Live4MusiC

(week starting 19th April) 

Rock & Pop 

• Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation 
• Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You 
• Meatloaf - Hang Cool Teddy Bear 
• James - The Night Before 
• Aqualung - Magnetic North 
• New Found Glory - 10th Anniversary 
• Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders - Red Light Fever 
• OST - Iron Man 2 
• OST - Glee The Music Power of Madonna 
  
  Dance & Soul 
• Method Man: Ghostface Killah: Raekwon - Wu Massacre 
• K Naan - Troubadour 
• Armin Van Buuren - State of Trance 2010 
  
  Asian Pop 
• Huang Xiao Ming 黃曉明 - Moopa 
• Liu Ruo Ying 劉若英 - <在一起> 
• Jaycee Chan 房祖名 - <乱> 
• Ayumi Hamasaki - Rock N Roll Circus 
• Ayumi Hamasaki - Next Level Arena Tour A DVD 
• Fei Yu Qing 費玉清 - Century Collection 
• Rainie Yang 楊丞琳 - Whimsical WoRLD Best of <異想天開 新歌+ 精選> 
• Zuno - Beginning 

First reaction: disbelief. Second: WOOOOOOOO!!!!! I got Blur's new Record Store Day single 'Fool's Day' at precisely 9:34am today. No sneaky industry favours, I promise. I queued up with the other 300 people this morning at London's Rough Trade East.

At about 9am, a nice man walked down the queue asking politely whether there was "anybody who would like the new Blur single?". A massive show of hands goes up, into which the very nice man thrusts a piece of paper with the words "Rough Trade Exclusive" written on it. This, we were told, was our golden ticket. And so it was...

 

continued...

I'm at home now, just listened to the track for the first time. In short, it's a bit bloody fantastic. Starts with a simple and slightly wonky 'Song 2'-esque drumbeat, before Damon comes in - with Graham playing minor chords - singing about waking up on "the first day of April".

It quickly becomes clear this is a song that's literally about Damon's day-to-day life. He's never sounded more like Ray Davies, but, strangely, it's the Ray Davies of today rather than the 60's - with that slightly bunged-up, Landaaaahn voice that's both all-knowing and a bit mournful. Hmm. Oh, and I wonder whether they actually wrote and recorded it on April Fool's Day too - a studio exercise, maybe - seeing as that's what the lyrics seem to be about.

"Porridge done, I take my kid to school, past the pound shop, Woolworths," Damon sings at one point, while another line goes: "On my bike, down the Ladbroke Road, to the forthcoming dramas of studio and loveable sweet music."

It's quite touching in a funny way, and ever-so-slightly daunting. Normal English Life, complete with all its dreary complexities, summed up so perfectly in song always leaves me a little cold (in a good way - it's what the word melancholy was invented for). That's what this does, quite brilliantly. Anyway, then a swirly organ bit comes in, and Graham unleashes a wicked little riff and off he goes into solo heaven. How you'll have missed thatsound coupled with this backing band...

Is this the start of things to come? I really hope so.



The track's already doing the rounds online, and you can download it for free from Blur.co.uk - so give us your reaction below.

- NME 

 

It was a rare sight last night in the vicinity of Stadium Road - possibly the first ever clash of the Mandopop titans in Singapore's entertainment history, with fans of Taiwan's two most popular bands mobbing the area, all waiting in eagerness to watch their superstars.

The region's biggest female Mandopop trio, S.H.E, brought their "S.H.E is the One World Tour Concert" to Singapore Indoor stadium last night and turned their sold-out concert and the 12,000 seating capacity arena into a mega karaoke-marathon session for their fervent fans.

And this, despite a night that's been widely-hyped as the clash of the Mandopop titans, that saw Taiwanese quintet, Mayday performing just nearby at the Singapore Stadium. And rock on S.H.E did, delivering a solid series of medley and stopping in-between sets to interact [with the audience] and poke fun at their "neighbour."

At one point, a mischievous Hebe pretended to pick up a call from Ashin - Mayday's vocalist - and retorted: "Oh Ashin, are we too loud, did we disrupt your concert? [But] I don't care!"

As if the jest wasn't funny enough, the trio went on to perform one of their hit songs "Wu Yue Tian" - that transates literally to 'Mayday' to which Ella quipped: "Hope our friend next door can hear this!"

The all-girl group took to the stage at 8.20pm to a riot of screaming fans and a stream of rainbow light sticks. Looking as if they've just stepped off a spaceship, group members Selina, Hebe and Ella made a dazzling entrance and did their opening sequence in flashy futuristic outfits, singing their hit song, "Super Star", setting of ear-piercing squeals of delight from their adoring fans.

The trio's charm and high-energy performance evidently worked its way into the audience with ecstatic fans - many of whom came from Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia - cheering, singing along to the trio's songs, brandishing multi-coloured light sticks in the dark, and yelling their hearts out frenziedly for more than two hours.

Although the stream of graphic images projected through the LED as backdrop weren't anything spectacular, the futuristic stage and suspended podiums which housed its band members featuring them playing in mid-air plus the highly-charged performance by the trio and their change of flashy costumes were more than enough to thrill and delight the audience with an enjoyable audio and visual feast.

 

The all-girl group whipped out a medley of non-stop performance, transforming from sexy dance routines, ballads, and Broadway pieces to rock medley. A total of 40 songs were performed in the trio's one-night only concert, including hit songs like "Re Dai Yu Ling," "Mo Li," "Tian Liang Le" and "Zhong Guo Hua."

Each girl also got to show off their talents in solo sets, Broadway-style, midway through the evening, with Hebe the cutie with a killer voice showcasing her powerful vocals without missing a note with her jazzy rendition of "Dream a little dream of me"; girly-girl Selina singing and prancing to the 80s pop hit, "Wake me up before you go go"; and Ella, the tomboy who's usually the subject of jokes over her gender and sexual orientation, delivering a self-penned and self-composed Chinese song. The upbeat song titled "Wo Jiu Shi Wo" - which translates to "I am me", seemed to be her message to us about her being comfortable in her own skin.

The highly-charged concert ended with a bang- complete with confetti and pyrotechnics - with "Lian Ren Wei Man", a hit song from their first album [in 2001], and got the girls thanking everyone who came to watch their performance that night.

In quick conclusion, the concert was a fantastic delivery of what S.H.E fans would expect to see. Flashy costume changes, feel-good songs, a trio of pretty face who knows how to work the audience - like I said; only if you are a S.H.E fan.

 

- xinmsn entertainment

 

It’s often difficult to write reviews for gigs where there are bands that are perhaps not up to par with the rest of the lineup, but fortunately this one is going to be easy for me.

Black Revelations 2010 was held yesterday at Home Club, organized by Trippy Factory, a gig organizer for indie and metal music.

The crew was there around 3.30pm, had a nice little chat with people from the Thai black metal band Dei Tetra and subsequently headed down for a round of coffee and BAK CHOR MEE! (Which they found pretty good!)

At 6:30pm, doors were finally open and the first band was up, after a 1 hour delay. But it was all worth it as opener Hallow were all prepared to rock the house. Playing a style of hard rock/heavy metal, they were just a taste of what was to come after them. I particular liked how the vocalist utilized a harmonizer to create harmonizing for his vocals at certain parts of the song, though it provided somewhat of a comical relief when he forgot to turn it off when talking to the crowd (which definitely wasn’t a bad thing!). One thing that I noticed though was how much gain there was on the guitarist’s tone while on rhythm and it made their songs pretty hard to follow (since I’m pretty much a guitar person), though the solos were extremely clear and addictive!

Evil Singing Pandas were up after Hallow, featuring gig organizer Remy. ESP got me especially curious after the first few songs that I heard from them, their Year of the Metal Tiger MCD (which is unfortunately not for sale according to Remy, for the physical edition). They played music in the vein of old school rock and heavy metal, including a cover from Led Zeppelin. I loved how Remy moved to the music he was playing, displaying his enthusiasm and his passion throughout his set. The drummer also showed his versatility through fusing Bossanova beats into one of the songs. They ended their set with another (instrumental) cover from viking/death metal band, Mithotyn. To the blank faces when Remy announced that it was going to be a cover from Mithotyn, Remy says, "well, screw you very much!"”

Right after ESP, G.O.D. was up. Having been in existence for around 5 years, G.O.D. definitely had the charisma to pull off a good show. This was when the first signs of life among the crowd became apparent, with people starting to move to the front of the stage as the band was setting up. With the first note struck, heads started banging and hair started flying all over the place. Have to say that I was impressed with vocalist and guitarist Calvin’s vocals, who’s growls and shrieks stayed very constant throughout the set.

At the end of G.O.D.’s set, we spied a silver man going up on stage, who turned out to be axe-wielder for Deus ex Machina, Ryan. With Mithun not in Singapore, they had a session vocalist to stand in. Ryan’s stage (or off-stage?) antics certainly raised many eyebrows (or perhaps I just haven’t been to enough DEM gigs). Halfway through the set, he asked the audience in front of him to “siam”, leaving us to wonder what was going on. He then proceeded to jump into the audience and pretty much stayed there for most of the set. Though his constantly unpredictably swinging headstock certainly posed a threat to the audiences’ faces, the crowd certainly enjoyed what they saw.

Finally, Thai black metal band Dei Tetra took the stage. I have to say the band looks totally different on-stage with their corpse paint and off-stage. Emperor Viperon and King Aboroth had blood constantly spewing out of their mouths throughout their set, while vocalist Countess Asithara charms the audience with her shrieky vocals and headbanging, and her reminder for the crowd that “if your heads are still on your shoulders, I want you to all headbang till they are not on your shoulders anymore!” Perhaps the highest point of their set was their cover of One by One, when King Aboroth and Countess Asithara switched roles, him taking over vocals and her taking over bass (which definitely reminded me of ChthoniC’s Doris!). It was overheard that this song is a special one, just for the crowd at Singapore!

Rudra took the stage next. Starting with the crowd favourite, Aryaputra, was definitely a right choice as the instant the first note was struck, heads once again started banging. They played a selection of songs throughout their discography, including an as-of-yet titled track from their upcoming album, Brahmavidya: Immortal I. When it was drawing to a close frontman Kathir asked the soundman if they had time for more than 1 last song. The exchange was hilarious and provided much entertainment to the crowd:

Kathir: “Soundman, how many songs do we have left to play?”
Soundman shows a single finger, showing that they only had time for 1 last song.
Crowd: “NOOOOOOOO!”
Kathir to soundman: “Are you sure we only have 1 song left?”
Soundman nods his head.
Crowd: “NOOOOOOOO!”
Kathir to soundman: “Can we negotiate?”
Soundman shakes his head.

Kathir bargains anyway, asking for 3 more songs with the soundman initially insisting that they could play 2 songs at max, but finally gave in for them to play 3 last songs. The highlight was probably the last track, where Kathir gave the crowd a choice between The Pathless Path to the Knowable Unknown or Aham Brahmasmi (to which the crowd picked Pathless Path, of course!).

Lastly, we had death metal band Absence of the Sacred take the stage. Initially it was a shitty turnout since it was already getting late and the crowds went out after Rudra’s set. But when they launched into their first song, Era of the Apostate, crowds started pouring in from the outside. Let’s face it, their set wasn’t exactly excellent though the musicians on stage were definitely good. Somehow frontman Mike almost always faces technical problems for the gigs that I attend (the last time it was at the Soundcrusher gig at House of Rock). Towards the end of their second song and halfway through their third song, his guitar suddenly went off. However, the crowd response was extremely supportive, headbanging and throwing horns throughout to show their support. I have to say though, I preferred it when the vocals on the track which he had to only do vocals when the guitar was down. They played 2 new songs and also threw in a cover which the crowd thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall this gig has been a pleasant experience, one of the better ones at a nice and decent pub venue. Special thanks to Dei Tetra who were extremely nice people and for the nice chat and complimentary autographed copies of the El Fuego EP to the crew.

©2010 Heavy Metal Tribune | Hong Rui

So we've been waiting a good...4 months? And it was finally time to catch THE Metal event of the year! I didn't manage to make it in time to get a tour Tee for myself...bummer...but that means i can spend it on 4 more beers =D

Rehabbed Detroit rapper Eminem is done with Relapse and on the road to Recovery.

Wednesday afternoon, after weeks of telling fans to tune into Twitter for a "big news" announcement, Em finally dropped a whopper: he announced that Recovery, his seventh studio album, will arrive June 22 with contributions from DJ Khalil, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin, Boi-1da, and more!

The announcement follows a Tweet Wednesday morning about the much-rumored sequel to his chart-topping 2009 release,Relapse. "There is no Relapse 2," he wrote. Below, Em explains the last minute title change.

"I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year," he said in a statement. "But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different fromRelapse, and I think it deserves its own title."

Recovery collaborator Just Blaze recently dished about the new album. "The wordplay is crazy, the metaphors are crazy," he said. "He's really back on his game. He had his ups, he had his downs, he's back way, way, way up."

No word on the album's tracklist -- or if these two leaked tuneswill be included -- but fans hungry for more Eminem don't have to wait until June: Marshall Mathers will appear alongside Paramore singer Hayley Williams on Atlanta rapper B.o.B.'s new album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, out April 27. Read about the collabo here.

- SPIN

Slash has roped in many of his accomplished and famous mates to create an album that is often inspired but at times weak.

Recorded over two years, it's quite an achievement to get so many big names - covering a wide range of musical styles - on one record, from pop starlet Fergie to grumbling rock icon Lemmy of Motorhead.

However, the diverse line-up of singers makes for an uneven album that moves from the country rock of I Hold On (with Kid Rock), to overwrought acoustic beauty Saint Is A Sinner Too (with Rocco Deluca).

The galvanising feature is Slash's unique mix of laid-back yet gutsy guitar shredding and solos, especially on the album's surprise highlight,By the Sword, with Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale adding a sprawling and psychedelic element, and Dave Grohl's instrumental stomp Watch This Dave.

The tracks with true legends - Iggy Pop, Lemmy and Ozzy Osbourne - are solid, if predictable. Iggy prowls and postures all over We're All Gonna Die, Ozzy is at his solo best rather than Black Sabbath best onCrucify the Dead, and while you've heard Lemmy's tale of drug-addled chaos on Doctor Alibi many times before, it's a welcome respite from wimpy Gotten (with Maroon 5's Adam Levine).

It's the Slash/Stockdale-type pairing the album needs more of, because as the two songs with Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy are testament to, much of it falls into the "good but not that memorable" classic rock category.
 
- NZ Herald 

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers star John Frusciante has been named the greatest guitarist of the last 30 years.

The musician left the rock band after they embarked on a two-year hiatus in 2007, choosing not to rejoin the group when they reconvened last year (09).

He is now focusing on his solo career, but his work with the Suck My Kiss hitmakers has helped propel him to the top of a new list to find the best guitarists of the last three decades.

Frusciante topped the poll by BBC 6 Music, seeing off competition from formerGuns N' Roses rocker Slash, who claimed second place and Muse frontman Matt Bellamy in third.

Former The Smiths star Johnny Marr came fourth, while the top five was rounded out by Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello.

Thanks for the report to Contactmusic.com.

WHAT British jazz musician Jamie Cullum lacks in height, he makes up for in plain, wide-eyed enthusiasm.

That is especially so when it comes to matters of the heart.

The East London-born singer- songwriter, 30, is in town with his wife - British former plus-size model Sophie Dahl, whom he married in January - for his sold-out performance tonight at the Esplanade.

But, while his relationship with Dahl, and in particular the height difference between the pair (she towers at 1.8m over his 1.6m), may be a talking point, Cullum would rather discuss his craft.

Still, the singer, who broke out in 2003 with best-selling album Twentysomething, and who last played in Singapore in 2006, is not afraid to poke fun at the obvious difference.

"I'm secretly six-feet-one (1.85cm), you just can't see it because it's an optical illusion," he said cheekily in a round-table interview with the Singapore media at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Singapore yesterday.

my paper catches up with the musician - who released his fifth record, The Pursuit, last year - for a chat.

How has married life been?

It's very wonderful so far. I'm incredibly happy and so is she. It's just fantastic. She tours with me a lot and she's here right now. I think people know by now that we're not the kind of people who are going to sell stories of our love to Hello! magazine.

Will you ever get sick of being called "Sinatra in Sneakers" or "the Jamie Oliver of Jazz"?

Those tags tend to go out of fashion.

In England, now, they just call me Jazz Hobbit (laughs).

But I think it's extremely healthy to not read about yourself.

It's fine to do interviews, but it's best to avoid (reading about yourself) because it can impact you too much. Though I always quite liked the Sinatra reference.

You're known for being quite the livewire on stage. Can we expect more antics at the show tonight?

That's pretty much the way it always goes. I get a bit carried away. I'm inspired by the adrenaline rush and the excitement of a live performance.

Tell us about your cover of Rihanna's Please Don't Stop The Music.

I don't write down a list of songs and decide which one to cover. At the end of the day, the song that is stuck in my head like an earworm (will be the one I cover).

If a song's stuck in my head, it probably means it's a good idea to do it.

What inspires you to start work on each album you make?

I don't really think in terms of albums. I try to get into a state where I'm constantly creating.

An album will be sculpted after that.

- My Paper (Victoria Barker)