And then just for a moment/You’re lost in the jukebox glow/Hypnotized you make your selections/Psychedelic rock and blue eyed soul (“Are You Ready?”)
For the first time in forever/I lay the needle down inside the groove/And for the first time in forever/I’m hearing bands like they’re all brand new (“Rainy Day Record”)
by Jazreel-Anne
Two songs that caught my ear on The Light in You, the first Mercury Rev LP since 2008. Which is about the length of time since I saw the band in concert (at Baybeats 2007 at the Esplanade Concert Hall). The hiatus seems to have invigorated Jonathan Donahue & Grasshopper (aka Sean Mackowiak) – the prime movers behind these veteran psychedelic-folk-rockers – as evident on the new album as well as their electrifying performance at the Neon Lights Festival on 29th November at Fort Canning Park.
The new kid on the block, Neon Lights sought to cover as much ground as possible in terms of appealing to the broadest demographics. Presumably, this was deemed necessary by Neon Lights to distinguish itself from the other big-scale music festivals in Singapore viz. Laneway and The Gathering (formerly Hostess Club Weekender).
by Neon Lights
To that end, Neon Lights featured comedy, arts and children entertainment, possibly in an attempt to encourage families to make it a day (or two) out for the weekend.
Now here’s one that snuck under the radar. Released earlier in the month, this is a three-track EP that contains some of the better pop songs heard this year.
Glasgow’s post-rock quintet Mogwai, young Irish experimental folk singer SOAK, Broods, the Kiwi synth-pop sibling duo, British electronica outfit UNKLE Sounds, led by James Lavelle, and local post-rock band Paint The Sky Red.
