The Chem Bros. third offering of originals comes with a truckload of expectations, and the fellas admirably and gleefully disregard current trends in beats both big and fast, to deal out another set of tunes to party to, or jell-out with. Like an electronic Janes Addiction, the big sound is always the object goal here, not big and catchy, but deep fryer fat with jalopeño peppers, and lots of sauces to dip every pulsing bite into. It's not that it's junk food, all the finest ingredients are here, a dash electro, a slice of techno, a liberal amounts of reverb and distortion, and handfuls of vocals and samples; it's just that like a good bag of crisps, you just can't stop eating.
It's been in my walkman for almost two weeks, and the city floats beneath me as I go about my daily biz. Bernard Sumner's (New Order) lyrics on 'Out of Control' and it's compassionate introspection behind the compulsive head banging hail of effects, and Hope Sandoval's (Mazzy Star) valium laced Major Tom keep the precedings from losing the human touch, which is why 'Surrender' is so urban, so organic, and why the ChemBros. have a leg up and a siren or two on the Fatboys and the Underworlds.
Touring bandsRivermaya Live in SingaporeMonday, 10 November 2008 | Benjamin TayRivermaya, the Philippines' hottest music export - and most certainly the pride of Southeast Asian Music at the recent 2007 MTV Asia awards - held a concert here in Singapore on 8th April, Easter Sunday. This show was the first gig after their... Click to Continue...
Corporate rockAre We HIP Yet?Monday, 10 November 2008 | Low Po-YuDespite Singapore's HIP Alliance million-dollar campaign to educate locals on the importance of honouring intellectual property, many feel the message doesn't seem to be hitting home. Click to Continue...
Sounds likeKYLIE MINOGUE Kylie MinogueTuesday, 18 November 2008 | Keith Kirchner
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Australian singer Kylie Minogue has been able to transform herself over and over again in much the same way the 'material girl' has over the past ten years. Where Madonna started at the fringes of the New Wave movement and... Click to Continue...
Sounds likeTOM JONES ReloadFriday, 21 November 2008 | Keith Kirchner
He's a buffoon that Tom Jones. Always has been. He started as the crap Elvis from Mid-Glamorgan and then became the dim guy's Otis Redding moaning and shaking like mad. When the money went out of that he took to crooning for the middle-agers and... Click to Continue...