Subsonic Eye - All Around You

 

We have a new band to include among our favorites: Singapore five-piece Subsonic Eye. We admit that we are late to this party as out introduction to the band is All Around You, which is their fourth album. Inspired by the natural world and the urban world around them, Subsonic Eye has a fulsome but nimble sound headlined by captivating lyrics and excellent guitars. This is one of those albums where picking songs to showcase the band's sound is impossible. So use the tracks below for a taste and then go to Bandcamp and enjoy the full show.

Subsonic Eye are Nur Wahidah, Daniel Castro Borces, Jared Lim, Sam Venditti, and Lucas Tee. All Around You is out now via Topshelf Records.

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"Games" by Newton Circus

Coming to us from Singapore is indie rock four-piece Newton Circus with their new single "Games".  A romantic track that gathers energy over a steady groove, we find it appealing and a bit addictive.  Listen below.

Newton Circus are Kenneth Ong, Colin Ong, Jefri Chua, and David Tan.  The single is available from various digital outlets.



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Obedient Wives Club - Cinematica

We were worried that Obedient Wives Club didn't love us any more.  The five-piece from Singapore has been all two quiet on the recording front for several years, although with things like marriages, jobs and other projects (including guitarist Cherie Ko's promising Tomgirl), one can't accuse them of idleness.  However, in mid-July the band released Cinematica, their latest EP of super-addictive Spectorgaze.  For those not familiar with the genre, is is Spector-like wall of sound, female vocals, lots of reverb and a bit of fuzz.  It is retro, atmospheric and, at times lush.  As compared to their prior recordings, the sound is cleaner and the vocals higher in the mix.  And our ears think that it is quite delicious.  Sweet melancholy and wistful sighs, just what the doctor prescribed.

Obedient Wives Club is YinQi Lee (vocals/keys), Keith Tan (guitar), Cherie Ko (guitar/backing vocals), Sulaiman Supian (bass), and Lennat Mak (drums).  Cinematica is released in digital and vinyl formats.  Check your favorite outlet for digital; vinyl will ship in September, and can be pre-ordered at the band's website (linked below).  And you should be able to stream it on Spotify if you are a user.








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"1057" by Jasmine Sokko

Jasmine Sokko is a fresh voice from Singapore.  The songwriter, vocalist and producer is making her mark with her new disco shaded single, the eminently danceable "1057".  We have it here in video form as well as a Soundcloud stream.  By the way, the title of the song is intended to be a representation of the word 'lost'.  We hope to hear much more of that voice.







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Tomgirl - Tomgirl

Cherie Ko has been known to us for a number of years.  First as the ace guitarist and back-up vocalist for Singapore indie rock band Obedient Wives, then also as the synth-bubblegum popster of Pastelpower and the vocalist for transcontinental indie project Bored Spies.  But we didn't know the Cherie Ko that has emerged as the frontwoman for Tomgirl.  A collaboration between Singapore-based Ko and talented Melbourne producer and multi-instrumentalist Ted Dore, Tomgirl creates stylish pop noir with a cinematic sheen.  Sexy, tough, and loaded with bad boy/bad girl appeal, their new self titled debut races through ten tracks that leave a great taste that you will leave you wanting more. With Dore providing thumping but adeptly dynamic production, images that recall retro guys and dolls with guns story lines, Ko steps forward as a pop star and Tomgirl emerges as one of our new favorite pop bands.

Tomgirl is available in vinyl and digital formats via Deer Island Records.



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Introducing: Tomgirl

Young Cherie Ko seems to have boundless artistic energy.  While still a member of Singapore's Obedient Wives Club, which was our first introduction to her, she now has launched Tomgirl.  By my count, that is at least her fourth project (including OWC, others are Bored Spies and the now defunct Pastelpower).  Tomgirl is a collaboration of Ko and Singapore/Australian musician Ted Dore.

I don't think there have been any live shows yet, but Tomgirl has released a video for their first song, "Darker Now".  The noir shading of the video combines the attitude of Natural Born Killers with an angular, post punk version of early The Raveonettes.  An entire album of good stuff is slated for September.




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"Sticky Leaves" by Linying

With the voice of an angel, and an undeniable talent for songwriting, we think Singapore's Linying has got a bright future in music world.  Her melodies have met an enthusiastic reception with DJs around the globe, and it is time for her to be more widely recognized.  Press play on her debut single below, close your eyes and dream.



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Lost Weekend - Lost Weekend

You, our beloved readers, deserve the best indie pop music.  And that's why we are willing to scour every inhabited continent for music worth listening to.  And today, our ears have ventured to Singapore for the debut LP from Lost Weekend.  I first discovered some of their demos on line in February 2013, and was sufficiently impressed to feature them on the blog.  They contacted me recently about their self-titled album and I was more than happy to give it a spin.  Was it worth my time?  Well, a spin turned into multiple listens and, now, a full endorsement.

The band claims they make music for small lives in a big city, which is a very nice turn of phrase.  But it seriously understates the quality of the arrangements and the subtlety and sophistication of Rachel Tan's vocals.  In fact, I suggest that in addition to giving you ten indie songs you'll want to play regularly to enrich your small life in your big city, Lost Weekend may give you your new favorite female indie vocalist.  The songwriting is razor sharp and highly evocative.  I'm betting you'll be hooked from the first single from the album, "Mornings", to the final note.







Lost Weekend is Rachel (guitar/vocals), Arif (guitar/violin), Mark (bass), and Zheng Jie (drums).  The album is available at the Bandcamp link below.

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Cheating Sons - Cheating Sons

In our tireless search for good sounds in popular music, we find ourselves in Singapore, grooving on the self-titled album from Cheating Sounds.  Roots rock, blues, and a touch of country twang blend together in a spicy helping of musical comfort food.  The band draws on additional performers for strings, horns and additional percussion, and secured the production services of Los Angeles-based Manny Nieto for Cheating Sounds, who was flown into Singapore over the course of two years to help shape this self-funded labor of love.

Cheating Sons follows the band's previous LP by four years, but care, dedication and sacrifice is evident in the quality of the result.  The songs benefit from an intricacy of structure and precision in performance all too rare in popular music.  Perhaps I'm a pushover, but for the most part I was sold on the album by the opening track, "Courage, Courage", which I played several times before continuing.  Each succeeding song increased my appreciation until the penultimate offering of Roy Orbison-style wonderfulness, "Honeymoon".  At that point there could be no doubt.  I pulled on my boots, stood up and sang along (my apologies to my wife; my apologies to my dog).  What a lovely album!







If I have the players right, Cheating Sons are Lazarus Wang Renyi (vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, lyricist), Leong Chee Shan (lead guitar), Donovan Loh (bass, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, lap steel and slide guitar) and Andy Liew (drums and percussion).  Additional contributions were made by Teoh Ying Da (trumpet), Joel Lee (sax), Joy Loh (violin), Kaitlin Wolfberg (violin), Natalie Soh (violin), Koh Zhong Ren (cello), Kevin Mthews (piano & keys), Fredo Ortiz (percussion), Rachael Teo (backing vocals), Narelle Kheng (backing vocals), Lee Yinqi (backing vocals), and Tok Xue Yi (backing vocals).

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Introducing: Rocketswan

We have another gem from Singapore today - the five piece of Rocketswan (pictured above with the fine people from Lost Weekend, who were profiled here a few weeks ago).  I love the retro sound of this group, and I wish there was more of their music to share with you.  Try it out with "Montecristo", a tune that will conjure summer days floating on a boat with nothing pressing on your schedule.



Rocketswan is Rachael Goh, Victor Tong, Seah Wei Ping, Brian Wong and Jordan Skadiang.  You can stream/buy their EP, My Name is Abel, How Do You Do, below --


And a tip of the old When You Motor Away motoring cap to Keith Tan for alerting us to the existence of Rocketswan.

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Introducing: Lost Weekend

Singapore's Lost Weekend plays a shimmering, jangly indie pop that is charming and infectious.  And they are offering six of their demos in Introducing ... Lost Weekend free on their Bandcamp site.  I recommend that you accept the generous gesture from Ribena, Mark, Arif, and Manny.  Sure, they are demos so there are a few ragged edges.  But the music is good and the price can't be beat.  In a few years when someone asks if you've heard of the great "new" band Lost Weekend, you can reply that your regularly listen to their demos from the early years.

Your test drive is "Mornings" --




If that works for you, here is the entire EP --


And thanks to Keith Tan of Obedient Wives Club for introducing When You Motor Away to Lost Weekend so that we can introduce them to you.  Musicians looking after their fellow musicians -- we applaud it!

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REVIEW: Obedient Wives Club - Murder Kill Baby

So, you are sitting and thinking - OK, you could be walking and thinking, that works too - and what you are thinking that you have explored much of the new music in your city, and your country, and on the other side of the US/Euro reflecting pool, and you want something that both sounds great and is new.  You quite specifically don't want to buy that new split single from Dick Cheney's Hammer Toes/Wind Feathers because you know someone will look at it in your hands and say "I loved their old stuff" (and you will agree with them, silently).  Do not despair, dear reader, because we here at WYMA have your solution: Murder Kill Baby, the new five-track EP from Singapore's Obedient Wives Club.  The essential elements of construction in this fine record are Spectorish wall of sound, jangle and distortion on the dual guitar attack, female vocals, and enduring melodies.  Quite simply, this is great stuff. I've been following the band for a couple of years, and the musical abilities and songwriting just keep getting better.

Now, here's the important and tricky part.  If you want to buy a physical copy from Soft Power records, you can't wait.  The cassettes are sold out in the pre-order stage (supposedly in fewer than three hours) and there are a limited supply of CDs.  Here is the Bandcamp link to get in on the action.  As an alternative, or when Soft Power's supply is exhausted, you can source the CDs or digital downloads from the Happy Teardrop label in Singapore.

Title track "Murder Kill Baby" is a song you'll want to put on repeat -- '60s girl group harmonies, loads of jangle and guitar effects.  "Razor Wire Love Song" features a soft/loud, slow/fast dynamic with a solo, plaintive female vocal.  But of course, the guitars kick in for the finish.  "Requiem For A Lover" has the pace and bittersweet atmosphere of that slow song played at the end of the dance.  You know, the kind of song that had everyone jockeying to dance with THE ONE that you had been aching to share the last dance with the entire evening.  The fourth track, beginning with about 45 seconds of guitar so sweet that you are willing to have it be an instrumental, is a wistful indie pop tune with a languid pace and delightful layers of sound.  The EP finishes with the grand musical statement "Thousand Tears/Broken Heart".



Obedient Wives Club is YinQi Lee (vocals and keys), Keith Tan (guitar), Cherie Ko (guitar), Sulaiman Supian (bass) and Lennat Mak (drums).

Here is a video for the title track --




After February 25, you may be able to find physical copies at the following locations: Rough Trade (UK), Norman (UK), Monorail (UK), Beethobear (Taiwan), The Stone Records (Japan), Jigsaw(US) and VollWert(Germany).  For the US buyers, Jigsaw is in Seattle and is a quality outfit (link).  I also can personally vouch for the indie bona fides of VollWert.

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Get to Know: Obedient Wives Club

I left off my indie pop posting last week with the great noise pop of Strawberry Whiplash. And I begin this week with another exciting noise pop band that I discovered through Strawberry Whiplash. Please get to know Singapore's Obedient Wives Club. The idea here simply is to take the Phil Spector girl-group sound and present it through a modern noise pop filter. It isn't a unique idea, as we have many favorite bands playing their version of the sound, including Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, Frankie Rose and the Outs. But the point is the quality of the product. In this case, we have excellent, and sufficiently muscular guitar from Keith Tan, and a highly competent rhythm section in Mak and Supian. And front and center, we have vocalist YinQi Lee who possesses a voice that, in the words of the band, you want to make love to.

But I suspect you will agree that I've written enough of an introduction. Help yourself to the aural pleasure of the self-titled 5-track EP from Obedient Wives Club. Here is the first track, "That Boy".


You can stream the entire EP here:


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