yesterday i had the longest ever dream that the world was endless with possibilities

The Sound Of Arrows - Magic
For those who've heard this song before, and wondering why the name is slightly different, it's because the band has renamed it from M.A.G.I.C to Magic for it's new release as a single. It also comes with one of the most amazing music videos I've ever seen.

A real sugary electropop ditty, it's catchy with all the prerequisite hooks and lyrics you can easily sing along to. Cue a video about 2 kids who wake up to realise they are the only ones left in their town; the adults are all gone. They go about their deserted town doing various things kids would do. The childlike innocence makes you smile inside, and it explodes into full blown fuzzy warmth when you see them packing for a road trip on their own. They meet other kids and "Where The Wild Things Are" type creatures. Pure pop bliss at its best from, you've got it right, a Swedish duo.

Yes Giantess - You Were Young
Bright synths and and a melody that just screams fun.

The Radio Dept. - Domestic Scene

your brown eyes are my blue skies

Beach House - Zebra (mp3)

Beach House - Heart of Chambers (mp3)
In light of Beach House coming down to Singapore to perform at the Laneway Festival, here are two of my favourite songs, which happen to be available for download as well, from their own website.

The undulating voice of Victoria Legrand never fails to draw me into any one of their songs. It's like a giant magnet, compelling you to listen to the song in order to put you into a dreamlike haze that you'll be glad never to lift. The passive synths seem so insignificant when you consider the hold her voice has over you, but you realise, it is a complement that serves to empower that ethereal voice.

Warpaint - Undertow (mp3)
I guess i'll just make this a Laneway post. Not sure whether by intention, Warpaint is a gorgeous all girl quartet that doles out exquisite rock with an undercurrent of psychedelia and haziness provided by hypnotic vocals, and not least a deep resonating beat. Put it this way, listening to this song is like being in a state of bliss. In some ways, they do sound like Beach House, just with the post-rock element. And you wonder what were they doing since 2004, only releasing their EP only in 2009 and debut album in 2010. Oh and I think they're anything but Warpaint, so don't take the name too literally.

Warpaint - Billie Holiday
Initially I thought this might be a Miike Snow cover, but just listening to the song and you know it's not. So I googled Billie Holiday and it turns out she is a famous jazz singer and songwriter. And this song is so damn exquisite and wonderfully crafted that it's like fine bone china. I could rave on and on about this song, but this song is one you just have to listen for yourself and be utterly transfixed by these girls. Amazing. Check out an acoustic version here which is just as beautifully done.

your skin defiantly silver and so sure

It's been raining a lot recently, it's not supposed to be the rainy season! Not that I don't like rain, I love it, especially when I'm in bed and don't have commitments for the day. But be damned if I have.

Anyway, here's a playlist I created on a neat little site called 8tracks. It's something similar to what most people are more familiar with - last.fm - but it's solely a playlist making site, what they dub as internet radio of sorts. Anyhow, check it out! and my very first playlist too!

don't i know you better than the rest

Simian Mobile Disco - Nerve Salad
A sobering beat that conceals a certain frothing excitement that slowly spills over. SMD are back with a purely electronic piece devoid of vocals; some might say back to their roots as DJs. A delectable delight of snazzy synths and increasingly urgent beats, they suddenly revert back to spacious sounds that fill the space, and then back to those pacey doowops. It's nice to see some action from SMD after their last release, "Temporary Pleasure".

Crystal Castles - Knights
Set to Japanese teens imbibing alcohol and taking drugs, it's pretty much a neat metaphor for this spell-binding song by CC. This would definitely rock the dance floor with its bouncy synths and undulating beats that wouldn't seem out of place amongst a host of grinding bodies.

Beach House - Zebra
Significantly deviating from their dreampop signature as they lean towards a regular indie sound, they nevertheless can depend on Alex Scaly's drawn out mellifluous vocals to give that tinge of haziness I so desire. Again, I like this stripped down version of their usual stuff, banking on the drawing power of Scaly's vocals and thoughtful arrangements that never fail to charm.

he told there was a part of him missing

We Have Band - Oh!
Hot on the heels of their video for Divisive comes something similar for another track Oh!. Featuring the band members clad in all white, similar to the various colour schemes in the former track, they engage in some sort of contemporary arty-farty dance set to clean crisp lyrics and coloured smoke. It's pretty catchy if you ask me, but sounds all too similar to Divisive.

Perfume Genius - Mr Petersen
I'm not sure how Mike Hadreas came up with a moniker for himself like Perfume Genius, but I sure ain't scratching my head over that. I'm just wondering why he seems to be bruised in many of his pictures. Maybe it's to match his frail vulnerable music, which for this song, I really had to crank up the volume to hear the lyrics. Yet, above all, it's the lyrics itself that strike me the most, barely heard above the elegant pounding of the piano. It's about a paedophile the central character in the song has for a teacher, who uses him in exchange for drugs. But despite all that, Mike Genius somehow manages to make the paedophile sound human and yes, fragile. That's an eccentric but(or and?) brilliant mind at work.

White Hinterland - Amsterdam
Very slow song in which Casey Dienel uses her vocals to steer the song. Subtle layers of synths provide a calming rhythm whilst projecting a very visual soundscape of white trees amidst a slowly rising water level while the moonlight casts a soft glow all over.

will we ever paint the walls

Basia Bulat - Once More, For The Dollhouse
Folksy feel, yet it belies the deep vulnerability that seems to emanate from the lyrics - almost like howls of desperation crying to be heard. Her strong emotive vocals drive this song with panache, along with the bare guitar accompaniment, contributing to the emotional bedlam.

Pearl Harbor - Luv Goon
Sweet shimmery vocals surf on dreamy hazy sounds with washed out synths as one of them coos the chorus. Pearl Harbor is made up of 2 sister, Piper and Skyler, 22 and 15 respectively. Amazing isn't it? They make absolutely harmonious dream pop that dazzle the heart.

Pretty & Nice - Tora Tora Tora (mp3)
You get a bit lost for a moment as the song opens with "the japanese and singing 'tora tora tora' but i don't understand". But as soon as you right your bearings, you realise the upbeat song is flippant and fun. Snappy drumbeats with random lyrics amidst the motley instruments ringing out in the background definitely contribute to the springy mood.

Trentemoller - Always Something Better
First, there's this really bad-ass bassline. Secondly, the haunting sound prolly from the pads. Thirdly, sleek sounding 8 bit synths. I could go on and on, but whatever Mr Trentemoller is doing, he's doing a fantastic job of marrying the vastly different layers in the song into one entity. The ebb and flow is doing the very job of pulling you into the world he has created and pushing you out abruptly, only to bring you back in again.

we're bound to wait all night

I was sitting across from the rotating sign
For the Liberty Brass Turning Company

Automatic Screw Machine Products


And brooding about our fathers
Always on the make to make more money

Screw Machine Products Automatic


Tender wounded brassy unsystematic
Free American men obsessing about margins

Machine Products Automatic Screw


Selling every day of their God-damned lives
To some Liberty Brass Turning Company

Products Automatic Screw Machine


Until they were screwed into boxes
And planted in plots paid and unpaid

Automatic Screw Machine Products


- LIBERTY BRASS by Edward Hirsch




Menew - Don't Give Up On Us Now
I've got to give much props to the music supervisor, a certain Alexandra Patsavas, of Chuck. She makes the most awesome song choices, totally apt for the situation, emotions, amplifying everything that the scene is trying to portray many times over. Take this song for instance, it cues at the instance when Chuck is tossed into the van after getting caught. He was utterly distraught at seeing his dad being shot by Shaw and everything seems bleak for Team Bartowski, as he says "There's no one left to save us." A glimmer of hope beckons as Devon asks Ellie if she's ready to do this (to save Team Bartowski), to which she firmly agrees. It's very apt in that while Chuck has all but given up, a glimmer of hope came from Ellie, Devon and Morgan, who haven't given up on saving them.

Miike Snow - Billie Holiday
Here's some Miike Snow who seem incapable of doing anything wrong in their eponymous album. Said track was supposedly exclusively available only on the CD release in Japan. It's got Miike Snow stamped all over it, the electro-reverbs with groovy synths coupled with really poppy hooks.

Broken Bells - The High Road
Broken Bells is a collab between Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley fame and James Mercer of The Shins. Beautiful soulful indie rock song, marrying obscure(?) lyrics about drugs with a touch of electronica to produce a charming song that speaks volumes about the prodigious talent these two have.

School of Seven Bells - Babelonia
Definitely a different direction as compared to Alpinisms. While still featuring the hushed lustre of the twins' vocals, it feels more textured and less dreamy, the expansive soundscape serves as a wonderful medium for their vocals to express themselves.

it's yours to find

Delorean - Stay Close
Brilliant and brilliant all at the same time. Their creativity with Balearic pop with breezy riffs and hooks, light and fluffy that it is extremely enjoyable, yet not too light such that they aren't taken seriously. The chants of get up, get up almost serve as a calling, beckoning you to get up and groove to their brand of narcotic dance pop that's all so effortless and well, brilliant, like the summer sun.

Delorean - Real Love
More basque love, soak it up.

Washed Out - New Theory
Literally sounds like the name of this one man show, run by a certain Ernest Greene. Washed out synths with subtle echoing percolate as his voice provides a sense of warm hazy nostalgia over layered and soft textures. You start to reminisce and recall fond memories, only to find the song tailing off pretty abruptly - which cuts your train of thought. The only recourse, is to start playing the song again.

Toro Y Moi - Blessa
Amongst the purveyors of "chill wave", Toro Y Moi and the ilk (like Memory Tapes, Washed Out, Neon Indian, Small Black to name a few) milk the haziness of yesteryears, when music played out on cassettes and vinyls, and dreamy distorted synths upon loops and samples. A word of advice, don't try to figure out the lyrics. Half the time, their obscured vocals barely above a murmur, all that's required of you is to relax and embark on this journey of discovery.

we mostly work to live until we live to work

Vampire Weekend - Run
Preppy boppy and fun all rolled into one tight song. Bleeps and bloops scattered about as Erza goes on about taking two, and running away to someplace else, just the two of them, leaving the rat race behind. Behind all the lightness and fun, the song is actually grounded in much starker truths. The you-oohs are just so catchy and downright addictive.

The Big Pink - Velvet
Synths lead this song into full grandiosity as you feel it's entirety looming upon you, the grandeur of the towering vocals contrasted with the echoing voice in the background. Fuzziness interrupts only but for a while, before the song delves deep into the emotions of electro rock, drawing from strength to strength, as the lyrics oddly resonate and find place within you.

We Have Band - Divisive
I love creative funky videos like this. Many of compared them to Hot Chip, and the similarities could be observed. Addictive hooks and catchy repetitive lyrics, they brought a little to mind YACHT as well. Does anyone see a little OK Go! in them as well? But whatever it is, I love their quirkiness and they definitely have a lot more to offer in their latest album "WHB".

Massive Attack - Pray For Rain
It feels tentative, but in a good way. It sets about in an unhurried manner, vocals just above minimal production, yet it belies the gloom and moodiness brought about by the frenetic pace of tribal-esque drumbeats midway through the song, just like the charged air and rumbling before a thunderstorm. But like all thunderstorms, it always breaks and gives way to sunshine, and this is no exception. Around the two thirds mark, the song not as much as transit, and suddenly turns on it's charm and uplifting mood befitting of a sunny day. It rounds off nicely, with dotty synths and baritone vocals and makes you think that the wait for Heligoland was absolutely worth it.

fall left me with this winter so cold

Photo from Bunny Bissoux.

Oh my, it's been a while. How I've missed talking about music. I apologise to the few readers I have for the lack of posts, been a whirlwind of crap since the last post. Was pretty hectic as I was doing some last minute preparations for my europe trip and then now trip's cancelled cos Eyjafjallajokull erupted, and thereafter, busy with trying to get my insurance claims going. Now I'm planning for Japan, trying to leave asap, and fingers crossed, hope nothing like Eyjafjallajokull happens again, otherwise I'd lose faith with travelling and just stick to staying in this island city.

jj - Let Go
Let Go is from their 2nd album, simply titled "jj n° 3". Gently led into by what probably are harmonica samples, we are presented with a stunning introduction to a song that borders on folk, classical, balearic and electronic, maybe even more. Seemingly like a mish mash of genres, everything somehow dovetails beautifully into an enchanting song. Subtle with alluring vocals, the duo of Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander show no signs of letting up.

Monarchy - The Phoenix Alive
Have a good listen to the latest outfit to hit the electronic scene in UK. A disco-esque vibe that resonates as they barely sing above the synths effortlessly, the pulsating and solid beat akin to sparkling stars in the galaxy apt as they sing of stars in their eyes.

Lusine - Jetstream(mp3)
More ambient music for the senses, the echoing synths going off like dominoes in an ethereal soundscape as tinkly sounds like wind chimes join in the musical medley and permeates the snug cocoon formed by the wonderful sounds, definitely a treat for the sonic palate. Take a walk down the neon lit streets of Tokyo on a cool evening, as streams of people go by, cars flash past, you realise you're only but one amongst many in this metropolis.

how do you know the name of the one you love

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.

- Anatole France


White Hinterland - Icarus
Pure magic. White Hinterland is this sweet lady Casey Dienel and partner Shawn Creeden. This song is from her 2nd album as White Hinterland, 3rd as an artist, entitled "Kairos". Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). I think it's perfect that she's released this album now, riding on the wave of all that dreampop. A perfect swirly and dreamy soundscape, like a kaleidoscope of white clouds, golden fields, green trees, and beautiful flowers. Awash with languid synths and deep sporadic bass that's almost as hypnotic as her voice, she is unfettered amidst all the minimalism.

White Hinterland - No Logic
She brings to mind Dirty Projectors, maybe some AnCo. The looping and percussion strung together, plus scratchy guitar reflects her experimentation, and she does find her ground.

Eluvium - Weird Creatures
A little in the vein of Barcelona, but unlike their piano-driven rock, Matthew Cooper aka Eluvium incorporates the piano in his echo-ey electronics, keeping his vocals to a bare murmur, you wonder how he blends two contrasting musical elements into one glorious masterpiece. There's only one way to listen to this, lay back, close your eyes and enjoy.

Scuba - So You Think You're Special (mp3)
Techno-ish song with more ambient anchoring, extremely brilliant. Save it for a good day to chill out to.

i'll be right on the train

Fink - If Only
Excellent musician who dabbles in electronic to jazz to house. I really dig the slow laidback melody of this song, like taking a stroll along the streets of the city, under the glow of the streetlamps, shadows lengthening and shortening. The silence of the night a comforting feeling.

The Dutchess and the Duke - Living This Life (mp3)

Darlings - Teenage Girls
Quirky song and love it much!

Air - So Light Is Her Footfall

those who say dreams are just dreams

School of Seven Bells - Connjur

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Miike Snow - Animal

Bat For Lashes - Daniel

transformers was epic. megan fox and isabel lucas.

secrets from the wind, and burnt stars are crying.

Emmy Rossum - Slow Me Down
She acted in Dragonball Evolution. Personally, I thought it was a terrible decision she made. But oh well. Really nice song, could prolly choreograph a dance to this song.

Late Night Alumni - Hope
I look around to find another day/Hope now it's hard to see/Into eternity

M83 - We Own The Sky

Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)
their music videos are uber random, and it's such a blast watching it. plus the song sounds kooky and lovey at the same time. one, two, three... awwwwww.



Asobi Seksu - Layers
lead vocals and keyboard provided by yuki chikudate(above) and james hanna who does the guitar and vocals. very interesting synths and layering here. this song has a very surreal effect and is done with much elan. pretty new band, and one to look out for.



The Whitest Boy Alive - Keep a Secret