The PoP Blog

2011-04-17T23:24:00.000+08:00

2010-11-12T14:04:00.000+08:00

WHICH ONE'S PINK?

The first time I ever heard Pink Floyd was at a friend's house in the early 70s. The album was Dark Side of the Moon and the song was Time. I can tell you when the clocks started ringing, I literally jumped out of my skin. What the hell was that? From then on, I was hooked!

Just before I started my National Service, the band released The Wall and for the next six months, I practically listened to nothing else. It seemed to make sense of the "prison" of NS that I found myself in and related totally to the alienation and isolation express in The Wall.

Of course, I basically bought up anything with the Pink Floyd name that I could find and subsequently discovered Syd Barrett. Barrett was the genius that founded Pink Floyd and gave it its signature early trippy psychedelic rock sound. Barrett's one real album with Pink Floyd - Piper At the Gates of Dawn - is essential listening to understand all the psychedelic rock that followed - and that includes the Flaming Lips, of course.

I also learned that by the time The Wall was released, Pink Floyd was a band in name only as bassist-writer Roger Waters had taken over the band and believed himself to be Pink! Waters would release a solo album under the Pink Floyd name called The Final Cut before quitting the band. Remaining members David Gilmour and Nick Mason (Rick Wright was sacked by Waters before The Wall!) surprised Waters to release two commercially successful albums - A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell, much to Waters' chagrin.

With Wright's recent demise, Pink Floyd is effectively no more but its influence on rock music will never fade away. Bands from Radiohead to Dream Theater (and more) owe a debt to its progressive-space rock approach.

2010-10-30T19:20:00.000+08:00

SIN CITY

Written by Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, this country-rock classic was penned about LA but read the lyrics below and see if it can't be applied to SINgapore CITY as well...

This old town is filled with sin,

It'll swallow you in

If you've got some money to burn.

Take it home right away,

You've got three years to pay

But Satan is waiting his turn

This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poor house.

It seems like this whole town's insane

On the thirty-first floor your gold plated door

Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

The scientists say

It'll all wash away

But we don't believe any more

Cause we've got our recruits

And our green mohair suits

So please show you ID At the door.

A friend came around.

Tried to clean up this town,

His ideas made some people mad.

But he trusted his crowd,

So he spoke right out loud

And they lost the best friend they had

On the thirty-first floor your gold plated door

Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

2010-10-12T22:47:00.000+08:00

UNSATISFIED

Look me in the eye

Then, tell me that I’m satisfied

Was you satisfied?

Look me in the eye

Then, tell me that I’m satisfied

Hey, are you satisfied?

After albums filled with punk-fueled material delivered at breakneck speed, Replacements' singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg decided to take the foot off the pedal and reach deep inside himself to compose reflective, angst-ridden songs of sadness and disaffection. That's where Westerberg became the "spokesman of his generation" as the cliche is often framed.

On 4th album, Let It Be, the opening track of Side B - Unsatisfied - is probably not one of Westerberg's most melodic songs but boy, does it hit you between the eyes with its melancholy heart. From the acoustic guitar opening to its basic strident format, everything about the song screams the disappointing death of dreams. The wistfulness of the slide guitar underpins Westerberg's wails about The Who's mythical "teenage wasteland" as he asks his listeners (and perhaps himself), "Hey, are you satisfied?"before he confesses what he is holding in the recesses of his soul -

I’m so, I’m so unsatisfied

I’m so dissatisfied

I’m so, I’m so unsatisfied

I’m so unsatisfied

A simple message but yet so damn powerful... the power of pop.

2010-09-27T10:59:00.000+08:00

RIP IT UP AND START AGAIN: POSTPUNK 1978-1984
By Simon Reynolds
(Faber & Faber)
www.faber.co.uk

It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? As musical cycles go, the last few years has seen the re-emergence of post punk 20 years after it faded away as bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Editors, Kaiser Chiefs, Stellastarr*, the Killers et al begin to dominate the airwaves and the modern rock landscape.

Thus, Simon Reynolds’ tome on that particular golden age (1978-1984), is certainly timely… and timing is everything.

Speaking of timing, that era is special to me as it was about the time that I began seriously collecting albums and buying rock magazines, in particular the British kind e.g. NME, Sounds, Record Mirror. So reading Rip It Up and Start Again was a satisfying and nostalgic ride.

That said, Simon Reynolds’ evaluation of what was worthy of inclusion in this book probably coincides rather faithfully with what the NME was championing in those halcyon days. Therefore, the likes of PiL, Throbbing Gristle, Joy Division, the Fall, Gang of Four, Cabaret Voltaire, Pere Ubu, The Pop Group etc get loads of attention whilst personal favourites of mine (e.g. XTC, The Jam, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, The Police etc) get very short shrift. So, déjà vu then…

Other than that reservation, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who may want to know more about the roots of the current revival. Not only that, it is a wonderful introduction to many obscure bands that deserve closer examination like The Associates, Magazine, Japan, Meat Puppets, Mission of Burma (who have a new album out!), Minutemen etc. A-

(from 2006)

2010-09-21T11:28:00.000+08:00

POWER OF POP INTERVIEW: STEVE WYNN

I actually managed to get in touch (via e-mail) with the subject of our attention - singer-songwriter extraordinaire Steve Wynn and he graciously agreed to answer certain queries I had to make this edition of POWER OF POP INTERVIEW a special one indeed!

Wynn is perhaps best known for fronting the seminal alternative rock outfit The Dream Syndicate, which have been described as “at the foundation (alongside the Velvet Underground, Stooges and REM.) of contemporary alternative music.” When asked about his feelings about that part of his life, Wynn responded – “It was a very exciting time. If you are lucky enough to have a long music career you gain various skills and perspective and friends and workmates but you never regain that wild thrill of the first time you saw a record you made or the first time you saw your name in a newspaper article or the first time you played to an insanely enthusiastic audience. Those thrills remain in various forms but never as heady as the first time. And we (the Syndicate, REM, Green On Red, Bangles) were all sharing it at the same time.”

The Syndicate’s debut platter, Days of Wine and Roses was critically lauded but their subsequent albums viz. Medicine Show and Out of the Grey were given short shrift as Wynn adopted a rootsier sound, exchanging Lou Reed inflections for Neil Young, prompting the more caustic critics to remark that “Wynn indulged an embarrassing Bruce Springsteen fixation on later releases,” though with hindsight the Syndicate (together with Sid Griffin’s Long Ryders) certainly pre-empted the “No Depression” movement of the 1990s.

Wynn’s own view on this development - “Ah, people always are fearful of change and don't begin to fully accept the change until you change courses once again and build nostalgia for the intermediary change (follow that?) I think anyone who has been around for a long time gets used to the constant evaluation and then reevaluation of the career. I can't say that I had that much of an influence on the “No Depression” movement (though I think the Long Ryders are one of the biggest influences) but I am glad to see that great bands like Luna, Yo La Tengo and others took some of the things we did just as we took various things from bands like the Velvets, Stooges and Modern Lovers.”

But Steve Wynn is now a bona fide solo artist and with the 1999 album My Midnight, he had actually released more albums as a solo artist (six) than with Dream Syndicate. Does it bother him that his name cannot be mentioned without some reference to Dream Syndicate?

“I remember thinking that I would make one, maybe two solo albums and never have to see the words 'Dream Syndicate' attached to any of my shows or records. 10 years later the band is still part of my calling card and I am neither surprised or disheartened as I have come to realize how much that band meant to so many people, me included. In fact whenever I am asked in interviews about the 'record that changed your life' I always say 'The Days of Wine and Roses,' which is the obvious truth."

Having spent a decade as a solo artist, Wynn feels that he is “always trying to get better. I do honestly think that 'My Midnight' was my best album which is very heartening. I am going into the studio in September (2000) to make a new album and will feel the challenge to go one step further once again.”

Indeed, My Midnight is a wonderful album. “Nothing but the shell” is a great opening track with its sheer power – “just the sound of a good band moving together in a very natural way.” Wynn offers and the placing of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and ”Neil Young & Crazy Horse” in the same verse, Wynn attributes to “just some perverse humor and a take on dysfunctional families.”

The main strength of “My Midnight” is its eclecticism ("Cats & Dogs" – a prime example, a great pop moment that changes the mood from the first track. This is important to Wynn – “I'd rather be hated than boring. Not that such a sweet song about such sweet animals could inspire hate. I do see albums as some kind of narrative journey and have always felt that sequencing is as important an ingredient as any part of the record making.”

The title track is slinky and feline like the night - very evocative. Wynn elaborates – “the phrase 'My Midnight' isn't time-specific but rather the moment of the darkest parts of your soul, the time when all foundation shifts and sinks and you are left with doubts and confusion. It can happen at noon, it can last for months.”

As a finale, I asked Wynn to describe his music – “For 'My Midnight' I was very interested in big, symphonic records from the 1960s like Gene Pitney, Richard Harris, Love and even various bubblegum classics. Tried for a soundtrack feeling and I think the next record will be more stripped down and haphazard. Most likely. I always hate to describe my music to other people as I usually get it wrong. Best to leave it to the critics and then the rebuttal from the fans.”

‘Nuff said!

(Originally published in 2000)

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2010-09-19T19:30:00.001+08:00

THE POWER OF POP INTERVIEW - XAVIER BOYER (TAHITI 80)

"We wanted to make a modern-traditional pop album! "

French pop has not been held in the highest esteem in international pop circles compared to their neighbors across the Channel or even (of late) compared to Scandinavia BUT the improbably monikered Tahiti 80 is doing their damndest to change all that. AND based on their new shiny, funky pop album - Puzzle - they just might pull it off! In the hot seat for the band -- singer-songwriter Xavier Boyer.

How did the name "Tahiti 80" come about? Anything to do with "Brasil 66"?

The name of the band comes from a T-shirt that friends of my dad brought him back from Tahiti in 1980. Pretty simple, isn't it? We chose that name because it could be understood by anybody, in any language. I don't know any band called Brasil 66, but I do know a British band in the late 80' s whose name was Mexico 70. I think it sounds good but what I like about our name is that it' s not connected to soccer or anything.

When and where did the band form?

We met in Rouen (the town where Joan of Ark was burnt), back in 1995. We basically met in the hall of the university.

As a French band, why did you decide to sing in English? Do you sing in French as well?

No, we don't. We tried to sing in French at some point because of the pressure from record companies ( you have to play 40% of French music on the radio in France, it 's a law! ), but it didn't sound natural. Our musical culture is Anglo Saxon, I' ve listened more to the Beatles than to Serge Gainsbourg, even if "Melody Nelson " is one of my favourite albums. Looking back, I don' t think we decided anything, the first time I picked up a guitar I started to sing in English. I think it is the most appropriate language when you want to play pop music, like Spanish is for salsa, etc...

At the moment, the French pop scene is better known for its electronic pop artists like Kid Loco, Daft Punk and Air, are there other French pop bands like Tahiti 80?

Yes, bands like Fugu, Maarten or Calc sing in English and share with us the nostalgia for " traditional " songwriting and arrangements. Though, I wouldn't say we are prophets in our own country!

Do you feel out of place in the French pop scene?

It 's a fact that we feel much closer to Swedish bands like the Cardigans or Eggstone, or Belgian bands like dEUS or Soulwax for instance, than to other French acts. If you consider the recent years, it' s true that the electronic artists were the only ones to experience international success. I think we 're just another branch from the "new" French music scene.

What kind of music influenced the making of "Puzzle"? Who are your musical heroes?

Actually, anything from the 60's till today. We are huge fans of bands like the Left Banke, The Zombies, Big Star, XTC, The Pale Fountains, The Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine, The Boo Radleys, Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers, Stereolab...and many more. Our idea was to write "classical" pop songs, yet we didn't want them to sound like they were recorded in 1968 or 1974. We wanted to make a modern-traditional pop album! That' s why we use string quartets and electronic programming on some of our songs.

How long did it take to record "Puzzle"? Was it a difficult process?

We spent 1 month and 10 days at Stratosphere, NYC to record it. I think everything came pretty easily. The general mood was harmonious, that's quite important when you' re into melodic tunes (laughs)!

How did you hook up with American artists like Eric Matthews and Adam Schlesinger?

Adam plays bass in Ivy, the band of Andy Chase, our producer. He was often in the studio so it was easy to ask him to play keyboard on 2 songs. We are great fans of Eric Matthews, and we had one song that needed a trumpet player. Andy immediately thought of Eric so we sent him some rough mixes. He agreed to cross the States to record with us. It remains one of the great moments of the sessions. I wouldn't say he's one of our idols, but having this guy that we respect so much on "Puzzle" means a lot to us.

Do you have any problems with playing a so-called archaic style (i.e. guitar pop) in year 2000?

What for? We' d like to prove that you can still make interesting music with guitars . The difficult thing is to admit that it' s quite impossible to invent anything, and that the only thing one has to do is take some risks ( i.e. not only repeating what the Beatles have already done) and try to do something personal.

Is "Mr Davies" about Ray Davies of the Kinks? If so, what inspired the song?

When you open a Dictionary of pop music, you read Ray Davies close to the word songwriter. He wrote (writes?) great songs with great lyrics, my idea was to talk of him like he told the story of Arthur, Victoria, David Watts...It' s also me comparing myself to him. Of course, he has won the
match ! It' s also a song about all those British rock stars ( though I know Ray doesn't live there) who went to live in California, and who can't write good songs anymore. What has happened in the 70's?

Who listens to your records and comes to your gigs?

People wearing leather jackets and beatle boots...no. I don't know, it's quite varied, they can be pop fans always looking for new bands, girls who have seen our faces on T.V, guys in their late 30's nostalgic of the good old days,or 30 year old girls who watch musical channels and read the N.M.E.

How do Tahiti 80 intend to achieve world domination?

For our next effort we plan to record subliminal lines like " I wanna give all my money to Tahiti 80", or " Tahiti 80 is the best", like on those old Queen's and Led Zep 's album. It was good for them, it will be good for us.

How is Tahiti 80 promoting "Puzzle"?

The album has been released in France last October, we 've almost been on a "never ending tour" since. It still remains confidential in France but I think something is happening here, our video is played on TV (the single is "Heartbeat"), more people come to our shows . We' re doing quite well in the Benelux, proportionally we sell more records than we do in our own country ."Puzzle" is going to be released in Japan through JVC on April 21st, and in the U.S. via Minty Fresh on May 9th .We've got also good contacts in Britain and in other European countries. So hopefully(?), we 're going to promote "Puzzle" in a lot of different countries this year.

(Interview conducted in 2000 or 2001, I cannot remember!)

2010-09-19T17:56:00.000+08:00

THE FLAMING LIPS

At War With The Mystics

(Warners)

www.flaminglips.com

“If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch/Would you do it?”

Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe that the beginnings of a Flaming Lips backlash is upon us all. Many critics when reviewing At War With The Mystics point to the opening “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” as a sign that powers of the Flaming Lips is now in decline. Sure, it’s cheesy to the nth degree but deceptively so with a melodic structure that even Paul McCartney might chaff at but contains lyrics that John Lennon himself would have been proud to pen. No one sugar coats a protest song better than the Flaming Lips!

The funky “Free Radicals” takes a pot shot at someone with a bad attitude and who would not last without his (or her) bodyguards (anyone you might know?) “The Sound of Failure” is an apologetic exercise in soft pop dynamics – “So go tell Britney and go tell Gwen/She’s not trying to go against all of them” being particularly cryptic yet knowing. To these ears, the Lips muse is still alive and kicking…and add the space age pastoral hymn that is “My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion,” the catchy cry for help that is “It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big I Am So Small…Do I Stand A Chance?” and the closing hopeful ballad that is “Goin’ On” to the overall goodness and what one gets is a great Flaming Lips album.

Perhaps what has irritated these critics is the subtle shift into more familiar prog rock stylings that can be found on mainly instrumental tracks like “The Wizard Turns On…” and “Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung.” Too bad. As far as I am concerned, the Flaming Lips are now a law unto themselves and whilst At War With The Mystics never holds a candle to The Soft Bulletin and we all expected them going in but together with Yoshimi Battles the Red Robots, indicates that the Flaming Lips will not simply fade into the psychedelic-coloured sunset. A

(This review was published in 2006)

2010-09-14T23:16:00.000+08:00

AGAINST THE ODDS

Let me tell you straight - it was tough being a music lover in Singapore in the 70s. In my opinion, the 70s was the best decade in rock music but if you were growing up in Singapore like I was back then, we were having none of it. Due to the government's intolerance towards long hair and rock music culture in general, NO rock bands performed in Singapore. Ever.

There was no rock music on radio or TV either. The only places we could find rock music was in the records, magazines, jamming studios and nightclubs. So yes, it bugs me when I see the scores of foreign bands that play in Singapore nowadays cos we never got to see Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, The Who, ELO, Fleetwood Mac, Rush and so on and on and on. Sucks.

And no, watching the likes of Stereophonics, Oasis or 30 Seconds to Mars in Singapore does not come remotely close to missing out on those legends in their prime. It did not get that much better in the 80s either. Even as the post-punk bands (like Joy Division, the Jam, the Police, OMD, Depeche Mode) made an impact on the UK music scene, our local media was totally oblivious. Back then, BBC World Service was indispensable viz. Top 20 and John Peel shows (along with NME, Record Mirror, Sounds etc) pointing the way for us music lovers.

Even when MTV came along, the only way we could view these videos (pre-Youtube & cable TV), was through friends bringing back video cassette recordings of music programs from overseas, usually USA and UK.

We did however, get the occasional rock movie e.g. Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same, The Band's Last Waltz and of course, the epochal Urgh! A Music War! Censored of course as the authorities deemed necessary.

Why am I harping on these matters, now long past? Simply put, back then, to be a rock music fan came at a cost. We spent time and money to fulfill our passion - it did not come with a click of a mouse - we had to scour book and record stores and even order records from abroad, the old fashioned way!

That's why it pains and offends me when I come across self-professed music fans who know fuck all about the music they claim to love (and are blase about the fact), when the entire world wide web is available to them! And why I act so incredulous when kids lavish their acclaim and adoration on third-rate inferior bands when these kids are deliberately ignorant and oblivious of the original bands, these "superstar" bands are so obviously ripping off!

Look! Don't dismiss the music of the past as "oldies" - why settle for inferior music when you can embrace the real thing? Why the Vines (for eg) when you haven't even heard of The Kinks or The Who? Why oh why? Appreciating Vampire Weekend is well and good but irrelevant if you have no clue who the Talking Heads, XTC or Paul Simon are!

Sometimes I feel like screaming! It's frustrating to engage in conversation with kids about rock music and 90% of the time, I get a blank stare when I mention key artists/bands and worse still, this applies to our bands/musicians!!! Absolutely incredible. Which is why sometimes I feel like a freak in Singapore - nobody understands my passion for rock music, well that's not entirely true but there's not enough people out there in Singapore, who can carry on an intelligent discussion about rock music. That said, I do appreciate the precious few who do and can... you know who you are...

*SIGH*

2010-09-11T19:05:00.000+08:00

25 ESSENTIAL BANDS/ARTISTS

Not in strict order of merit but here's a quick list -

1. The Beatles

No surprise there, I hope. The one who made guitar bands cool again.

2. The Beach Boys

Brian Wilson created true emo music and probably the best pop album ever - Pet Sounds.

3. Bob Dylan

Dylan elevated folk music into pop culture phenomena, went electric and people have been trying to catch up since...

4. The Who

Created the rock opera and the power trio for a slew of followers.

5. The Kinks

The quintessential English band.

6. Rolling Stones

Pop's dark princes.

7. Jimi Hendrix

The 1st genius of electric guitar.

8. Velvet Underground

Pop meets the underground. Literally.

9. The Doors

More than just a Jim Morrison vehicle, the Doors were consummate genre-benders.

10. Pink Floyd

From psychedelic pioneers to prog professionals, the Floyd's influence still extends far and wide.

11. Genesis

From prog to pop, Genesis covers enough ground to justify the closest examination.

12. Electric Light Orchestra

Jeff Lynne and company brought the Beatles' orchestral psych-fests to their logical conclusions.

13. David Bowie

The pop chameleon spawned a million and one genres.

14. Roxy Music

Experimental and glam chic - the ultimate statement in rock cool.

15. Neil Young

The uncompromising anarchic rocker who succeeded on his own terms.

16. Todd Rundgren

The whiz-kid who mastered every musical challenge put before him.

17. Elvis Costello

Pub-rocker who ended up writing and performing with Burt Bacharach. Now that's versatility!

18. Joy Division

Where would modern rock/post punk revival be without Ian Curtis and company?

19. XTC

Severely under-rated pop masters with a capital 'P'.

20. The Jam

Much more than mod revivalists, the thinking man's post punk band.

21. The Police

Not punks (in any shape or form) but the Police defined the new wave in every other way.

22. Rush

Re-fined progressive rock into a palatable pop format, without sacrificing technique and verve.

23. U2

Ireland's finest became the biggest rock band on the planet.

24. Robyn Hitchcock

Standing on the shoulders of Dylan, Barrett and Lennon, Hitchcock made quirky folk-rock his own.

25. The Replacements

Raw and "in your face", proto-alt-rock at its best!

Not definitive of course... but a good start.

2010-09-07T11:43:00.000+08:00

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

How many of you reading this, remember Dada Records situated at Funan Centre in the 90s? I have fond memories of this great CD store and its owner, Peter, who was astute enough to make relevant musical recommendations (he actually pushed Verve and Blur to me! Good tastes, man!!)

Well, I do recall one occasion when I made my weekly visit to the store and Peter was thrilled to show me the CD where the band shared his store's name. The CD was playing over the store PA and I must admit by the third song, I was totally hooked!

Dada - the band - was/is a power trio (Joie Calio, Michael Gurley, Phil Leavitt) with the coolest influences (viz. Beatles, The Who, Led Zep) with a knack for melody and rock dynamics. Of course, I purchased the album and Puzzle has remained one of my favorite albums of all time.

Those opening four tracks, pretty much classic to me now - the bluesy Dorina, the powerful Mary Sunshine Rain, the psych-poppy Dog and the alt-countryish Dizz Knee Land - delivered an almighty punch which has to be heard to be believed!

The rest of the album is a little uneven, although the lush Timothy and the pummeling Dim are standouts certainly. The album sold around half a million, not too bad numbers for an indie band (the album was released by IRS, best known for REM in the 80s).

The band continues to make music but never quite hitting the heights of Puzzle and I understand that they're putting together a new record soon. Should be interesting.

Dada Records is long gone but the good times linger on in the mind...together with the music of Dada's Puzzle. Good times, indeed!

2010-09-03T11:05:00.000+08:00

A DENIAL

Unlike the hip & cool people, I was blissfully unaware of Nirvana till one day in 1991 when I walked into the old Rediffusion for an interview with Chris Ho and Smells Like Teen Spirit was blasting away. When I was informed that Teen Spirit was a hit single, the only thing I could think of was that this band was ripping off the Pixies! Heh!!!

You've gotta understand that in 1990, the word was that rock was dead as the only significant rock band who made any impact on the charts was REM. Nobody (not even Nirvana) expected Nevermind (the band's sophomore effort) to be the zeitgeist maker it turned out to be. Suddenly, rock was in again... and unfortunately, the major labels thrashed the bandwagon to bits and created grunge. Ugh!

Still, this event coincided with the rise of Singapore indie music and probably thanks to Nirvana and Nevermind, the local radio stations were more receptive to playing Singapore indie music and the listeners were open to the music as well as the number of Singapore indie radio hits testified.

Next year, will mark the 20th anniversary of Nevermind's release and its legacy is strongly felt even today in having single-handedly brought alternative rock into the mainstream. Good or bad?

All of which bugged Nirvana's leader, Kurt Cobain immensely, he never wanted fame and fortune (or to be a spokesman of his generation) - he just wanted to rock.

Sadly, his fragile personality got the better of him and Cobain committed suicide in 1994. His music still lives on...

2010-09-02T21:40:00.001+08:00

ULTRAVOX!

I just know that I'm going to get caned for this but... I actually liked the incarnation of Ultravox with Midge Ure in the lineup more than John Foxx. Okay?

When Foxx left the band in 1979 (after three albums), Ure, who had played with Thin Lizzy and ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock's band Rich Kids, replaced Foxx as frontman and brought Ultravox through their most successful era with 5 top ten albums in the UK and various international single hits.

I loved the Vienna, Rage in Eden, Quartet and Lament LPs immensely and count them as some of my favorites from the 80s. To my ears, Ultravox were progressive rockers masquerading as post-punks but instead of power chords, the quartet employed synths and Currie's violin to distinguish themselves.

In fact, after the release of Rage in Eden, the British critics (especially NME) began to decry Ultravox as the "new Genesis", which was fine by me, as I was also a Genesis fan! Despite the obvious debts to the pomp rock of the 70s, Ultravox's appropriation of the post-punk synth pop sound kept the music fresh and intriguing.

To this day, I go back to those astonishing singles viz. Sleepwalk, Passing Strangers, Vienna, The Voice, Reap the Wild Wind, Dancing With Tears In My Eyes. One Small Day and Lament and no assessment of the best music of the 80s will be complete without including Ultravox.

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2010-08-30T20:55:00.003+08:00

... STILL THERE'S MORE ...

How did Todd Rundgren follow the mainstream success of his Something/Anything? album in 1973? With a curious psychedelic freakout exercise he titled A Wizard A True Star, which is, in my humble opinion, one of the finest albums in the history of rock!

Into this 55-minute long LP (which pushed the boundaries of the vinyl format), Rundgren poured every ounce of his artistry, creativity and humor to produce a memorable sonic buffet that delivered every possible genre and style of the times.

For most of the first half of this surreal album (side A, in the old days), the songs blended into a suite in the fashion of Abbey Road's famous second half. And so broadway ballads collided with proto punk rages, experimental sound collages melted into pure pop ditties and elegant waltz pieces sat next to bizarre instrumentals.

All told, Rundgren squeezed 12 tracks into side A, bookended by International Feel and Le Feel Internationale (slightly varying versions of the same song) - from which I "borrowed" my signature "... still there's more ..." motif. Sheer genius!

Side B is a tad more conventional, setting out his trademarked Laura Nyro-channeling soul-inflected numbers, with an almost incongruously straight medley of classic soul hits viz. I'm So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/La La Means I Love You, then collapsing into a couple of quirky pieces before finally resolving with the anthemic Just One Victory.

The concept of the album is probably dead but back in the 70s, it made perfect sense and pop masters like Todd Rundgren exploited the format to its fullest and music lovers are all the better for that!

2010-08-29T16:09:00.000+08:00

XTC FOREVER

I have every album ever released by this seminal British POP band but this 1996 compilation collecting their singles from 1977 to 1992 is probably the best introduction a newbie could possible ask for.

Originally consisting of Andy Partridge (vocals, guitar), Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), Terry Chambers (drums) and Barry Andrews (keyboards), the quartet blitz their way through two LPs during the early post-punk era before Andrews made way for Dave Gregory (guitar, vocals) and significant chart success in their native UK.

However, at the cusp of a major US tour in 1982, Partridge suffered from a nervous breakdown and would never perform live again. In the wake of that disappointment, Chambers soon downed sticks and left for Australia, leaving XTC as a trio for most of the rest of their existence.

The band struggled to survive in the early 80s but thanks to an improved reception from the USA in the late 80s found renewed acceptance. Sadly, an ongoing dispute with record label Virgin Records, left the band in financial straits in the 90s.

By the time, XTC regained control of their own recording destiny, even Gregory was gone. The remaining duo of Partridge and Moulding released two more albums before Moulding effectively gave up on music altogether!

It's criminal that a band as inventive, melodic and radical as XTC never achieved the commercial success their wonderful music merited. But the music lives on...

2010-08-25T22:09:00.000+08:00

THE BEACH BOYS TODAY!/SUMMER DAYS AND SUMMER NIGHTS

One CD. 29 songs. If you're a rock scholar, you've probably heard of Pet Sounds and Sunflower as the "go-to" classic Beach Boys albums. For my money, you can't go far wrong with this CD which combines the Beach Boys albums released in 1965.

Not only do you get these two classic albums which includes seminal tracks like When I Grow Up (To Be A Man), Please Let Me Wonder, She Knows Me Too Well, Help Me Rhonda (Single Version), California Girls, Let Him Run Wild, You So Good To Me, And Your Dreams Come True but also the single The Little Girl I Once Knew (my favorite Beach Boys song bar none!).

I cannot over-emphasize this enough but if you're a songwriter, then this album must be in your collection. The tunes, the vocal and instrumental arrangements - simply breathtaking! Timeless, essential POP music!!

2010-08-19T23:59:00.000+08:00

TODD

Singer? Check. Songwriter? Check. Multi-instrumentalist? Check. Producer? Check.

Is there anything Todd Rundgren can not do?

Pop? Check. Rock? Check. Prog? Check. Ballad? Check. Soul? Check. Electronica.

Check check check.

Name the genre, Todd does it well. Well, much better than anyone should be allowed to, anyways.

Seems incredible, eh. Let's look at the evidence shall we?

I Saw The Light, off the Something/Anything? album is a slab of cool Philly soul music. The original recording was performed entirely by Todd himself. The single peaked at #16 but Todd had another single off Something/Anything? that did even better - #5 - Hello, It's Me.

True to his idiosyncratic manner, Todd performed his hit in glam outfit and makeup! Which served to alienate mainstream audiences - which was probably the point.
Todd followed up the gold success of Something/Anything? by recording two highly "alternative" sounding albums viz. A Wizard, A True Star and Todd.
More later.

2010-08-18T16:43:00.001+08:00

MERCURY REV

Esplanade Theatre

2^nd August 2007

Not being familiar with the Rev’s live modus operandi, I expected a sedate, chamber pop affair – judging from the recorded work of their last three albums.
I was wrong.
Fifteen minutes after the announcement that the gig had begin, the fairly sizable crowd became restless as video clips accompanied by soundtrack music provided the entertainment.
Then, the band turned up and launched into “Funny Bird” – and I mean like a rocket launch! The lights and sound were jacked to the max and for the rest of the night, the audience was treated to a visual and sonic assault that was sweet and loud, a mix of pleasure and pain that qualified as a memorable concert experience.
Jonathan Donahue was, of course, the focal point as he pranced and preened, alternating between campy mime and theatrical conductor, he was the consummate showman. Donahue was in good voice too, and credit to the sound person who managed to keep his voice distinct above the cacophony.
The band played songs mainly from the last three albums with the highlights for me being, of course, the Deserters Songs. The fragile brilliance of “Tonite It Shows,” “Opus 40” and “Holes” brought tears to my eyes. Simply gorgeous. Also, particularly significant was an apocalyptic “Dark Is Rising” with a final chord that threatened to completely blow out my sinuses! Another cool highlight (and a pleasant surprise) was a cover of Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” which totally came from left field.
All told, a night of wondrous discovery.
The band had been billed as purveyors of dream-pop but in truth this was more like noise pop as Grasshopper coaxed feedback-laden waves of distortion from his axe, looking ever the cool rock star in his slick shades. The rest of the band was in top form, the cornerstone being Jeff Mercel with his fine keyboard embellishment, which gave the sound colour and flavour.
At the end, the pleased crowd gave the band a standing ovation and the band returned to play out “Goodess On A Hiway” and “Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp” before departing.
Kudos to the Baybeats 2007 organizers for bringing Mercury Rev over to kick off the festival and thanks to Donahue, Grasshopper, Mercel and company for an inspiring night!

(From 2007)

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2010-08-18T07:46:00.000+08:00

Read the review of Lunarin - Duae here.

2010-08-17T10:49:00.000+08:00

ANDY PARTRIDGE
Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (APE)

www.xtcidearecords.co.uk

As any card-carrying XTC fanatic will inform you, the Swindon-based band spent the better part of the 90s on strike from their record label Virgin, finally earning their freedom from a draconian contract sometime in 1998. The band then set up their own label – Idea – and proceeded to release two albums (Apple Venus & Wasp Star) in consecutive years!

So it certainly behooves the band to flood the market with as many XTC-related products as possible just to make up for lost time. So whilst ecstatic fans have been lapping up the demo and instrumental versions of the two latest albums and Virgin was kind enough to issue the Coat of Many Cupboards box set, the duo decided to begin releasing the voluminous demos (subject of legend and lore and much bootlegging) Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding amassed during that seven-year industrial action.

Alas, Moulding changed his mind and so we have volumes one and two of Fuzzy Warbles as Partridge begins an ambitious program to give his fans what they have been waiting for a long time.

And is it all worth the wait and the expense? Why most certainly! Here’s why…

From Volume One, Partridge includes the delightful “Dame Fortune” (inextricably left off Apple Venus One), the bouncy “Don’t Let Us Bug You” (written for Disney’s animated James and the Giant Peach – now that would have been something!), a fiery demo of “That Wave” (off Nonsuch) that surpasses the recorded version for sheer intensity, the folky “Everything” (excluded from Oranges and Lemons), the whimsical “Goosey Goosey” (also for Nonsuch), the chirpy “Summer Hot As This” (circa 1984 – with erstwhile member Dave Gregory on guitar, a bonus!) and the offbeat “Wonder Annual” (another that failed to make the grade for Nonsuch).

Slide in Volume Two and one gets the unusually stripped down and straightforward “I Don’t Want To Be Here” (recorded for a AIDS Charity disc), the domestic tirade “Young Marrieds” – ‘Love and marriage go hand in hand like horse and horse shit’ (meant for Wasp Star), the political “Obscene Procession” – a precursor of “President Kill” perhaps? (for Skylarking apparently), the jaunty “Ra Ra Rehearsal” & “Ra Ra For Red Rocking Horse” (not quite up to the rest ofPsonic Psunspot, I wager), the McCartney-esque “Everything’ll Be Alright” (also for Giant Peach), the frenetic “Chain of Command” (a blast from the past, 1979 in fact!), a gorgeously cod-psychedelic version of Nonsuch’s “Then She Appeared,” the lovely enigmatic “It’s Snowing Angels” (circa 1990) and the vivid “Ship Trapped In the Ice,” written to reflect XTC’s Virgin dilemma.

And there you have it, not meant for the XTC newbie but once you picked up every single fantastic work released by this awesome band, then Fuzzy Warblestend to become fairly indispensable items to have and to hold. For even if the discs did not contain precious XTC artifacts, the professional sound and overall amazing quality of the tracks here make Fuzzy Warbles important albums for any serious-minded music fan to explore and absorb.

A+ (Vol. 1) & A (Vol. 2)

2010-08-16T23:10:00.001+08:00

OASIS

Singapore Indoor Stadium

23rd February 2006

Are Oasis an ‘oldies’ band now? As the band churned out The Who’s classic “My Generation” to close their first gig in the Lion City, one wonders whether this concert has come about for Singaporeans a decade too late.

Much has changed of course for the band in a decade – their rags to riches tale endeared them to the ordinary Brit, which resulted in two albums viz. Definitely Maybe & (What’s Your Story) Morning Glory receiving massive critical & commercial acclaim in their homeland with the latter also getting worldwide recognition and sales.

Since then, the love affair with the critics has fallen flat with the poor Be Here Now and the lackluster Standing on the Shoulder of Giants & Heathen Chemistry. Sales have also followed suit somewhat.

However, with the revival of Britpop in 2005, it was only natural for Oasis to make a successful comeback with Don’t Believe the Truth, which placed the band back on the pedestal almost as the elder statesmen of the movement.

Which presumably is the ideal time for Oasis to launch into a world tour, which includes a first time visit to Singapore. I have to say that whilst the almost packed house at the Singapore Indoor Stadium were obviously thrilled to just have the Gallagher brothers and company on stage, it was one of the worst gigs I have had the displeasure to witness.

First off, the sound – which is usually not up to world-class standards at the Indoor Stadium, was a distorted, sludgy, bass-heavy, unlistenable throb throughout.

Next, the band themselves looked like they couldn’t be arsed. With only Zak Starkey showing any passion behind the drums, the guitar players (Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Noel) looked bored and Liam, well, strutted around the best he could, shouting the odd undecipherable Mancunian invective at the adoring masses but generally being in bad (hoarse) voice.

The first half of the set comprised of the lesser-known numbers (with the exception of “Lyla”), heavily concentrated on the new album. Halfway through, the band trotted out their definitive anthem “Live Forever” and proceeded to mess it up royally with Liam totally murdering the vocals. It was painful to watch… and as the set drove inexorably to a faithful rendition of the hits viz. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” “Champagne Supernova” and “Don’t Turn Away In Anger,” the fans were certainly satisfied despite the many flaws and as the sonic assault continued unabated.

One thing I did take away from this concert was a greater appreciation for Noel Gallagher – he is the real creative force in the band – and the highlights for me was when he took over lead vocals for “Mucky Fingers” (extremely powerful live), “The Importance of Being Idle” and “The Masterplan” the subtlety of both sadly lost in the bludgeoning sound mix.

With the sound of Oasis singing “My Generation” ringing in my ears, I was left wondering whether in thirty year’s time, the big hot rock bands of that era will be covering “Live Forever” in similar tribute or would Oasis be confined to a curious footnote in rock history.

After last night, the latter fate seems in store for Oasis…

(From 2006)

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2010-08-16T22:56:00.001+08:00

PoP10 - ANTON BARBEAU

Why play music?

'Cos it's easier than playing chess and cheaper than a bad gambling habit. And it's the only reason girls like me.

Who are your influences?

Brian Eno, Keith West, Julian Cope, Kenny Jones, Brian Jones, Tom T. Hall, the Rutles, Gary Numan, Meredith Monk, Prefab Sprout and the Bevis Frond.

What is success?

My idea of success has shifted from grand ideas of major-label funding and billions of records sold to a more pragmatic vision of getting the records out any way possible and selling them one person at a time. Seeing an audience develop for my work is exciting and satisfying. I suppose I'll also mention the fact that in the last six months I've done shows with 4 of my favorite bands (The Loud Family, Solipsistics, The Negro Problem and The Bevis Frond). This feels like success, too.

Why should people buy your CDs?

'Cos I can't afford to buy them all myself! I dunno... I try to create records that are entertaining, interesting and hopefully challenging. They're fun AND uptight at the same time!

Who do you love?

Lara Miyazaki, Dickie the Cat, the Beatles and everybody else.

What do you hope to achieve with this CD?

I want to become filthy rich. I want these songs to become coffee-table anthems. I want children born in the year 2000 to grow up knowing the words to "Please Sir I've Got A Wooden Leg". And I hope that the record pleases the people who need pleasing.

Why did the label release your CDs?

They told me it was a tax write-off, but I think they secretly liked the songs. Seriously though, my record seemed to fit naturally with the other stuff that frigidisk puts out (Solipsistics, Earle Mankey etc). A perfect match!

Who comes to your gigs?

Banana throwers, fire-eaters, girls and boys and lots of invisible people.

What is your favorite album?

My parents' scratched copy of "Meet the Beatles".

How did you get here?

I was born nearby so I already knew the way. Plus, I've got friends in high places with HEAVY contacts. They opened a few doors and windows. I walked, actually. Well, I walked from my van. I drove from home. I struggled hard all our lives to get by. I practiced night and day 'til my chops were hot. I worked my way through college, sometimes sleeping 20 hours a day. I dreamt of golden oranges. I followed the sun. I've always been here. Can I go now?

(From 2005)

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2010-08-15T20:53:00.000+08:00

BASEMENT IN MY LOFT

This is 80s indie-alt-rock-post-punk-evoking beautiful and beastly music that simply begs to have its heart ripped out of rib cage blood still pumping… beyond hip and beyond cool, it’s just… right, y’know what I mean?

Read the full review at www.powerofpop.com.

2010-07-15T10:33:00.004+08:00

PUNK ROCK 101

Yes, I know the term "punk rock" is meaningless nowadays when bands like Simple Plan co-opt it but hey... when I use that term I still think of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Jam. So...

Anyways, this Friday (16th July) I will performing a couple of my songs with Basement in my Loft. Well, specifically I Love Singapore and Orchard Road. Last night, the boys and I jammed at Backbeat and I must say that the versions were PUNK ROCK!!! Meaning fast and loud.

So I would advise ear plugs when you come down to the Blu Jaz Cafe at 10pm to catch BIML, Shelves and yours truly.

See you there!

2010-07-01T10:51:00.000+08:00

WIN U2 AND DIRE STRAITS DVDS

Find out more at www.powerofpop.com

2010-07-01T10:12:00.002+08:00

SMASHING PUMPKINS AT SINGFEST 2010

2010-07-01T09:52:00.000+08:00

INCH CHUA ON CLICKNETWORKTV

2010-07-01T09:18:00.002+08:00

RYAN CABRERA LIVE IN SINGAPORE

Read about this at www.powerofpop.com

2010-06-29T21:31:00.000+08:00

GOOD MUSIC BY BAD PEOPLE

First off, this seems like a churlish comment about an event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of our local legends The Stoned Revivals but I really can't take to those half a day gigs that start at 4pm and end at 9pm. Primarily because they NEVER start on time and the duration of the gig gets prolonged.

Being World Cup season also did not help my cause and so at the Stoned Revivals farewell gig, I only managed to see the band's 1st set and Space Days. Actually, I arrived just before 7pm to catch the Great Spy Experiment and intending to leave after The Stoned Revivals.

But when I arrived at about quarter to, I was informed by Ade (BIML) that Stoned Revivals were setting up for their 1st set. Ah... naturally, it was a great set as the current lineup delivered a tight, groovy performance of soul-funk gems like The New Way, Slowest Song, Loose Boogie and so on. Space Days were next and though I thought it was promising garage-punk-pop, it sounded too close to the Arctic Monkeys for comfort. Then American David Knight came on, fiddled around with his gadget, sang to a minus one (meh!) and that was my cue out of the Substation.

Yeah, I missed GSE and the Stoned Revivals' 2nd set but was thrilled by the comprehensive collection of tracks contained in the CD-R given out by the band when paying my way into the venue. What an excellent discography! I believe the music is available free online but will confirm later.

I miss the band but knowing that they will continue to record in some manner is certainly heartening. Long may you run!

2010-06-26T15:34:00.000+08:00

"STRANGERS"

What a fabulous night was had by all who attended yesterday evening's OOOM (Originals Only Open Mike)! A fairly packed out Singapore Arts Museum Glass Hall witnessed an array of Singapore's best singer-songwriters including Adrian Jones (Basement in my Loft), Cove Red, Andie Francoeur (voted OOOMer of the night!) and of course, Nick Tan (featured artist for the night).

My latest protege, Debra made her debut as a singer-songwriter with her first original song - "Strangers" - an old school country ballad that might have ruled the country 'n' western airwaves in the 70s. Most who saw her were impressed and they would be correct to be, as I've been working with Debra only since February and she has grown in leaps and bounds. She still has a long way to go but the signs are indeed promising.

There were other budding singer-songwriters who shared their music last night. Quite a few with good potential like Eunice Keitan, a Canadian-born thrush with nice country-folk vibes. One to watch, for sure. D'fusion, an OOOM staple, have an easy manner in the way they express their music. The trio would need to work a little on their songwriting and delivery, though. That latter comment would apply to many who played last night and given some direction and know-how, these promising singer-songwriters could easily move into the next level.

Kudos once again to Jonathan How - OOOM organizer - for this ongoing unique promotion of songwriting in Singapore. It does warm the cockles of the heart to see the number of people willing to forgo their Friday nights to give support to our songwriters here. Indeed!

But what was truly great about last night was seeing many good friends and sharing time with folk close to my heart. And of course, the experience of seeing Debra take her first step in her musical career was priceless.

... and there's more...

2010-06-25T14:53:00.000+08:00

FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE

Last night, I attended a dinner ostensibly as a "thank you" from The Fire Fight. Besides the FF boys viz. Iain, JBarks, Josh and Jon, familiar music scene folks like Leonard (ubiquitous producer), Esmond (FF manager/Vertical Rush), Mike (Great Spy Experiment manager), Angel (backing singer), Amanda (ex-Electrico), Jon (Plainsunset), Teddy (sound guy) and John (Wake Me Up Music/*SCAPE) made the occasion a fun time for all as much good food was had, jokes were exchanged and juicy gossip was shared to the endless ringing of heavy laughter. Yup, you could say a splendid time was had by all.

Even as the night wrapped up and Mike kindly gave me a lift home, we wondered about which were the young bands that could step up to make a impact in the absence of The Fire Fight (and also Allura) whilst also mulling over Mike's choices for his ultimate S-ROCK all-girl supergroup. Yes, all heavy matters to ponder. Hopefully, we will find the answers sooner than later.

2010-06-24T18:15:00.000+08:00

INTRODUCING... DEBRA!

This is Debra. She is 18 and finished her 'A' levels last year. And for the last four months, we've been spending one hour per week working on her singing/songwriting. So far, she has written two good tunes, one of which she will debut this Friday (tomorrow!) at OOOM @Singapore Arts Museum Glass Hall from 7pm to 9pm.

I guess I could tell you loads of good things about Debra (and I certainly could) but I'd rather you come down tomorrow to see (and hear) for yourself. Debra and I will be presenting her debut song called Strangers... see you there!

BUT if you really can't make it and are dying to hear Debra perform Strangers, send me an email - info(at)powerofpop(dot)com - and convince me to send you a special link. Heh!

OH! And my very good friend, Nick Tan, will be the featured artist at tomorrow's OOOM and his new EP, Arranged Accidents will be on sale (if you haven't got it yet) and Nick will be on hand to sign it or whatever. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

RSVP at Facebook.

2010-06-24T17:52:00.000+08:00

DOES SINGAPORE MUSIC SUCK?

What do you think? Well...

2010-06-24T17:20:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE MUSIC SCENE SUCKS

Did that get your attention? I hope so. I have been (for the last five months) thinking that I should try to earn a living making music. But so far despite the early promise of music projects, its all been one big fat ZERO!

It's gotten so bad that at times I've seriously considered quitting the music scene altogether. But when I'm lucid I realize that "giving up" would make that much difference to the non-existent music scene anyway so why do it? You know what I mean?

I attended the press conference this morning wherein Midas Promotions announced SINGfest 2010. By all accounts, the organizers tried their best to paint themselves as "Singaporeans" (they're both Caucasians) and that despite the pressure to take the festival elsewhere they have decided to keep the SINGfest in SINGapore and that the festival was for SINGapore music lovers.

I don't understand why there is the need to belabor this point as isn't it all about money, anyway? I mean, why talk about organizing this music festival for SINGapore music fans and ultimately (if you can believe), SINGapore bands/artists when realistically, the main focus MUST be on profit-making. Honestly, nobody is able to make any real money from the SINGapore music scene at the moment so ...

As it is, the only proper supporter of SINGapore music for now is the SINGapore government. Really!?! Think about it, if not for Esplanade and *SCAPE, many SINGapore bands/artists (especially yours truly) would have no chance to play and the only reason that happens is because Esplanade and *SCAPE do not have to make any money from the SINGapore bands/artists. So in essence, we are a charity project.

Oh, I don't include the numerous bands/artists who play cover songs at pubs and clubs - they earn their way but only by repressing their own creativity and role-playing as a foreign song jukebox. Hey, I'm not dissing these hard working bands/artists - believe me, its not easy doing what they do - the commercial realities/environment dictates that unhappy state of affairs.

Sad but true and unless the mindset of the average music lover in SINGapore changes drastically, this sorry situation will always remain the same. Frankly, I am not optimistic that it ever will. So we should be content with the scraps that fall off the mainstream table to underground dogs like us. We can shrug our shoulders and maintain that it's all about the music because there is precious little else we can do about it.

Just count me out.

Nothing on the Radio

2010-06-23T11:54:00.000+08:00

2010-04-26T19:34:00.000+08:00

"HAND TO MOUTH"

The last demo cassette I released was in 1998 - under The Crowd and called Blue. I guess its about time that I release new music in the spirit of the same format (as cassettes are virtually non existent) and so... "Hand To Mouth" which consists of five new tracks and a bonus live rendition of Gum, is the first in a regular EP series.

Go get it at Bandcamp. Comments appreciated.

...still there's more...

2010-04-01T11:04:00.005+08:00

BEYOND THE ASHES

This song was first written last year and used the breakdown of a relationship as a platform to expand into the lyrical concepts presented. You know how sometimes, you can be very close to a friend and then for no rhyme or reason, that person is no longer as close to you as he or she used to be? Well, that's what the song is about. These things happen and you just move on, no need to obsess about how or why etc although that's partly the gist of what the character in the song is saying.

Anyways, I've probably played it live twice since writing it - first, at the Me & My Guitar Goes Outdoor at the Esplanade and then earlier this year at MTL's Chillax on the Green. Between the two gigs, I added in the middle eight as I felt that the song needed a little variation to alter the dyanmic somewhat. I think it worked.

So when Pat Chng asked if I'd like to be part of the S-Indie TV series and have a songs recorded on video I opted for Beyond the Ashes, because I think it sounds cool as an acoustic song. Hope I wasn't wrong. So check out the video below and thanks again to Pat Chng (as always) and to Walk On Music.

Comments, please.

2010-03-27T13:24:00.000+08:00

TURN ME AROUND

Y'know, sometimes when a song inspiration strikes, you've got to go with the flow. This morning around 10 plus, as I was playing and singing a couple of covers e.g. Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman and the Decemberists' Engine Driver (preparing for an imaginary gig), I had this tune running through my head.

So, I figured out the chords for the first line and rather immediately the song took shape as I threw in chords that seemed to fit together rather nicely and before you know it I had the verse and chorus. So I recorded the tune on Audacity and kept refining it along the way till I was completely satisfied.

That done, I began work on the lyrics. I was thinking about Big Star's the Ballad of El Goodo somewhat and dubbed the song, "Turn Me Around" a phrase used in the Big Star track. And so I began mulling the lyrical ideas and concepts in my head. What came to mind was all the celebrity infidelities regularly in the press nowadays and I was off! That was the theme of the song - the narrator simply suspected his wife/girlfriend of being unfaithful to him.

In the meantime, I'd also concocted a middle eight to keep things interesting. The trouble was that I kept confusing my original tune with Narisa's melody used on Valentine's Day. So I quickly recorded my middle eight on Audacity so I would not forget it (and not rip Narisa off).

All set, now to record a quick demo on Garageband. Once I selected a drum loop I layered my acoustic guitar over it. Then I double tracked vocals straight into my Macbook condenser mic and the basic outline was done. In order to embellish the song, I also included organ, bass and lead guitar to arrive at a fuller sound. Still all very rough mind you but it would give any listener a good indication of what the song was about.

Not bad for three hours work, if I say so myself. Listen to the result here and here. Please comment - there are a few surprises along the way. ;-)

Can anyone do what I did? Yes, I believe so. If you wanna know how, get in touch at info(at)powerofpop(dot)com and let's discuss further how I can help you with your songwriting, recording and/or production skills.

...and there's more...

2010-03-24T21:35:00.000+08:00

PoP COLLEGE - ANYONE CAN WRITE A SONG

The Two Chord Wonder

I first heard Neil Young's Unknown Legend as the opening cut of his 1992 hit album, Harvest Moon and remain firmly besotted by this amazing song. What I only realized later when analysing the song was that it has essentially two chords! Despite this, the melody sweeps the listener away with the aid of heady harmonies, tremolo lead guitar riffs and very basic country-folk arrangements and rhythm. Which goes to show that songwriting is not merely technical - filled with clever and fancy chord structures - but with the instinctive grasp of emotion, mood and tone to tell a story - both musically and lyrically.

NB. I will be sharing my expertise and experience gained from more than 30 years of performance and songwriting at PoP College, which will be commencing soon. For more information, please drop me an email at info(at)powerofpop(dot)com

2010-03-11T15:26:00.003+08:00

STAND BY YOUR MAN

No Enough?

I'd actually written another song about Jack Neo recently and was seriously debating whether to record it for the S-Indie Video I was gonna do with Pat Chng this afternoon. But I decided against it after watching the press conference this morning where Neo's wife fainted from the sheer pressure.

Enough is enough...

So instead, I performed Beyond the Ashes instead and it worked out quite well.

Stay tuned.

2010-03-08T00:14:00.007+08:00

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL THE BANDS WHO DID NOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE BAYBEATS AUDITION ROUND ONE

Dear friends,

Let me begin by stating that the following is my personal opinion and does not represent the opinions of The Esplanade Co Ltd nor that of my colleague judges - Daniel Sassoon, Amanda Ling, Jon Chan or Keith Tan.

First and foremost, congratulations on making the first round and performing under fairly difficult and stressful conditions. That is an achievement in itself and something to build on.

Secondly, as the second round will only feature 16 bands, 14 bands will by necessity be eliminated. Somebody has to go out and unfortunately, that somebody was your band.

Thirdly, the judges take into account many factors when determining the bands going through to Round 2. Sometimes, the potential shown by a band may outweigh its competence and its songwriting ability may be valued more than technical expertise.

So, decisions are seldom made purely on technique alone and often the judges look out for a creative spark that distinguishes a band. In addition, music genre sometimes comes into play. Baybeats Festival is traditionally known as an "indie (emo) rock" festival to such an extent that many of the bands applying tend to stick rather closely to that style, making them indistinguishable from each other.

In these circumstances, bands playing a different music genre from the cliched emo style will definitely gain an advantage. In fact, personally, I "switch off" when I hear the inevitable guitar lines and high-register vocal that make up the emo staples. Therefore, I naturally gravitate towards any band that attempts to play in a style that is not commonly heard in indie rock circles. Thus, I would sit up and pay attention, if a S-ROCK band started playing country-folk in the vein of Wilco or the Jayhawks, certainly.

And... here's my punchline. If you didn't make it through, be honest with your music and assess your performance objectively and make the necessary changes so that you can improve your music making processes. I'm always available to meet up at least once (foc) to seriously discuss your music and how you can move forward, if so minded.

As usual, the contact email is info(at)powerofpop(dot)com.

... I'll be waiting.

2010-03-07T12:51:00.003+08:00

INSTANT KARMA

John Lennon once said that he wanted records to be like newspapers - current and relevant to the events happening around him. I always been intrigued by that concept. Well, I took this to heart this morning when I was reading about the Jack Neo affair/scandal. The result - Do My Best - a new song that reflects some of my thoughts about this news item. Hope you like it and would appreciate your kind comments, if any.

Do My Best can be heard here.

... and there's more ...

2010-03-06T00:05:00.002+08:00

I WANNA BE ADORED

This is one of my favourite Groovy reviews - from an Aussie fanzine. Click on the image above to see what I mean.

I am selling copies of Groovy for $13.00 (while stocks last). More details at info(at)powerofpop(dot)com.

For those of you who are attending any of the Noise showcases at the Concourse on Saturday or Sunday, you can buy the CD from me at only $10.00. Come up and purchase a copy from me. I will take a photo of both of us and post it on this blog.

2010-03-04T20:24:00.007+08:00

AMERICA

1998 was a bad year. The effects of the Asian financial crisis were keenly felt that year as Singapore went through a hard recession. Overnight, many people were retrenched and had their salaries reduced. This fact hit the entertainment scene hard and most of all, the Singapore music scene suffered greatly.

Of course, I decided it was time to self-release the debut album from Popland. Well, when I say Popland I really mean the Crowd. The Crowd had already released a demo cassette - the Modest EP (1995) and a full-length album - Pop (1997), to fairly indifferent response in Singapore.

When launching and promoting Pop, we'd managed to rope in Ray Aziz (Swirling Madness, Opposition Party) to play drums for us and it worked wonders! New songs were being arranged and performed (like Never Liked the Beatles and There She Stands) and ideas of a new album were being floated around.

But the clicher was that in 1998, I started working on the Power of Pop reviews site in earnest and managed to get in touch with various like-minded individuals in the USA. One of which, was Bruce Brodeen, owner of Not Lame, a power pop distributor out of Colorado. Bruce basically encouraged me to release a new album and distribute it in the USA. Only problem was the name - The Crowd - which was the same as another US surf-punk band and so, Popland was born.

The album was christened Groovy (in honour of the Pixies' Debaser - one of my favourite songs. Y'know, "girl is so groovy"). Anyway, we also got a mention in the Straits Times for all our endeavours. Click on the image below to read.

I am selling copies of Groovy for $13.00 (while stocks last). More details at info(at)powerofpop(dot)com.

For those of you who are attending any of the Noise showcases at the Concourse today, Saturday or Sunday, you can buy the CD from me at only $10.00. Come up and purchase a copy from me. I will take a photo of both of us and post it on this blog.

2010-03-04T16:21:00.006+08:00

GET GROOVY!

Alright, S-ROCK fans and completists, I have copies of the debut Popland CD, Groovy for sale. The album was recorded by Tim Nolan, Ray Aziz and myself and contains many of the tracks I still perform live (and more).

Released in 1998 by KAMCO Records, the album was described by noted music writer Gary "Pig" Gold in 1999 as "a more than delightful mixture of both out-and-out hop-rockin' treasures ("There She Stands" is no less than Spector-by-way-of-Searchers, complete with SoCal64-styled vocals) and gentle, acoustic-guitar-propelled wonders ("Here," "Past Tense" and especially the Townshend-esque "Beautiful" are the kind of powerfully understated works only Phil Angotti and Scott McCarl seem to excel at these days)." Read the entire review here.

Get a slice of S-ROCK history whilst stocks last! I'm selling the CD for S$13.00 which includes postage. NB. This only covers sales in Singapore.

Send me an email at info (at) powerofpop (dot) com and tell me you wanna GET GROOVY!!!

Thanks to Angela Chng.

2010-03-02T21:38:00.004+08:00

HONESTY

Can I be candid about your music? If I am and you hear something you don't like, will you hate me? Will you even listen?

One thing I learnt from the Baybeat Auditions last Saturday was that there are (too) many bands recording and releasing EPs when they are clearly not ready to do so. Sure, you've got a couple of songs (many 5 or 6) and have saved money (or rich enough) to do so but just because you can should you?

In my opinion, if you only have 5 to 6 songs - then you are not ready. By the time I was preparing for my first album in 1993, I was 32 and had been writing songs for more than 15 years. I had definitely more than 5 or 6 songs to choose from - maybe more than a thousand! From that number, I selected 13 songs (well, 14 plus Gum) and the resulting album - Democracy - was voted BigO's Local Album for that year.

Even if those 5 or 6 songs pass muster, you still need to get it right in the recording studio and if you've never recorded before, it can be a challenging (not to mention expensive) matter. And after that? You need to market and promote the EP and hopefully, you have the right expertise and contacts to give your EP, the maximum exposure. Unless you have someone in your band who is savvy with such issues or a manager who knows what he/she is doing, it can be an uphill and thankless task.

In terms of recording and production, I have been fortunate to have self-produced 4 full-length albums and 2 EPs and as for marketing, I'm proud to say that I've managed to promote 2 Popland albums overseas, even getting a US release for the last Popland CD, Action!

Now, wouldn't it be nice if you could get professional advice on whether your songs are ready for recording and furthermore to be guided on the recording and marketing process? Haha, I guess if you've read this far, you know where I'm going with this. This is where I come in to fill in the gaps for you and your band.

If all of the above describes where you are with your music and your band, then get in touch at info (at) powerofpop (dot) com and let's see how I can help you.

... still there's more ...

2010-02-28T08:41:00.003+08:00

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

Man, I am still pooped from yesterday's marathon Baybeats Auditions. This year, the auditions was held at an industrial park in Ubi Avenue 1, hosted by Stage 57 Productions. All the judges viz. Amanda Ling, Daniel Sassoon, Jon Chan and yours truly, were a little put off by the venue on two levels.

First, our own comfort and secondly, the sound of the performances. In actual fact, it was not too uncomfortable (although it was rather humid) but how much effect did the venue have on the performances of the bands? Hard to say.

What I can say is that it was not too easy to select the 16 bands to progress into the next round. The Baybeats Festival is a platform to showcase upcoming S-ROCK talent that has never graced the Baybeats stage. With that in mind, we were not looking for polish or perfection but a spark that suggested that with encouragement and cajoling, the final selection of bands could entertain and inspire the Baybeats audiences come August 2010.

As always, there was a pinch of drama, leading up to and during the auditions. Bands pulling out at the very last minute, bands without lead singers, bands with bizarre approaches and bands which really need to go back to the drawing board.

Of course, there were also bands that impressed (not too many, mind you) and bands that got the judges discussing in depth on their respective merits. Sometimes the opinions swayed and changed in mid-argument and sometimes, the decision was unanimous - one way or another.

In any case, we made our final selection at 11pm plus and I'm certain that there will be controversy over some of the bands chosen. At the end of the day, we agreed on certain guiding principles that determined the final 16. Much work needs to be done for the bands to be ready for the next round, which will be held at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre in a month's time.

As usual, I enjoyed the company of my fellow judges - I wonder what the bands made of us - always seemed like we were giggling about something. But all in good fun and when it comes to the music, I can tell you that we become deadly serious.

Personally, along the course of the long day, I was disappointed, offended, entertained, tickled, embarrassed and impressed (not all at once of course) by the 29 bands. I applaud the effort but was reminded about how much guidance and direction our young bands need. I hope that I can play my part somehow.

Stay tuned for the results soon...

... still there's more ...

Pix courtesy of The Esplanade Co Ltd

2010-02-26T11:22:00.003+08:00

MAKE SOME NOISE

As it turned out, yesterday was a very musical day. I met up with a teenager with ambition and passion for her life in terms of music. Frankly, I wasn't too sure about how I could help her but when she sang to me (acapella) across the table at Starbucks, I was entranced by her voice, her gutsy attitude and the way her face lit up as she sang. So, yeah, let's do this!

Later that day I got myself involved with the Noise 2010 Media Preview as seeing as I was the music mentor in attendance, I did my little song and dance blather about the apprentice program etc.

But seriously, folks, working in TAP, with the NAC people (Tse Wei, Linda, Han Juan) and my fabulous apprentices has been a life-changing experience. Of course, I'm much obliged to Pat Chng (as always) for bringing me into Noise, in the first place. Thank you all!

Most of all, it was great fun to chat with cool music people like Narisa, Celina, Weiwen, Chris Toh, Danny Loong and Julian... which is something I must really do more.

The Noise Festival Showcase happens from today, 26 March to 10 March at Level 3, Raffles City Shopping Centre. Be there!

www.noisesingapore.com

2010-02-22T23:29:00.003+08:00

CALL IT DEMOCRACY

How do you determine the merit or value of songwriting? Is success measured in purely commercial terms? For example, if a song is downloaded by a million people. Maybe. Or can such worth be judged by experts or critics? For instance, if a song is reviewed favourably. Likely.

Or is it a bit of both?

Of course, there is a third method of determination - voting. Ever since American Idol, this seems to be the only way to perceive the quality of "creative product".

Assuming that the votes are not "rigged" in some way (perish the thought!), there could be a variety of reasons why a person votes in a certain way.

Take the current songwriting competition for the Youth Olympic Games, do the voters choose on the basis of merit (they believe that the song is "good"), bias (the songwriter is a friend or relative) or popularity (the songwriter is famous). Who really knows?

Well, with regards to the YOG song, I understand that votes make up 15% of the "score" (how do you even score a song?) with the remainder being decided by celebrity judges. And the obvious question being, what qualifies these judges to decide? And so on...

It's a dilemma, for sure. And this is not limited to songwriting competitions. There is also a voting contest going on now to decide who will open for Paramore. Caveat being that Paramore will have final approval. So why have the vote at all? It just may be possible that Paramore may like the band with the lowest votes... see what I mean?

... and please do not draw analogies with political contests in any of my comments ...

Heh!

2010-02-20T20:13:00.003+08:00

STARTING OVER

This afternoon I had my first singer-songwriter come in under my new program. I enjoyed myself - as usual - getting to know him, his influences, methods and approaches. We also set goals for the coming weeks which I'm certain we will achieve. We spent some time listening to music which may prove significant in the weeks to come.

Overall, I think it went well and am looking forward to witnessing the growth and development that is sure to happen. Stay tuned for more news on this collaboration as hopefully, some great music as well.

... still there's more ...

2010-02-20T16:49:00.003+08:00

THE SINGER SANG THE SONG

You might say that it took me over 30 years to reach this point.

In that time, I have written many many songs - some of which have been played on radio, TV and in cinema halls in Singapore, Malaysia and overseas, recorded/released seven EPs/albums and performed at a variety of venues.

Above all, I am a songwriter and that skill, in a sense, defines me and gives me identity. To me, the song is everything, for the song makes us think, feel and move. Over the years, I come to appreciate how and why songs are put together - inspirations and mechanics.

So I believe that it is time for me to share this appreciation with those of you who are interested in songwriting. In that respect, I am working with several like-minded groups to advance the cause of songwriting in the Singapore music scene.

On a more personal level, I am keen on "mentoring" Singapore singer-songwriters to improve their craft - with a view to prepping their songs for recording. Much like I've been doing with my fantastic Noise apprentices in the last two years.

Its a 10-hour program that will cover the various aspects of songwriting, performing, arranging and recording that will bring the singer-songwriter into another level. Since I am more or less starting out with this new venture, for the next three months, I am offering this program for only S$500.

So please get in touch with me - info (at) powerofpop (dot) com - if you're interested in this program.

... and there's more ...

2010-02-19T14:10:00.003+08:00

LOVE AND WATER

Last night I performed a proper set (two in actual fact) with Rachael for the first time. Sure, we did Love and Water, once or twice in 2008 whilst she was my apprentice. But this time, it was a proper gig.

And it was great fun to spend half the day (so to speak) with Rach - capping it off with a fine performance. Basically, we did share originals and covers between us over the course of seven songs, rehearsed the songs three times and we were sorted.

Was also a welcome change for me to focus completely on the piano which required re-arrangements of some of the songs - another plus!

Set list - Always On Your Side (Sheryl Crow/Sting), Here, Love and Water, I Love Singapore, Falling Slowly (Swell Season), Heart Conversations, My One & Only.

Thanks to Celina and Carrie for coming down.... and Marcus. I've posted highlights of the gig at Myspace.

... still there's more ...

2010-02-18T14:20:00.003+08:00

AND IT'S ON

So Nick Tan and I are working on prepping his debut EP - Arranged Accidents - for release. It's gonna be pretty small scale and cottage industry-styled but good learning experience for the both of us. Should be fun too.

The music is the main thing and there are killer songs on this EP which are worth the time and effort, certainly. Soon I promise.

Stay tuned for more info.

2010-02-18T13:31:00.002+08:00

This post is probably late in the day (we take the stage in under seven hours' time!) but better late than never. Anyhoo, Rach and I will be playing at the Esplanade Concourse tonight at 7.15pm and 8.15pm (same set) and we hope that you could find the time on a Thursday evening to spend some musical time with us.

This is the first time I am collaborating with Rach on a proper gig and it was been so much fun preparing and putting the songs together. I will be focusing solely on the piano for this one & various re-arrangements of familiar songs has been the happy result.

So come on down if you're free and say hi and we'll chat afterwards.

... still there's more ...

2010-02-10T10:18:00.003+08:00

ONE IN A MILLION

For many new & fledging S-ROCK bands, playing at the annual Baybeats Festival may just be the highlight of their "careers". Well, hopefully, its the stepping stone to something more. At worst, its an experience to remember.

Well, its that time of the year, where bands assemble before the Baybeat judges (Amanda Ling, Daniel Sassoon, Jon Chan & yours truly) to vie for a place on the Baybeats 2010 roster.

And so, the names of the bands shortlisted have been announced. Of the lot, the likes of Tacit Aria, Trella and Waiting for nothing are having a second go. Good for them - if at first you don't succeed... Few familiar names (to me anyway) e.g. Echo Oh Oh Oh (featuring current S-ROCK indie poster girl Inch Chua), Blind meets mute, Duxton Plains, MeltngSnow, Sixology, The zozi, We Gang (featuring Adrian Bestium of 90s band Rocket Scientist) and Closeapart (featuring Harold Seah of 90s band the Dongs!)

It's gonna be an interesting day, come 21st February - day of the auditions...

2010-02-09T18:14:00.002+08:00

As promised, photos from the Introduction to Songwriting Workshop. Courtesy of the Esplanade Co. Pte Ltd.

2010-02-09T15:16:00.005+08:00

SURPRISES

Just realized that I haven't blogged about Saturday's Introduction to Songwriting workshop. So here goes...

Frankly, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was told a week before that only 15 tickets had been sold so maybe a small, intimate audience was the best I could hope for. In the end, it was double that. Which was very cool.

Initially I was also concerned whether I could fill up two hours properly and in the end I had to rush the talk to finish on time! Also, very cool.

The audience was made up of a interesting cross-section of folk of different ages and backgrounds. From young adults to senior citizens, I think at best I personally knew about five? Joyce, Des, Stella, Sam and Julian. Yeah, five! Mostly strangers then.

I was glad to have second son Zachary along to assist me, he did as he supposed to and I hope he enjoyed himself (and maybe learned something) as well.

So, this works! And folk will pay to watch someone (whom they don't know) ramble for two hours about songwriting. A future? Who knows but its certainly a direction I'm going to pursue...

... and there's more ...

Proper pix when I get hold of some.

Thanks to all that attended and of course, to Chloe, Gen, Angel and the rest of the Esplanade crew for an enjoyable day. You rock!!!

2010-02-08T13:36:00.002+08:00

The Band Episode 6. 8pm Wednesday, 10 Feb.

My "acting" debut on television. Mixed feelings about this.

You have been warned...

2010-02-05T08:43:00.003+08:00

HERE COMES THE WEEKEND

An exciting weekend awaits.

On Saturday, I am presenting my seminar/workshop "Introduction to Songwriting" at the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio, which starts at 2pm. Tickets are still available at SISTIC.

On Sunday, its the xx/Florence + the Machine live at the Esplanade Theatre (tickets) and Monday, the dream gig of 2010 - Echo & the Bunnymen, also at the Esplanade Theatre (tickets).

In between, there will be meetings with music people as well, which is always fun. So I hope to see you on this special weekend.

Come up and say "hi!"

... still there's more ...

2010-02-04T21:34:00.003+08:00

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

This is the logo of the spanking new Timbre Music Academy (TMA). This is the place where aspiring bands/artists can learn their craft - relating to mastery over particular instruments - OR how to strum and sing. What gives TMA the edge over most music schools is that its not only about theory, as TMA students will also apply what they learn on the stage - at any one of Timbre's outlets! In addition, the trainers at the TMA walk the talk - folks like Jack & Rai (of erm Jack & Rai) and Sara (of 53A) for instance.

Yes, I will be involved in TMA with respect to songwriting. (Details to come...) That's right, another step in my grand plan to advance the cause of Singapore songwriting. Why songwriting? That's the topic of another post, I'm afraid.

In the meantime, check out TMA here and sign up for one of the interesting courses and stay tuned for more information on the songwriting courses I will conduct very soon.

... still there's more ...

2010-02-04T21:03:00.004+08:00

THE WORD

As you, faithful readers, are probably aware, I write mostly reviews at the Power of Pop. But, I've always dreamed of being a story writer. Y'know, novels, screenplays, comic book scripts etc. The closest I've come is actually write a screenplay, which I believe might be in the Zhaowei database somewhere. Lost for all eternity, thankfully.

No, actually, I've written a couple of comic book scripts of superhero & fantasy characters. Never found a suitable (or willing) artist to flesh out those scripts though. There have been a few strips written by yours truly and drawn by Ric - Condom Boy, Ric & Roach and Debaser (all published in good old BigO).

And that's all...

Recently I came across a call for submissions for Singapore crime short stories. And I thought - why not? 2,000 words doesn't sound like a bridge too far. The deadline is in April 2010 and so I might actually take a stab at this. Maybe that will get the creative juices going. Will keep you folks posted on this.

In the meantime, let it be known that I am on the lookout for freelance writing assignments and if you're interested in engaging yours truly, please get in touch. info (at) powerofpop (dot) com.

I'll be waiting for you...

... and there's more ...

2010-02-02T23:43:00.003+08:00

Let's get serious, shall we?

Are you an aspiring singer-songwriter? Do you have songs you want to record and release as an EP or album? Well, if that's you and you're not quite sure about how to go about writing and recording your songs, I have a couple of ideas for you.

First, attend my Introduction to Songwriting seminar/workshop this Saturday, 6th February 2010 at 2pm to be held at the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio. Tickets are at $15 (plus booking fee) and are on sale at SISTIC.

Secondly, if after the seminar/workshop, you are convinced that I can assist you to achieve your songwriting and recording goals, then you can then engage yours truly to do so. What can I offer you is 30 years of songwriting experience and production expertise, all for a reasonable and affordable price.

Even if you are not able to attend the seminar/workshop on Saturday, get in touch with me - info (at) powerofpop (dot) com - and we can discuss how we can meet your musical objectives.

... still there's more ...

2010-01-29T16:47:00.003+08:00

Ticket sales have been slow for my Introduction to Songwriting talk scheduled for next Saturday, 6th February at the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio. I have been trying to figure out why. Not enough promotion? Not enough interest in songwriting? Or people hate my guts, pure and simple?

Heh!

No, seriously, I don't think its the last thing I mentioned. I guess folks are busy especially on the weekend and may have other plans. Still, with my involvement in the local music scene (and certain profile), I was hoping that the response would be a little better.

Am I discouraged? Not really, I try not to analyse these things too deeply as I'm prepared to give my talk to one person if needs be. I'm still going to do the best damn talk as I possibly can. Main thing is to keep it fun and interesting for two hours! It's going to be a casual session - will be playing recorded and live music, so hopefully its not going to be dry or boring to anybody.

In any case, tickets are still available at SISTIC, so grab yours ($15) and I'll see you all there.

... and there's more ...

2010-01-25T08:10:00.002+08:00

Here's an event all aspiring singer-songwriters should consider attending. The event is called "Chillax on the Green" and is organized by Musical Theatre Limited.

More info here.

I will be performing two songs - haven't decided what yet - and the other guest performer is Jack & Rai, you can be assured will be a blast! So I hope to see you there...

... and there's more ...

2010-01-22T22:26:00.005+08:00

New challenges. Gotta love 'em. I'd been tasked by NAC to programme the Noise Mini-Showcase over last Friday (22nd Jan) & today (23rd Jan) and I found it to be a enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

Maybe because I love dealing with young talented singer-songwriters. The event was conducted with relatively few hiccups. I was particurly proud of my mentees Narisa and Celina for putting up impressive performances.

Narisa assembled a group to present her songs and I enjoyed the country-folk vibe of her piano ballads The Necklace and I'd Rather Be. The inspirational Fight was also trotted out though regretably not sung by Narisa. I must confess there were technical flaws here and there in the performances but overall it came together nicely enough. Still work to be done though...

Celina, backed by Edwin on guitar, demonstrated her range in emotional intensity as well as vocal ability. Managing to move from heartfelt plea in Alcohol to the angsty Cinderella in the space of two songs displayed uncommon versatility in terms of songwriting and performance. Still a little jittery in the performance and more control in dynamics is required but Celina's potential is exciting to behold.

Over the course of the two days, I was most impressed by Julian Kwok who wowed the audience with his brilliant guitar work and highly distinctive songs. Showing a fret dexterity and deft songwriting skills that belied his relative status in the local music scene, Julian quite frankly was heads and shoulders above everyone else. Despite some technical problems with equipment, Julian managed to rise above the limitations and deliver an intriguing performance. Certainly a singer-songwriter to keep a close eye (and ear) on.

I'd like to thank all the singer-songwriters who performed at the Noise Mini-Showcase viz. Rebecca, Deborah, Jeremy, Zahidah, Julian, Narisa, Seyra, Crystal, Cindy, Celina and For This Cycle. I appreciate your sharing your music with us.

The selection has been made for the Noise Showcase to be held in early March. Stay tuned for more details.

... and there's more ...

2010-01-19T00:20:00.002+08:00

Spotted online.

2010-01-18T23:48:00.002+08:00

About 16 years ago, Odyssey Records released Watchmen's Love EP in early February 1994, to exploit the popularity of My One and Only and also to 'celebrate' Valentine's Day. Anyhow, Rachael and I will be performing on February 18th as part of Esplanade's Valentine's Day 2010 celebrations. Actually the brief is that they want performers to be "real life couples". Hilarious!

Not sure how it applies in the case of Rach and yours truly...

Stay tuned for more details as they come in.

2010-01-16T07:50:00.003+08:00

An eventful week has passed since that last day. I did what I could to assist Celina and Narisa as they put the finishing touches to their respective tracks for the Noise CD. Overall, I must say that all things considered the results are promising.

Celina's "Cinderella" is a modern rocker that should appeal to fans of 90s alternative rock. It's got a bit of everything and Celina really threw herself into the emotive vocals, breathing life into her angsty lyrics.

Narisa's "Valentine's Day" is an intriguing lookback to 70s/80s pop-rock, with obvious nods to the Electric Light Orchestra. It is blessed with a catchy hook and clocks in at 2:32 for good measure.

I am extremely proud of both of them and they more than held their own despite my not being able to spend as much time as I would have liked with them in the last 10 weeks due to my work situation. It was fortunate that we pre-planned the song arrangements beforehand because I believe it truly paid off.

Credit also to Adrian of Backbeat Studios for his expertise, know how and amiable personality in bringing the girls through the experience as well. Always a pleasure to work with him!

Stay tuned for more of Celina and Narisa in the weeks to come...

... still there's more ...

2010-01-11T23:20:00.004+08:00

I hate American Idol with a passion. Should I be bothered? What bugs me most is the marginalization of creative talent. Judges with dubious qualifications pontificate on singing and performing, reducing the music industry to a face, a look and a voice. What about artistry? Not important, of course.

Unfortunately, the Idol syndrome permeates throughout our own music industry here in Singapore. Thus, everything related to music somehow becomes a competition with judges and voting systems. Competition? How can you pit one song against another in competition? What is the criterion?

Votes?

What you then get is a popularity contest, which is often determined by "popularity", not in the real sense of the word but how well you can muster your troops in ringing in the votes. All very self-serving and absolutely nothing about talent.

*sigh*

2010-01-09T21:48:00.003+08:00

I have resolved to write and record as many new songs as possible. So I came upon this songwriting competition for the Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Singapore this year. I was struck how as usual that rather than assigning such an important task to the many fine songwriters we have, it's a "free for all" contest with judges and a voting system (curse you, American Idol) - the complete dumbing down of our noble artform, if you ask me.

Of course, that meant that I had a submit a song (which I lose all rights to, if selected) and I did. It's called Game and its filled with tongue-in-cheek lyrics about how its not about fortune or fame or even riches or gain but "playing the game". Yeah, right...

All quite a lark really but let's see how it does. If you wanna listen, you can do so here and vote accordingly, if so inclined.

2010-01-03T18:53:00.002+08:00

This is the TV series in which I make my "acting" debut which I found challenging, to put it mildly. When I mentioned it to Ric, he remarked - "I didn't know you wanted to act?" Well, actually, I don't - I rather be involved in putting the music together. Anytime.

Anyways, the Band begins this Wednesday, 6th January at 8pm on okto. Tune in to watch the misadventures of Wei Wen, Joakim and Lucas (who are the Band) and Glory (their manager).

2010-01-03T09:57:00.002+08:00

2010.

What does a new year bring? For me, I end a season of my life on 8 Jan - my last day of present employment. The future seems uncertain and undetermined. I only have the words of Jesus to comfort and assure me.

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." Matt 6:30-33 The Message

Would appreciate your prayers and good thoughts for me in the days ahead. Exciting times indeed.

2010-01-02T21:38:00.003+08:00

Thank God for Garageband! It's so easy to lay down musical ideas for future development. Take the new song "So In Love", something I actually composed on Garageband, laid out the backing tracks - motown drum loop, electric piano, jazz organ, bass - last night and wrote the lyrics this morning AND recorded the three vocal tracks this evening.

Anyways, it's uploaded to MySpace so please listen in and let me have your comments.

... still there's more ...

2010-01-01T09:27:00.003+08:00

2009 is over but I will treasure the memories of these great collaborations...hope you enjoyed them too.

With the magnificient Jack & Rai

The fabulous Recidivists

With Chris Collingwood (& of course Desmond, Eugene & Alex)

The Groovy People (James, Brian, Esther, HQ & Thomas)

With the one & only Rachael Teo

With the great Jon Chan (and Jon Hemsley and Iain Tham)

... still there's more...

Have a great 2010!!!!

2009-12-25T09:57:00.004+08:00

So who are these blokes above? Unless you're working in the US film and music industries, chances are you haven't a clue. Answers below.

How about this lady? Yes, that's right, Celine Dion. Canadian songstress who has numerous hits under her erm belt, including the theme song of Titanic, My Heart Will Go On.

Where am I going with this? Well, recently I was watching MTV (yeah, right) and its 100 Greatest Hits of the 90s and got pretty annoyed about how much credit people were giving to Dion for My Heart Will Go On.

C'mon! Why should Dion get ALL the credit? Did she write the song? No! That particular kudos belong to James Horner (noted Academy Award-winning writer of the film scores of Beautiful Mind and Titanic) and Will Jennings (Grammy Award winning writer for songs like Clapton's Tears in Heaven). So yes that's Jennings on the left and Horner on the right.

Credit where credit's due. That's all I'm saying...

2009-12-24T13:33:00.002+08:00

Yes, I am surprised as you are. Probably. A few months ago, Chloe (from Esplanade) asked me to give a 2-hour talk on songwriting and I thought - "why not?"

Why not, indeed?

I basically took all the ideas and concepts I'd been sharing with my Noise apprentices these last two years and set them out into a talk. Also, I did a little more analysis about what it means to write songs, not only for myself personally but songwriting as an art and craft.

So, expect the first half of the talk to focus on a little "theory" but in actuality, we'll been listening to loads of great music and songwriters and understanding what makes them (both song and writer) tick. The second half will be personal... how I started writing songs and how it has evolved to the present day.

And so, if you're interested, the talk will be held at the Esplanade Rehearsal Studio on Saturday, 6th Feb 2010 at 2pm. Tickets are priced at $15 and available now at SISTIC.

It will be fun...

2009-12-24T11:57:00.004+08:00

Eric Khoo's 1st two full-length features viz. Mee Pok Man and 12 Storeys were also significant for their soundtracks, which featured many S-ROCK bands. The two soundtrack CDs are, of course, now out-of-print and rare commodities. In the light of the new +65 Indie Underground release, it should be interesting to re-look at these two soundtracks.

The Mee Pok Man soundtrack contains mainly score written by John Kompa (with one contribution from yours truly). The rest features great tracks from the top S-ROCK bands of the day e.g. OP (Lonely Realm), The Oddfellows (Over Again/Foggy Daylight), Padres (Radio Station/Teenage Story), Stoned Revivals (Teenage Queen), Livonia (Venus Flytrap), Sugarflies (Be My Baby) and (ahem) The Crowd (I Love Singapore). Also included are a few oddities viz. a version of Corporate Toil's Hope and Requiem by June & CU 1359 (basically John Kompa and Joe Ng) and Little Girl Lost by yours truly. Not to mention a freakout version called Little Girlust from ETC.

Ah, nostalgia!

Two years later, many of the same bands also end up on the 12 Storeys soundtrack, a bit of a glossier affair than Mee Pok Man. Apart from a few piano pieces from yours truly and a new version of My One & Only from actress May Yee (which made the Top Ten Radio Charts again), the following S-ROCK bands were also highlighted - Humpback Oak (If I Am Weak/Stressed Out/Bridge), The Lilac Saints (Wasting Time), Stoned Revivals (Goodil), The Oddfellows (Breach) and Sugarflies (Wrong Again).

One regret about this album was the lost opportunity of My Life, the main theme of the soundtrack. Originally, I had conceived it as a moody atmospheric piece which Jacinta could really get her magnificent pipes around. Sadly, producer Martin Tang saw fit to turn it into a dance track much to my chagrin. I remember first hearing this version on a TV variety show and was aghast to see Jacinta (looking uncomfortable, it must be said) belt the song out surrounded by dancers. One day, I must record the song probably, maybe with Rachael...

With the promise of many S-movies coming out in 2010 and beyond, surely its time for S-ROCK film soundtracks to make their delayed appearance once again... I would loved to be involved in putting that together.

C'mon all you 90s scenesters, any comments about these soundtracks... memories!

2009-12-19T19:24:00.005+08:00

Have you got +65 Indie Underground yet?

If not then, I strongly suggest that you do, as soon as possible. It is a veritable treasure trove of S-ROCK goodies, which you're NOT going to find anywhere else. Out of the 3 CDs, my personal favourite is the third disc. Not only because Watchmen is featured (though that doesn't hurt) but it brings together some of the truly classic S-ROCK of the 80s and early 90s.

Not only that but the sheer range of the music is impressive. From the folk-rock of Humpback Oak's, the shoegaze of the Pagans, the metal growl of S.U.D.S., the synth-pop of Convent Garden to the psychedelic blues of Nunsex.

But I would like to highlight a couple of standouts from a magnificient list. Radio Station is the first S-ROCK anthem as Joe Ng went from sensitive electro to flag-waving rocker. The lyrics still resonate - "We're so young/Have we got time?" - the song is worth the entire price of admission.

Listening to Zircon Lounge's Guide These Hands, it's amazing to consider that Chris Ho and gang recorded the song in 1984, when post-punk/new wave was not mainstream fare at all in Singapore. That said, I want to clear up that misconception that Zircon Lounge was the first alt-rock band in Singapore - that honour rightfully belongs to Transformer, right, Chris?

Disc 3 also features a couple of nostalgic nuggets like Oddfellows' Unity Song (although I'd argue that Lost My Head would have been the better choice), Nonames' My Mama, Twang Bar Kings' Daddy in the Lift (with Leslie on helium) and Daze's Sexy Little Boy (a #1 hit!)

Ah, memories... more to come on discs 1 & 2 soon...

Did I nag you about getting +65 Indie Underground yet? Go NOW!

2009-12-18T22:19:00.003+08:00

Ah, nostalgia! The +65 Indie Underground 3-CD set dropped into stores this week and it really is a good purchase for anyone remotely interested in Singapore rock. I guess I will be asked why the original recording isn't on this set but the 15th anniversary version instead.

Well, basically I don't own the rights to the recording and the company that does - Odyssey Music - doesn't exist anymore. And... I've always felt that the original recording was too shiny, clean and robotic so that is why I recorded the more organic version with James, Brian, HQ and Esther last year. When Universal got wind of the track, they requested for it to be in the comp and so...

Well, what do you think? Do you prefer '93 or '08 edition?

Anyways - go get +65 Indie Underground now... more about the comp to come...

2009-12-16T13:07:00.000+08:00

"You are the only gift I want for Christmas"

Here's the download link for my rough demo of "4Christmas"

http://www.mediafire.com/?ygm4mtgwou2

Comments, please!

2009-12-15T00:22:00.002+08:00

Coming soon... from KAMCO Records.

Stay tuned...

2009-12-13T09:47:00.004+08:00

A S-ROCK compilation? Who'd thunk it, eh? In this day and age of falling CD sales and lukewarm mainstream interest in S-ROCK, you just have to hand it to the folks at Universal (especially Kheng) for having the kahunas to release this labour of love.

Compiling some of the best S-ROCK tracks from the mid-80s (Zircon Lounge) to the new generation (B-Quartet), with a major focus on the 90s S-ROCK revival (Oddfellows, Padres, Humpback Oak, Pagans et al), +65 Indie Underground is a timely collection of the finest Singaporean music of the last twenty years or so.

All well & good. My hope for this compilation is not only that it sells in phenomenal numbers and justifies a second edition but that Universal will be able to distribute into the region as well e.g. into Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and even Japan as a showcase of Singapore music. I think it is a excellent opportunity for the "powers-that-be" to get behind this compilation to promote Singapore music overseas.

Of course, I must qualify that I am - as Watchmen - featured on this compilation so take my comments with a pinch of salt. If you wish...

2009-12-06T21:02:00.004+08:00

We had our last Recidivists jam for 2009 this afternoon and it was done at a leisurely pace. We did however, work through another new song, which in my humble opinion is gonna be another cool and fun addition to the Recidivists' repertoire.

The song is called "Barbarians at the Gate" and it's something I had written quite recently, with the Recidivists firmly in mind. To be honest, though I liked the song, I wasn't quite certain how it would pan out with the band BUT that's the beauty of working with Daniel, Keith and Jocelyn, their ideas and contributions add so much to the dynamic of the song that it took on a life of its own and I can't wait to debut it live soon.

Not only that but I managed to record a Garageband demo of In Your Eyes, the musical-type ballad that I mentioned a few weeks ago. I have posted at my personal MySpace page. Check it out. I would appreciate your comments.

2009-11-29T22:51:00.006+08:00

Reviewing Andrew Chen's excellent new album, You Just Might, brought to mind, of all people, the legendary Daryl Hall & John Oates, one of the finest pop duos of the 80s. This, of course, necessitated a frantic search through my CDs before I settled on this "best of" compilation (above) which features such classic hits as Sara Smile, Kiss On My List, Everytime You Go Away, One On One and so on.

After some searching around on the Internet, I also discovered that Daryl Hall is currently hosting a monthly webcast called Live From Daryl's House, which as the name suggests features Daryl (now a spry 63!!!) performing choice material on his own as well as with awesome guests like Todd Rundgren, John Oates, Chuck Prophet, KT Tunstall, Nick Lowe and Smokey Robinson. A brilliant idea!

All of which is inspiring me with regards to possible live directions viz. blue-eyed soul pop, which I think will go down well with the general public. What do you think? Would you leave home to watch classic R&B covers from yours truly?

...still there's more...

2009-11-28T22:16:00.003+08:00

And so, the interview Samuel did with me last Saturday was published today in the New Paper. It's a bit of a strange piece as Samuel basically took one of those "favorite spaces" articles and shoe-horned an interview about my music-making. Great effort by the lad, if I say so myself, no mean feat. I don't look half bad in the photo as well... credit to Kelvin, the New Paper photographer, good job!

Pix of TNP page courtesy of the Green Carnation.

2009-11-21T19:48:00.004+08:00

An interesting Saturday spent in the company of young people. In the morning, Samuel Wee (one of my off and on contributors to PowerofPop.com) interviewed me for the New Paper (where he now interns) and we chatted for almost two hours about music and stuff. Not sure what the article will be about though, interior design tips? Heh. Believe me, it was really fun.

In the afternoon, it was the turn of my Noise apprentices to pick my brains (so to speak, or was it the other way round?). First up, was Narisa, as we began the task of arranging the song (called Valentine's Day) to be recorded for the upcoming Noise CD. It's a straightforward melodic slab of sunshine pop which I believe will go down well, if we can work out an arrangement that serves the song best.

Next, was Celina and her intriguing modern grunge-folk sensibility - don't ask me why - I keep thinking I need to play for her Neil Young songs. It all gonna make sense soon, trust me. We worked on her song Cinderella, which we hope to grant an earthy feel to convey the emotional weight of the lyrics.

Exciting stuff!

In the meantime, check out some music from these up & coming singer-songwriters.

Yep, MidnightSugarRush is Celina.

Fight is a marvelous song and deserves to be recorded but maybe for another time. What say you, Narisa?

Funnily enough, neither of these songs will on the Noise CD.

Stay tuned for more updates to come...

2009-11-17T22:16:00.002+08:00

+65 Indie Underground

This (now) 3CD boxset collection pays tribute to the S-ROCK revival that started in the early 90s. So why is it called "+65"? I guess it has to do with the year of Singapore's independence. How patriotic eh? Anyways, the boxset is due at the end of the month and the confirmed line-up is -

Typewriter. Postbox. The Marilyns. A Vacant Affair. Amateur Takes Control. MUON. The Analog Girl. B-Quartet. The Great Spy Experiment. I Am David Sparkle. Astreal. Lunarin. Opposition Party. Ronin. Electrico. The Observatory. aspidistrafly. Serenaide. Tiramisu. Force Vomit. Plainsunset. Boredphucks. The Ordinary People. Livonia. Stroll. Psycho Sonique. Sugaflies. Stoned Revivals. Etc. Concave Scream. Kelvin Tan. The Lilac Saints. Suchness. The Mother. Stompin’ Ground. Humpback Oak. The Pagans. S.U.D.S. Padres. Watchmen. The Oddfellows. The Nonames. Convent Garden. Nunsex. Global Chaos. Twang Bar Kings. Daze. Corporate Toil. Razor’s Edge. Zircon Lounge.

*whew*

I'm stoked that Watchmen is between Padres and Oddfellows! Apt!

... and there's more ...

2009-11-14T23:43:00.005+08:00

My first ever (proper) gig performance was in 1976 in the auditorium at the Anglo-Chinese School at Barker Road. So perhaps it was rather fitting that the first gig performance of the Recidivists was at ACS at Barker Road again, although this time at its new premises. The occasion was this year's school carnival and a half hour set was requested.

We got to the school a little late and made our way to the stage (thanks to Faizal) and caught Keong, Jessica Soo and Kat Ong (and company) finishing their set. Cool 70s classic pop vibe with lovely vocal harmonies. We were going to be an altogether different proposition!

Sound-wise, it was tough to hear each other on stage but as seasoned pros, we managed to pull off a solid enough set and I believe that we gave a good account of ourselves. I was particularly pleased with our two originals, which I enjoyed immensely. Overall, the set was electric, rocking and loud and you could groove to it. Which points to an excellent sonic direction for the Recidivists. Expect the band to go full throttle in 2010.

Set list: -

Don't Look Back

Destination Ursa Major

Sink to the Bottom

Snatch

It's Not A Fact

Golden Age

2009-11-09T23:07:00.004+08:00

The Recidivists, my new project band with Daniel Sassoon, Keith Tan and Jocelyn Ong plays its debut gig at this Saturday's (14th) ACS Carnival at 3pm. The set will be about 30 minutes long and feature mainly covers and a couple of originals. Venue is ACS Barker Road Campus.

Hope to see you all there.

2009-11-06T23:00:00.005+08:00

Meet the Apprentices.

Last week, I met up with my Noise Apprentices (viz. Narisa and Celina), to kick start The Apprentice Program for 2009-2010. Ahead of them would be CD recordings and live performances, including a prestigious spot at the Youth Olympics Games musical showcases!

And so begins a two month process whereby I share what I know about songwriting, performance and music in general. Hope they'll enjoy the experience as much as I will.

After all, there's just so much music but so little time. So I'm thinking about what I can do to help them along, guide them in the direction they wanna go and hope it all works out. The two girls are so different but have the same needs - to learn about music and I want to do whatever I can to give them what they need.

Tomorrow will be the first 'real' work session when we'll be focusing on songwriting. I need to suit the session specifically to their strengths and weaknesses (what I perceive them to be). So its a lot of music listening & CD selection tonight to open their ears to a different world of musical possibilities.

Stay tuned for more updates, boys and girls...

2009-11-06T13:09:00.002+08:00

Life changes constantly. About a week ago I quit my job without new employment lined up and thinking of venturing into the world of music. FULLTIME! Yes, it's a big ask and its giving me some sleepless nights but the LORD has been speaking to me about asking for what I want and so... here goes.

My last day in the office is January 8th so till then I would need to firm up my new direction which I intend to do by talking with my numerous contacts to set things up.

This blog will be the new HQ for Kevin Mathews, full-time singer-songwriter-musician and whatever else. So please return to check on what's up...

Your prayers and good thoughts are appreciated.

2007-12-24T16:29:00.000+08:00

JON AUER
Songs from the Year of Our Demise
Pattern 25

After the successful Posies comeback that was Every Kind of Light, Jon Auer releases his very first full length solo album. After the high of Light, Auer has decided to make his solo statement with a come down album.
The opening “Six Feet Under” sets the tone for this somewhat somber collection that obsesses over the end of love and life. Presumably inspired by the television series of the same name, this song possesses a slight operatic stance wrapped up in Auer’s trademarked pop-rock trappings as he sings –
The rest of Songs from the Year of Our Demise shares this reflective atmosphere. Not that the songs are downers, by any means, as Auer imbues his recognizable pop savvy prowess into this rather grave subject matter.
No shiny Beach Boys pastiches or Kinks-like rave-ups this time round, as tracks like “Bottom of the Bottle” with its wistful power and helpless plea for a second chance, “Four Letter Word” with its incongruent goose-stepping and its visceral bitching, “Angelita,” a forlorn love song with its sense of regret, “You Used to Drive Me Around” with wailing violins announcing the unfortunate death of a relationship, ‘Song Noir” with its downbeat naivety and the Big Star evoking “Cemetery Song” with its sad ruminations of the demise of a loved one.
I guess you could call this find solo debut a mature work, right off the bat. Of course, Auer is not new to the game but Songs from the Year of Our Demise confirms the depth of Auer’s compositional gifts. Certainly highly personal, Auer brings his listener on a journey through the heartbreaks that so often litter the path that is life.
Much to consider and to reflect upon here and ultimately, yes to celebrate and savor. A

2007-12-24T16:28:00.000+08:00

ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3
Olè Tarantula
(Yep Roc)

By now, if you’re a regular visitor to the Power of Pop, you’d realize that one of the feathers in my rock journo cap was interviewing Robyn Hitchcock over the phone, back when he was still with Warners, promoting Moss Elixir (1996). During the course of the interview, Robyn appeared to have given up somewhat on the rock music he had been writing and performing for the last decade or so (with the Egyptians) – which shocked me, cos I’d loved them all! And wanted to do more folky acoustic stuff.
That said, the next couple of albums Robyn delivered were full rock band affairs viz. Jewels For Sophia (1999) & A Star For Bram (2000). In between the two, he left Warners, released a couple of low-key acoustic folk albums independently viz. Robyn Sings (2002) & Luxor (2003), not to mention a Soft Boys reunion in Nextdoorland.
2004 witnessed Robyn surprisingly signed with vaunted indie label Yep Roc and Spooked emerged, a country folk-blues collaboration with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.
As great as these releases were, there was a gnawing feeling amongst Robyn watchers that a return to the psychedelic folk rock blues for which Robyn is legendary was around the corner. Well, here it is!
With the likes of Peter Buck (REM), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows), Bill Rieflin (Ministry) – all of whom also serve in The Minus Five – together with Kimberley Rew & Morris Windsor (Soft Boys), Ian McLagan (Faces) and Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger) on board, Robyn has seen fit to fully embrace his musical history – every facet – to produce a collection of songs that may just be his strongest since Perspex Island and Respect.
So is Olè Tarantula the album rabid Robyn fans (like meself) have been waiting for? Most definitely! Savour the psychedelic rave-ups (“Adventure Rocket Ship”), the dynamic pop wonders (“Underground Sun” & “’Cause It’s Love (Saint Parallelogram)” – co-written with Andy Partridge), sleek & smooth oddities (“Museum of Sex,” “Red Locust Frenzy” & “The Authority Box”) and rustic Dylanesque folk-rock (“Belltown Rumble,” “(A Man’s Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs,” the title track & “NY Doll” – a tribute to the late Arthur Kane).
Lyrically, Olè Tarantula finds Robyn broaching his usual topics – love, sex, strange insects (or even arachnids) and his own acute observations on life at large.Personally, I want to thank Robyn (& Venus 3) for giving us fan boys what we’ve been waiting for – psychedelic folk rock blues – nobody does it better! A+

2007-12-24T16:26:00.000+08:00

YO LA TENGO
I Am Not Afraid And I Will Beat Your Ass
(Matador)

Regular visitors to the Power of Pop will be aware that eclecticism is a prized trait. I simply adore albums that jump from genre to genre from track to track, and sometimes within the track itself! Guess I love it when recording artists go out of their way to confound and surprise expectations.
So, based on this preference alone, this glorious smorgasbord of sounds and styles from those indie pop stalwarts Yo La Tengo becomes a surefire favorite around PoP central and a strong contender for album of the year.
These 15 tracks of unnerving brilliance and uncompromising quality deserve every possible accolade. With songs ranging from psychedelic freak-outs (the bookending “Pass the Hatchet, I’m Goodkind” and “The Story of Yo La Tango”), Kinky musichall (the Decemberists-channeling “Beanbag Chair”), chilling baroque pop (“I Feel Like Going Home” & “Black Flowers”), bossa nova ditties (the Todd Rundren-evoking “Mr. Tough”), 12-stringed Rickenbacker-tinged folk rock (“The Race Is On Again”), offbeat oddities (“The Room Got Heavy”), lounge pop (“Sometimes I Don’t Get You” & “Song For Mahlia”), impressionistic ambient (“Daphnia”), driving power pop (“I Should Have Known Better”), pub rock (“Watch Out For Me Ronnie”), alt-country (“The Weakest Part”) & psych-garage (“Point and Shoot”).
Whew!
Perhaps the album should have been titled The History of Rock but that would have been too obvious for a band as contrary as Yo La Tengo. This is an astounding achievement, one that will have pop-rock lovers hypnotized for years to come. A+

2007-12-24T16:25:00.000+08:00

PERNICE BROTHERS
Live a Little
(Ashmont)

Every two years or so, the Pernice Brothers deliver yet another mini-classic that promises to enthrall serious pop-rock enthusiasts everywhere. Like clockwork, you could almost bet your mortgage on the consistency of Joe Pernice and co.
Unlike its predecessor, Discover a Lovelier You, Live a Little eschews the (forced and trendy) allusions to the 80s new wave (basically New Order) and marks a welcome return to pop classicism.
That said, the album does take a little time to get going with “Zero Refills” – the fourth track – registering as one of the best songs to come out of Joe Pernice’s fecund creativity as it melds Brian Wilson keyboards, 70s pop-rock guitar histrionics and Hall & Oates soulful strings.
“Microscopic View” offers a backward glimpse at a chamber pop innocence that announced the arrival of the Pernice Brothers’ debut, Overcome by Happiness, “How Can I Compare” continues in this orchestral vein, with the rustic romanticism of Alex Chilton thrown in for good measure and the spellbinding “High As A Kite” with its Spectoresque majesty and hints of 60s Bee Gees, heightening its beauty.
Elsewhere, the breezy folk-rock simplicity of “Somerville,” “PCH One,” “Conscience Clean (I Went To Spain”) and “Lightheaded” all suggest the echo of Teenage Fanclub, as Beatlesque melodies blend with Big Star melancholic vulnerability.
Which leaves us with the closing ballad – “Grudge Fuck (2006)” – with the choral lyrics borrowed from classic Bread songs viz. “Make It With You”& “Everything I Own” (yes, Joe, I noticed) – as the singer pleads for one last roll in the hay, for the road, so to speak. Isn’t that what the best pop ballads have been about, from time memorial?
Whilst not rising fully to the early Pernice Brothers albums or even Chappaquiddick Skyline, Live a Little comes pretty close to reminding all pop fans of the immense talent that is Joe Pernice. A

2007-12-24T16:23:00.000+08:00

BEE GEES
The Studio Albums 1967-1968
(Rhino)

I love the Bee Gees! They were my number two band after the Beatles when I was a teenager and their songs were frequently sung whenever an acoustic guitar was present. Unfortunately, in this day and age, because of their mega-success in the late 70s with their disco phase, the Bee Gees have a bad rep and have lost almost all credibility with so-called serious rock listeners.
So this six disc boxed set collecting the first proper Bee Gees albums (discounting the earlier Aussie releases) is an absolute delight and hopefully should go a long way of restoring the Bee Gees to the status they richly deserve.
Basically covering Bee Gees First and Horizontal (both released in 1967!) and Idea, each album set compiles stereo and mono mixes of the original records and a disc that features singles, outtakes and demos.
Those who recall the Bee Gees as a chart band in the late 60s would not doubt be familiar with such classics as “New York Mining Disaster 1941,” “To Love Somebody,” “I Can See Nobody” (off First), “World,” “Massachusetts,” (off Horizontal), “Let There Be Love,” “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” and “I Started A Joke” (off Idea).
But the real significance behind this box set is the re-discovery of the Bee Gees as the archetype chamber pop, of which modern proponents include Pernice Brothers, Andrew, Cardinal, Divine Comedy etc.
In that respect, songs like “Turn of the Century,” “Cucumber Castle,” “And the Sun Will Shine,” “Really and Sincerely,” “In the Summer of His Years,” “The Singer Sang His Song” and so on, certainly define the genre like not many other similar acts can.
One caveat though, why the necessity of including the mono album tracks as well, seems like too much filler to me.
That said, Studio Albums is essential – not only for Bee Gees fans – but for every student of this very special era of pop music.
With the understanding that the entire back catalogue of the Bee Gees will be getting the Rhino box treatment, it looks like it is going to be an exciting couple of years for Bee Gees fans and music lovers everywhere. A+

2007-12-24T16:21:00.000+08:00

JOANNA NEWSOM
Ys
(Drag City)

Why is it, when folks are discussing the relative merits of the music of Joanna Newsom, the debate (and it will turn into a debate) invariably will center on her rather unique vocals?
In my humble opinion, she has a special voice and whilst it is true that it has certain affinity with the likes of Kate Bush. Bjork and Tori Amos, this quality sets her apart from the scores of female singers out there. Especially the way she squeaks (yes, squeaks) before she emphasizes a word or emotion. Amazing!
More than that, of course!
I mean, and the fact that she utilizes the harp as her main instrument and employs delightful, wondrous ornate and orchestral music to frame her whimsical and graphic lyrics.
“The meadowlark and the chim-choo-ree and the sparrow/Set to the sky in a flying spree, for the sport over the pharaoh/A little while later the Pharisees dragged comb through the meadow/Do you remember what they called up to you and me, in our window?”
These are the words that begin the opening “Emily” and if anyone out there in cyberspace has any idea what Joanna is singing about, please let me know. Don’t matter to me as the lush strings and that voice combine to make this 12-minute epic beauty a pleasure throughout.
This 55-minute album contains only five songs but each track is an adventure buoyed by Newsom’s ambition, the elaborate arrangements of Van Dyke Parks and the symbiotic production of Steve Albini/Jim O’Rourke.
Not your typical pop fare by any means, Joanna – together with likeminded artists like Sufjan Stevens and Daniel Smith – forms an intriguing axis of what may be loosely terms as neu psych-folk where old-world patterns are invaded by modern day sensibility.
Thoroughly enlightening, Ys is proof that pop and rock music isn’t dead, it continues to evolve and I am certain that Joanna Newsom will be at the forefront. A+

2007-12-24T16:19:00.000+08:00

BOB DYLAN
Modern Times
(Columbia)

Modern Times, Bob Dylan’s 31st record, has been a critical and commercial success. Feted by reviewers worldwide and well-received by consumers (the album debuted at pole position on the Billboard Album Charts), Modern Times may be viewed as the third part of Dylan’s resurgent trilogy of albums which also includes 1997’s Time Out of Mind and 2001’s Love and Theft.
Comparisons to Dylan’s classic mid-60s hat-trick of Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde abound but to do so, in my estimation, is unfair, considering the world and Dylan have changed so much in the intervening forty years.
At 65, Dylan has seen and done it all, musically, and definitely the last three albums are more reflective especially about his own mortality and on Modern Times, the music is less visceral and less melancholic with one eye firmly focused on God.
“Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king/I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing,” he declares (and vows) on the rock and roll ditty that is “Thunder on the Mountain.” He recalls the opening verses of Genesis on “Spirit on the Water.”
Dylan expounds on the Christian life on the resplendent “Nettie Moore” where Dylan asserts that “Today I'll stand in faith and raise/The voice of praise/The sun is strong, I'm standing in the light/I wish to God that it were night” and the heartfelt “Ain’t Talkin’” where Dylan states “They say prayer has the power to heal/So pray for me, mother/In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell/I am a-tryin' to love my neighbor and do good unto others.”
Interspersed with these religious overtones, Dylan touches on his favourite subjects – evil women, evil authorities and the evil world in general. Whether the personas described in these ten tracks express Dylan’s intimate thoughts can only be the subject of speculation and argument amongst Dylanologists. Suffice to say that this is a pleasing album that Dylan fans will enjoy. Nothing particularly ground-breaking (no one expects that surely) but it is comforting to know that Dylan still has sufficient inspiration in his heart, mind and soul to deliver a work that intrigues, provokes and yes, reveals. A

2007-12-24T16:17:00.000+08:00

DAVID MEAD
Tangerine
(Tallulah)
www.davidmead.com

It has taken me ages to review this wonderful album. Here I am on New Year’s Day and grooving to the cool rhythms, jiving to the gorgeous tunes and overall being blown way by the sheer pop power of the creative juices of David Mead (and co-producer Brad Jones – when’s the next solo album coming?).
I mean how can any card-carrying member of the pop underground resist the charms of the funky “Chatterbox,” the elegiac “The Trouble with Harry,” the moving “Reminded #1,” the jazz balladic “Hunting Season,” the disco-reviving “Hallelujah, I Was Wrong” and so on?
To put it simply, if you like your pop music dense and textured, erudite and intelligent, reflecting the melodic influences of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach and Billy Joel, then Tangerine is the album you need to procure at all cost. Now. A

2007-12-24T16:16:00.001+08:00

RODDY FRAME
Western Skies
(Redemption)

The singer-songwriter genre remains as vital in the 2000s as it was when it first emerged in full flower in the early 70s. Case in point – Scotsman Roddy Frame who dropped his better known ‘Aztec Camera’ moniker a decade ago to trade under his own name.
Frame appears on the sleeve of his new album, lines on his slightly weathered face as he approaches his mid-40s, no longer the fresh-faced boy that took the UK pop scene by storm in the 80s. However, his talents remain firmly intact on this, his third official solo album.
With his virtuoso guitar picking, Spanish flamenco leanings and strong pop mellifluence, Frame comes across as a very Euro-centric Lindsey Buckingham, which is an intriguing prospect!
Some may complain that the music on Western Skies is effectively AOR and too mellow for artistic significance. All of which is rubbish of course. Sure, the instrumentation is spare, consisting as it does purely of Frame on guitar/voice backed by the basic foundation of Jeremy Stacey on drums and Mark Neary on upright bass. But the songs are mature, erudite and resonating.
On “She Wolf” performs the role of country-blues troubadour with intense conviction, as Frame sings – “The rhymes and drones of the first real big blues boom/Shake the cones and fill the room/Blind and alone it hides and licks its wounds/Haunts the city, howls at the moon/She wolf, birthing inside of me/Cold rain, never be the same again.”
Then there’s the superb commentary of “Rock God” – “Hippy glam intruder crept past the towers where children slept/And scattered stardust trails between the blocks/Clashing swords in city streets/To a double drummers' beat/As on the corner lovers meet/And kiss just as the power stops, beneath the chemist's frozen clock” as engaging a description of the 70s rock phenomena as any.
Finally, on “Dry Land” Frame reminiscences on his past journeys and regrets his current dryness – “Going through my treasure chest of memories I've stored/I found some eight by tens of the band all looking bored/But the bar was amazing/Two types of chocolate and raisins/If life could taste that good again/I swear I'd never complain.”
Personally, I abandoned Aztec Camera after the magnificent Knife, when Frame eschewed the folk-rock sound for something more akin to American R&B, thus it is refreshing to hear Frame return to his ‘roots’ – especially on the lovely breezy final track, “Portastudio” as Frame warbles “everything’s changed/nothing has changed.”
Isn’t that always the case? A