitlement, designer clothes and 1 percenters. Of course, these are all gross generalizations but I guess you should not have started this argument with this talk of a jazz/hip-hop hybrid then!?!?! Sorry if this is a negative review (something I personally try to avoid) but this is such pretentious bullshit. Avoid.
The final part of our look back at 2013’s recommend album list – accessible at Spotify.
Kevin Tihista – Modern Standard
Under the radar perhaps but fully deserves your attention. Pop music making at its best.
There’s little doubt that Cliff Richard is the one true Peter Pan of pop music. Now in his early 70s, he still looks and sounds good enough to belt out his famous hits in his own inimitable way. The set list on this performance video is dominated by his earliest numbers, like “Livin’ Doll”, “Move It”, “Young Ones” and “In the Country” etc but as well as the obligatory 70s songs like “Devil Woman”, “We Don’t Talk Anymore” and “Wired for Sound”. Naturally, unless you are a diehard Richard fan, there is nothing much here for even the most studious of rock scholars. It’s all rather glitzy and entertaining – not necessarily a bad thing but Richard represented the musical establishment that the likes of The Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks et al would soon overturn and by now, it’s appeal is limited at best.
Part two of our recommended 2013 listening list from music currently streaming at Spotify.
The Parson Red Heads – Orb Weaver
Probably one the bands that come closest to the spirit and vibe of 90s alt-country (viz. Son Volt, The Jayhawks, Wilco), The Parson Red Heads released one of the most 60s-evoking albums this year.
As promised, here is the first part of a list of recommended listening of 2013 releases that you have access to on Spotify! Enjoy…
Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, the Imperceptible UFO
Have been loving this Montreal band for a while now, and music fans should take them seriously as an alternative to fellow countrymen Arcade Fire. Their gorgeous mix of Pink Floyd meets mid-60s Beach Boys is enthralling. “Specter” is one of my songs of the year.
This live performance film from Luna Park, Bueno Aires, captures Dream Theater Mark II as the band tours 2011 album A Dramatic Turn of Events. After having drummer Mike Portnoy leave the band a year earlier, as explained in the documentary bonus feature, Dream Theater was revitalized with the recruitment of Mike Mangini and the subsequent release of A Dramatic Turn of Events. Judging from the album and this concert film, Mangini has assisted to reshape the band’s sound towards progressive metal, which has certainly not hurt the band’s reputation. Mangini in facts takes centrestage quite a bit with his enigmatic style. No slouch in the virtuosity department, Mangini more than keeps up with his illustrious partners viz. guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. That all said, it does seem at times that singer James LaBrie is unsuited for this change of direction but there’s little doubt that he still makes the material his own. Dream Theater fans will not want to miss this as the band goes from strength to strength.
Was 2013 a good year for popular music? It all depends on your definition of a ‘good year’. I believe that since the end of the 90s, the decline in the quality of popular music being written and recorded has been alarming. Compared to the previous 40 years, it’s fair to say that much of the popular music that has come out of the new millennium has been – with some exceptions, of course – largely forgettable.
Finally! Charlie Lim has released two new singles (viz. “Bitter” and “Conspiracy”) and both tracks can be downloaded for FREE from Bandwagon (limited to first 1000 signups) so HURRY!!!!
Suffice to say, “Bitter” is a heart-wrenchingly gorgeous jazz-pop piece with dynamism, virtuosity and dollops of soul that deserves to be a worldwide hit (whatever that means nowadays) – please don’t miss out! “Conspiracy” demonstrates a different side of Charlie as smooth R&B inflections, infectious funky beats and cool vibes make the song a hot dancefloor hit contender! Another essential track for your collection!
Find out more about Charlie Lim here.
When Bryan Ferry burst onto the UK scene as Roxy Music’s leader/singer in the early 70s, the band found itself branded as somewhere between art-rock and glam. However, as the band evolved from a progressive rock to a sophisticated pop outfit, its image would also change from quirky to glamourous and chic. Ferry himself has always been the epitome of rock cool – inspiring numerous followers in the 80s New Romantic movement – and even though he is in his late 60s, he has lost none of these indelible qualities as evidenced by this live performance recording. Naturally, the man has put on quite a few pounds and there are wrinkles all over his visage but there’s no mistaking the fact that Bryan Ferry’s stage presence and attitude is still able to capture the attention of a modern audience. This solo performance finds Ferry and band (not forgetting sexy dancers and backing singers!) cherry picking from his illustrious career including Roxy Music hits, solo favourites and interpretations of the Dylan songbook. Bonus feature – Making of Olympia (Ferry’s most recent album).
The true measure of a rock star is the kind of fans he or she has. Springsteen & I is a documentary with a difference – it was made for Springsteen fans by Springsteen fans! By the end of the documentary, you will be convinced about the depth of love and passion that Springsteen fans hold for their icon. Judging from the diversity in age and nationality, it’s clear that Springsteen’s appeal covers a broad range of fans. This special connection is what makes this documentary unique. Also worth checking out – numerous previously unseen archive footage of performances from throughout Springsteen’s career. The DVD bonus features include performances from 2012’s Hard Rock Calling (including two songs with Paul McCartney) and fan homemade video submissions.
It’s easy to be glib about the year that has passed and focus simply on how time flies and all that. I want to resist that temptation and reflect upon the amazing experiences I had in 2013 that I will always cherish to assist me in looking forward to 2014.
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Notre Dame de Paris is not a musical. It is promoted as a ‘musical spectacular’, and indeed, it is more of a pop-rock concert with songs that are more of ‘inspired by’ the story of Victor Hugo’s classic novel than a traditional musical. Hence despite all the singing and exciting dance and acrobatic sequences on stage, unless you are familiar with the tragic story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, you never really get a clear idea of what is happening on stage, or why the characters do what they do.
Malaysian singer-songwriter YUNA, will be back in Singapore for a brand new concert on 24 February 2014 at The Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale via SISTIC from tomorrow, 17 December 2013.
HOUSE OF CARDS SEASON 2 OFFICIAL TRAILER
Netflix is an on-demand video streaming web service – an online version of the video rental store, one might say. In 2011, the service announced that it was venturing into original programming as well and the first series – House of Cards – a political drama adapted from the UK series of the same name & starring Kevin Spacey, was a resounding success.
Well, here comes Season 2 and based on the official trailer, it looks like the series is upping the ante in delivering shady political shenanigans as the Machiavellian politician Frank Underwood is now a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the USA but obviously has to work hard (and smart) to keep all his dirty secrets under wraps.
Take a look – the entire series drops at Netflix on 14th February next year!
More new music you can discover at Spotify. These are releases I recently reviewed at TODAY.
PITCH FEATHER
The debut album – Mountains and Tides.
Tickets now on sale for next year’s much anticipated Hostess Club Weekender in February over here.
To set the tone, here is a video of the intriguing duo that is Buke and Gase…
… and listen to one of the essential albums of 2013, General Dome!
…still there’s more…
Awesome news for fans of alt-rock of the instrumental persuasion as Irish band And So I Watch You From Afar finally makes its way to our neck of the woods on Friday 28 Feb at Zouk. Supporting them will the up-and-coming progressive alt-rock outfit sub:shaman.
Limited Early-bird Tickets: $45
Regular Tickets Online: $55
Tickets available for purchase online from www.kittywurecords.com
Ticket sale starts Monday 16 December 2013