ZIGGY December 2014 by ZIGGY

December 2014 / Free

Angus & Julia Stone

& A matter of the heart

The Ultimate Issue: Chvrches ZoukOut 2014 The Flaming Lips Kate Spade Saturday and Kanye, of course

Contents

Noise

Style

Elsewhere

28 Profile: Phil Selway The Radiohead drummer goes pro

10 Buzz: The Premium Collection by Miss Selfridge Let’s get dressed

29 Rewind: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye’s masterpiece still scores top marks

24 Collection: Kate Spade Saturday Holiday 2014 A Holiday collection that dazzles and shines like it should

56 Feature: Simply The Best! All the finest things about 2014 in one place

52 Incoming: Angus & Julia Stone “I don’t ever get afraid of singing what’s in my heart” 54 Talk: Jon Hopkins “I try to show the different stages of life, consciousness and the experience I’ve had” 66 Talk: The Flaming Lips “I’ll die for this music, and someone’ll come up to me and say, ‘Well, don’t die! Just make it work!’”

30 Shop: Saint Laurent at MBS A temple to Hedi Slimane’s architectural purity 35 Time: Superdry Fall/Winter 2014 Superdry’s latest drop goes from sporty to sparkly 36 Paint: Present Time Makeup kits, skincare bundles and other gift sets to stuff those stockings with

74 Explore: Come Away 11 ways to take in the haven that is Bali 85 Listings: ZouktOut 2014 Nicky Romero shares his excitement on the eve of Singapore’s definitive dance festival

Hello

#32: The Ultimate Issue And there it went. 2014 has given us 12 brilliant months of music, style and pop cultural gold that really, the least we can do is tip our hat to its greatness. Read on for our breathless report of the year’s finest trend-setters, noise-makers, party-throwers and tail-shakers. And since greatness can never be overrated or overstated, we also shine a light on the ultimate likes of Kanye West, Oscar de la Renta, Beyoncé and Wayne Coyne, all of whom trade only in shock and awe. Here’s to the best.

Editor in chief

General Manager

Min Chen min@ziggymag.sg

Yu-Jin Lau jin@ziggymag.sg +65 9844 4417

Writer

Contributors

Indran P indran@ziggymag.sg

Intern Sweehuang Teo

Amanda Tan Emma Neubronner Chuck Reyes Loo Reed Mark Cheng Marie Soh Rosalind Chua

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publishers. The views expressed in ZIGGY are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. Every effort has been made to ensure all information in the magazine is correct at the time it is sent to print. MCI (P) 083/04/2014 ZIGGY is published every month by Qwerty Publishing Pte Ltd. Printed in Singapore by Also Dominie Pte Ltd (L029/09/2013)

Word

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am the number one human being in music...

Word

That means any person that’s living or breathing is number two.” – Kanye West

Buzz

Yes to the Dress The Premium Collection by Miss Selfridge sets its eye on the party Text: Min Chen To meet all the needs of your year-end party season, Miss Selfridge comes bearing the gift that is its Premium Collection. And premium indeed, as this range goes straight for the feminine jugular in unleashing an array of limited edition dresses that dazzle with an edgy sort of glamour and soireeready shine. To make this happen, Yasmin Yusuf, creative director of Miss Selfridge, scoured the brand’s archives as well as the planet’s many vintage markets for inspiration, before channelling her discoveries into a collection of evening-fit classics with modern-day appeal. Miss Selfridge’s Premium Collection, then, ain’t short on vintage trappings and influences equally culled from ‘20s flapper dresses, ‘40s couture gowns and ‘60s shifts. These party dresses go from bodycon minis to elegant fishtail maxis, and carry a world of embellishments, including sequins, sheer

panels and scallop edges. Never too girly, there’s also an edgy femininity at play, with cropped beaded jackets, chic accessories and dark berry hues lending the entire collection a tough-luxe veneer. Amongst The Premium Collection’s many highlights are the Fleur Flapper Dress, with its dropped waist and lush champagne tones promising Gatsby-styled glamour, the Black Roberta and Petites Gold Bodycon Dresses, which boast fiercely geometric embellishments, and the Deco Beaded Maxi Dress, which stuns with its mermaid train and intricate beading. High impact is now just a dress away. Shop The Premium Collection by Miss Selfridge at Wisma Atria, #01-25 and Paragon, #03-48A

Buzz

It Don’t Get No Better

Chance the Rapper goes one-up on Surf Text: Indran P The moment his 2013 mixtape Acid Rap hit the ether, Chicago rapper Chancelor Bennett joined the ranks of modern rap’s most interesting and adventurous voices. And why shouldn’t he have? Unlike the bassdrenched, trapped-out placeholders or the well-worn gangsta poses that the mainstream has suddenly and frenetically slipped under the sheets with, Chance teased out the best from his native Chicago’s musical traditions of soul, blues, juke, rock, acid house and especially, jazz, and swirled it all into an enchanting mix whose greater-than-the-sumof-its-parts payload also showed him to be a scholar of each of its parts. This was eloquent, erudite and above all, evocative rap that hadn’t been made in a long time. And, ending the post-Acid Rap silence, Chance announced that a new album Surf was to come at us at the end of the year. While details surrounding it are scant at this point, Chance has revealed

that Surf will be “the first Social Experiment project”, referring to his band of “four seasoned players”, one of which includes virtuosic trumpeter Donnie Trumpet, who’s all over the album. He also said that the band and he have been “trying to take in all these cool, different outside cultural experiences and make that into a free listenable project”. The first herald of this was the gospeltinged number “No Better Blues”, where the hook, “It don’t get no better”, belied Chance’s dour proclamations and ingeniously affirmed how much more his kaleidoscopic sound has expanded. It don’t get no better – it’s hard not to believe him. “No Better Blues” is available for streaming on Soundcloud. Surf is slated to be released at the end of the year.

Buzz

Happy Trails The west is still the best on adidas Originals x Neighborhood Fall/Winter 2014 Text: Min Chen adidas Originals and Neighborhood are such regular bedfellows that in between them lies more than a decade’s worth of teamwork. “Creating a design that does not already exist was the original concept when we first worked together,” says Shinsuke Takizawa, Neighborhood’s main man, of his label’s longrunning partnership with adidas Originals. And he’ll have more of the same to say as Neighborhood snuggles up once again to adidas for another fresh and original vision of sport and streetwear. First glances already inform us that adidas Originals and Neighborhood’s Fall/ Winter excursion is headed straight out to the wild American west. While requisite cuts of shirts, graphic tees and hoodies make up most of the collection – making a point of contemporary silhouettes as much as traditional tailoring – a cowboy streak also runs through it. In particular, the selection of outerwear, including parkas and quilted vests,

presents us with earthy hues, tough construction and a native Americaninspired diamond motif. That same aesthetic also lands on the collection’s assembly of footwear, of which styles like the Brussel Moc, Superstar 80s and Dirt Run desert boots spell rustic and ruggedness with beadwork, tassels and suede finishes. There’s much to be said here about adidas Originals and Neighborhood’s enduring meetings of mind and design, but more so, about how this partnership continues to bear great fruit. On the pair’s newest collaborative outing, its joint appreciation for detail, craftsmanship and innovation, and of course, its high regard for originality still ring true. The trail-fit cool and confidence on display here, after all, had to come from somewhere. Shop adidas Originals at Pacific Plaza, #01-09/12, and shop.adidas.com.sg

Buzz

It Will Get Loud Savages and Bo Ningen bring the noise on Words to the Blind Text: Indran P Locked-arm partnerships have made for some great moments in rock ‘n’ roll and the fruits of one such alliance has just been unleashed upon the world. The London quartet Savages whose seething, militantly assertive 2013 debut Silence Yourself was one of punk’s most credible manifestoes in recent memory, and Tokyovia-London foursome Bo Ningen, which has reliably been amongst the most interesting proponents of hardhitting psychedelic rock in a millennial, postFlaming Lips age, have teamed up to deliver a collaborative album christened Words to the Blind. And judging from the details surrounding it, this meeting of likeminded noiseniks is going to say plenty much. Inspired by the incubator of Dada principles that was Cabaret Voltaire, which came into being in Zurich in 1916 as a reaction to the ill-fated tragedy of World War One, both bands came together to recreate the Dada form of the “simultaneous sonic poem”. Often used by Dada vanguards back in the day, this modus afforded brutal, jarring

feats of sonic poetry that mirrored the chaos of the times and allowed for individual interpretations of it. In Words to the Blind, this will play out as a single 37 minute track, wherein all the members of both bands will, as Savages’ six-string savant Gemma Thomson tells it, try to “find the voice of the individual struggling to be heard”. Make no mistake: it’s going to get resoundingly loud. Words to the Blind is out now on Stolen Recordings/Pop Noire Records

Runway

Woman’s Hour

Oscar de la Renta Fall/Winter 2014 Text: Rosalind Chua The fashion world may now be less with Oscar de la Renta’s passing, but it is already richer for the man’s legacy. For more than half a century, his house has been writing the rules of the game with womenswear that while going loud in flamboyant

taffetas, feathers and unstoppable trains, also goes smart in luxe, tailored cuts. It’s a vision of femininity that’s seen de la Renta produce redcarpet-worthy gowns in the same breath as he’s put together safari pantsuits and boyscout-inspired outfits.

In fact, his idea of the all-woman was all over the house’s Fall/Winter outing, which ran the gamut from handsome pinstriped suits to ultra-luxe daytime looks to breathtaking gowns. In between, the man wielded furs, gold embroidery, peplums,

lace and a firm tailoring hand to bring that bold, beautiful and powerful OdlR woman to life. “I just do my best, that’s all,” is how he once described his design process, and his best has indeed trumped the rest.

Runway

Easy Does It

Margaret Howell Spring/Summer 2015 Text: Rosalind Chua Colours, prints and ostentation of any kind have no place in Margaret Howell’s world. Instead, the designer’s runways have come consistently stocked with clean-cut workwear, as part of her drive for utilitarian and purpose-driven

forms. That aesthetic once again plays out on Howell’s Spring/Summer display of minimalist styles that hew closely to her signatures as much as to the season’s loose and laidback vibe. Across a neutral, earth-bound palette the

label has spread linen shirts, denim smocks and cotton jackets, their loose and lightness neatly juxtaposed against structured, ankle-baring trousers. Scarves and crinkly car coats top off most of these looks, whilst complementing

them with an unflappably fresh and youthful face. Another pure distillation of Margaret Howell’s intentions, this collection proffers the kind of functionality and sartorial statements that don’t have to scream to be heard.

Fresh

20 Text: Indran P

Charli XCX: Sucker

The Smashing Pumpkins: Monuments to an Elegy

Wu-Tang Clan: A Better Tomorrow

Black Milk: If There’s a Hell Below

“I can write a f**king hit song... And I’m going to write some Not to be confused Corgan’s earlier 2014’s rap game was for me now” – Billy with the Clan’s (or promise that 2015 will run by the youngblood, this is what the be greeted with two RZA’s) controversial but here’s a statement one-copy-only by one of the genre’s Cambridge singer Pumpkins albums was release Once Upon by the surprise most scholarly figures. and songwriter negated a Time in Shaolin, A announcement that Throughout this goldenwants to drive one will be unleashed Better Tomorrow is the age evoking disc, Black much-awaited seventh Milk exhibits his worth as home with her this month. And full-length from the Tommy Lee a producer and rapper, forthcoming third besides standard-bearers of behind the kit, this one plumbing the depths with album, Sucker. features “Being Beige”, the East Coast. Bear the astral soul of “Gold witness to the boom Piece” and warping time Indeed, over the an euphoric arenabappin’ glory on lead rouser that’s on the retro-futuristic last few years ready single “Keep Watch”. firmly “new Pumpkins”. “Scum”. Charli’s hit-making Out 9 December Out 2 December Out now prowess more or less defined the tenor of the upper Mark Mary J. reaches on the Top Röyksopp: The Kozelek: Sings Blige: The 40 pop firmament, Christmas with her grrl- Inevitable London power nods and End Carols Sessions zero-f**ks-given attitude twinning with inescapable electro hooks on Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and more Like it says on the tin, the So, yeah… Mark Kozelek recently, on Iggy With the knowinglyis capping the year The Inevitable Queen of Hip Hop Soul Azalea’s “Fancy”. titled off with a Christmas End, the Norwegian turned to the sights and Going by its first electro-pop powerhouse sounds of London for her album. After releasing another fantastic Sun Kil 13th album. Recorded listens, “Break announced its final LP Moon album in Benji in Röyksopp. But as with new friends like the Rules” and as February and muddying the Robyn-guesting Disclosure, Sam Smith “London Queen”, “Monument” and his rep with a needless and Emeli Sandé, this beef with The War on new offering updates her Sucker looks to be the blackened Daft robo-funk transcendental chops with Drugs later, he’s bowed a likewise exquisite Punk-esque of “Skulls” evince, the a modern (read: dance-y) out (sort of) gracefully collection of game-changing pop with “Christmas Time touch. Hit up “Right is Here” amongst other snarling pop that experiments it pioneered Now” for a dancefloor festive odes. be hard to forget. smash waiting to pop. erases the lines will Out now Out now Out now between rock and rave. Out 16 December Hit up ziggymag.sg every week for more fresh produce!

Listomania

Better Than The Rest 10 songs that are just about the best Text: Indran P

Tina Turner: “Simply The Best” In the Great Lists that appraise the legends of our time, Tina Turner’s name is an indisputable entry. And one of the reasons she’s there is because she proved that she was the best at singing about the best. Though originally penned for Bonnie Tyler, Tina brought her show-stopping vocals to this song and drew out the supplicatory bent of the immortal lines, “You’re simply the best, better than all the rest / Better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met”. Like the greatest songs, it is eternal.

Foo Fighters: “Best of You”

As rock’s resident cheerleader and life coach, Dave Grohl sure knows a thing or two about how to make PGfriendly arena-rock an empowering proposition. Documenting “breaking away from the things that confine you”, this one is the best harnessing of the Foos’ easily digestible rock gifts and their biggest hit.

Clawfinger: “Biggest and the Best” Props to these Swedish titans for making one of rap metal’s more fun and less self-serious manifestoes. The refrain, “I’m the biggest, the best / Better than the rest,” and the accompanying down-tuned riffs were also born for the gym.

Drake: “Best I Ever Had”

“Baby, you my everything”, Drake coos on the hook, expanding his effusions later with, “You the best I ever had, best I ever had”. Before he got all whiny about having too much sex and too much fame, this breakout single showed him to be a true gentleman.

R.E.M.: “Living Well is the Best Revenge”

Frank Sinatra: “Nothing but the Best”

Like any storied band, R.E.M’s newer material will always be haunted by the ghosts of its past. No matter, this late-period revenge ditty has Michael Stipe affirming the title’s message with the whipcracking fervour of his old days.

Over bullfights in Spain, eating lobsters in Maine and a drive in his new Lincoln, Frank Sinatra extols the high life and reminds you of this song’s chief thematic concern: “Nothing but the best is good enough for me”.

Black Flag: “Best One Yet”

Scissor Sisters: “Best in Me”

Here’s a rule from the Henry Rollins playbook: when people “don’t like the things you’ve done” or “what you’ve become”, assure them that, “this will be the best one yet!” Armed with punk’s transcendental resolve and Rollin’s brute energy, you’ll be unstoppable.

Dear Lover of Jake Shears, he “wrote a song today” and it’s got “every little thing” he needs to say. You “may not hear it on MTV”, but, he knows you love him like no one else: “You know how to find the best in me / You keep bringing out the best in me”.

Nicki Minaj: “I’m the Best”

From “back in ’07 did a couple of tapes” to “now it’s, ‘Which world tour should I go on today?’”, Nicki’s come a long way. And of course, there’s the hook: “I’m the best b*tch doing it / I’m the best best best best”.

Electric Youth: “The Best Thing”

Austin Garrick and Bronwyn Griffin make eyes-down electro pop that has comfortably become swaddled as “indie”. “The Best Thing”, however, breaks with their amorphous wistfulness with heartbreaking specificity: “And you, and you / Are the best thing that’s ever happened to me”.

Will of Steel Tobias Jesso Jr. crushes the odds Text: Indran P Tragedy is a reliably gushing fount for great music – that’s just how it is. Vancouver native Tobias Jesso Jr. has been there many times before. In a particularly cruel spell of fate, misfortune has dogged the singer-songwriter with acute ferocity over the past couple years with the resulting pain and heartache causing a paradigm shift in his approach to music. Lengthy flashbacks are beside the point, but there is a series of fateful events that unspooled one cold night that ultimately served as the Ground Zero from which he’d emerge as one of the most buzzing artists this year. In 2012, just after a messy breakup and while he was dealing with the difficulties of being a songwriter in the alwayssaturated LA scene, he was out riding his bicycle one night when

a Cadillac slammed him off-road, but not before the impact brought his hand down on the car’s hood ornament, giving him nasty gash. The next day, as the possibility of a physical infirmity marring his musical abilities grew more real, he discovered his mother had cancer. And while reading any “silver lining” ending into what eventually happened is just churlish, that’s exactly how things turned out. Back home, he turned to the only musical instrument available to him since he left his own gear in LA: his sister’s battered piano. In just a few days of sitting before it and writing skeletal chords and lyrics, he realised that he “couldn’t play music for success anymore because [he] didn’t succeed”. Describing it as a “good feeling”, he gradually unmoored himself from

his Hollywood aspirations and found his own voice within the only medium he had. Waking from a dream one day, he wrote the much-feted “Just a Dream”, a tear-streaked ditty about a father’s last words to his child. Emanating a hushed afterglow that recalled John Lennon’s pianocentric ‘70s solo work, it revealed an artisanal approach to such a simple, time-honoured mode. But as the sublime earthiness of its haunting melody and his quivering vocals began to win the Internet over, for Jesso, it only affirmed that, “This is for me, and I’m singing it – take it or leave it”. Unbelieving at first, he had now arrived at a new understanding of what his music was going to accomplish. From this point on, Jesso has experienced the deserved embrace of recognition that his music undeniably

calls for. A week after “Dream” was uploaded onto YouTube, he reached out to JR White, whose band Girls had just broken up. This led to a meet-up between the two in LA, a record deal with indie powerhouse True Panther, a veritable who’s-who of the biz in the form of the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, the New Pornographers’ John Collins and hitmaker extraordinaire Ariel Rechtshaid pledging their involvement in his upcoming debut LP Goon and a new song “True Love” that held the blogosphere captive for much of 2014’s later half. So yes, this is one silver lining that isn’t without a strong hint of gold. Goon is slated to be released next year on True Panther Sounds

Mix

In Lush Company with

Debbie Chia, Kiat and Jean Reiki The sonic lowdown from three Lush Mix jocks Text: Indran P Photography: Sweehuang Teo

First Steps

Kiat: I was always into electronic music. When I was seven, I was following a classmate’s friend home when I heard Prince’s “When Doves Cry” blasting from his brother’s radio. I was just so drawn to the synthesised drums, keys and basslines. That sound and bands like Depeche Mode are a huge influence on my life. Debbie: Electronic music is very current and it represents the sound of now. I’ve always liked post-rock, electronica and experimental electronic stuff because it represents my era. Jean Reiki: I guess I got into electronic music as I was collecting vinyl records. I was very interested in house, breakbeat, drum ‘n’ bass and techno, and collecting these records led me to make my own music.

Ear Candy

The Lush Stuff

Kiat: Lush is the only local station that I know of that supports local music. And since day one, people like Chris Ho have been championing our scene. It’s great that there is a station to share locally made music that isn’t conventional. Debbie: It’s the most open station in Singapore as far as its programming is concerned. Having new sounds and artists on air is a great thing. Jean: People are getting exposed to underground music because of Lush and that’s amazing. I like that it doesn’t cave in to the mainstream.

Kiat: Lately, I’ve been listening to this young guy from Berlin called She’s Drunk. How he combines techno, house and hip hop is really exciting. Locally, I’m very into what the Syndicate guys have been making… they always have fresh stuff up their sleeves! Debbie: I rediscovered Hieroglyphic Being, a Chicago artist who’s amongst the last few still playing an underground type of house music that’s still modern and relevant. He’s interesting because he’s got the house vibe but he’s not cheesy or commercial. “Space is the Place” is one of his best. Jean Reiki: I really like stuff from local labels like Phyla Digital and Syndicate as well as certain regional artists.

Keep that dial on Lush 99.5FM

The Local Front

Kiat: I think Singapore’s electronic music scene is super exciting. With all the different collectives doing their stuff and the new blood coming in, the scene is seeing more people disregarding the old rules to create new sounds, which is fantastic. Debbie: It’s quite a hotbed right now and there’s always something fresh happening. There’s a lot of energy and a lot of people starting their own nights, so it’s definitely an exciting time for the local electronic music scene. Jean Reiki: Yes, it’s at a stage where people are starting to explore all genres of music. Back then, people were more rigid in terms of what sounds and styles they liked and played. Technology and the Internet have definitely helped open things up.

Collection

It’s Glitz! Kate Spade Saturday Holiday 2014 Text: Sweehuang Teo

So bright and dazzling it might even glow in the dark, Kate Spade Saturday’s Holiday offering is no wilting wallflower. Instead, polished and glammed up for maximum impact, this collection is all shiny surfaces and bold prints that won’t look out of place on a dancefloor. Winter may be coming, but this holiday season, Kate Spade Saturday’s partying on.

And in putting together a smash-hit of a holiday wardrobe, KSS has lined up a good selection of casual-cool separates – peplum pants, cape tops, pleated skirts, mini skirts and sweatshirts – that carry metallic accents (gold dots), pop of electric colour (fuchsia on the Coldspell Coat) and entirely sleek silhouettes. Party dresses also abound in the form of the flirty, gold-skinned

Baroque Trapeze Dress, the sensual Gold Dot Dress, and other ultrafeminine drape and flare dresses. Since no Kate Spade Saturday launch is complete without a good dose of accessories, this season disappoints no one with a refreshed and refreshing release of handbags. Amongst newcomers like the Zipline tote and the

Pipeline bucket bag stands the newly revamped A-Satchel, which is reintroduced in gold dots and in a colourblocked version. Elsewhere, locket rings, loafers, coin purses, leather gloves and metallic flats add further glitz and glimmer to KSS’ festivities. Stay gold, ladies. Shop Kate Spade Saturday at ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City

All that glitters on Kate Spade Saturday Holiday 2014

Baroque Trapeze Dress A girly silhouette given a sophisticated skin of graphic gold jacquard

Cape Top With help from a jazzy gems print, this cape top snaps, crackles and pops

Gold Dot Sweatshirt Even the humble crewneck sweatshirt gets its day under the discoball

Pipeline Bucket Bag The staple carry-all given a snazzy coat of colour

Lightbeam Skirt As its name suggests, this one’s hardly made of darkness

Hooded Cape A flannel-printed cape so you can have your grunge with your glam

Collection

Text: Rosalind Chua & Sweehuang Teo

Lazy Oaf Fall/ Winter 2014 DC Shoes x CYRCLE.

Still priding itself on bold eccentricity, Lazy Oaf takes on Fall/Winter with its regular arsenal of slogans, graphics and blinding colours. For the ladies, the Londonbased label’s lined up ‘70s-esque essentials like the Black Noise tunic with slit detailing

and the colour-rich Knitwit jumper, while the guys have their pick of exotic motifs on things like the Midnight Lizard Puffer Jacket. Encapsulating Lazy Oaf’s edgy attitude are also slogans that boast Not Normal and Same Day Different Sh*t, which, as always, won’t be going quietly. ST Available at Actually, Orchard Gateway, #03-18

It won’t just be a passion for skate and street that bonds DC Shoes and CYRCLE., as this Fall, the pair have joined forces for a capsule collection. Melding DC’s technical prowess with the Los Angeles design collective’s artistic perspective, this collaborative range sees four sneakers – the Lynx, Council, Council Mid and Player – being given new halftones and fresh colours, as well as six cuts of apparel that bears a unique camo-inspired print and CYRCLE.’s great slogan that reads, “F**k you, love you”. RC Available at DC Shoes at Orchard Central, #01-04/05

Lee Cooper Fall/Winter 2014

Gap Black Denim

Once proudly worn by The Rolling Stones, Lee Cooper is making good on its century-spanning musical heritage with its F/W Music Makers campaign. This means key looks for living in, dancing in, working in and yes, making music in. Look here for workwearinfluenced casual separates, amongst which are such highlights as the modernist parka, tartan shirt and leather biker jacket. Of course, Lee Cooper’s name-making denim silhouettes, Harry and Pearl, also head out to play in slim fits and an indigo coat that just won’t fade. RC Shop Lee Cooper at Orchard Gateway, #02-17A

In a world of Insta-ready outfits, Gap is saying #DressNormal. This season, the brand is going back to its roots with looks and threads that are comfortable and effortless, and that won’t stand for time or trends. Hence, its launch of its Black Denim Collection, which arrays classic wardrobe staples in the most timeless shade of all. Going back to black, the brand has unveiled silhouettes like its sleeveless dress, denim jacket, Henley tunic, Oxford shirt and a luxe pair of leather slip-ons, on top of its star players, the legging jeans and distressed skinny jeans. With these, normal looks pretty neat too. RC Shop Gap at Plaza Singapura, VivoCity, Suntec City, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Centrepoint and Wisma Atria

Cult

All The Crazy Ariel Pink is mad for pop

Since an early CD-R demo of his was discovered on the floor of Animal Collective’s tour van, schizo-pop auteur Ariel Pink has become one of the most influential of the indie world’s colourful characters. Heretical, visionary and trashy, his prodigious output has caricatured popular music’s multiple sounds and refracted their conventions, ultimately bending them all to serve his purpose. And while that “purpose” will always remain a mystery to anyone but himself, the fiercely original and implacable nature of his work cannot be doubted. With his magnum opus pom pom just out, it’s time to honour the man who brings all his crazy to pop. Pop trash These days, with the pop, rock, dance and indie

Text: Indran P Illustration: Loo Reed worlds all congealing into a post-genre sweet spot, it seems like popular music is entering into a new golden age of plenty. But Ariel Pink’s endeavours, however, provide a revelatory counterpoint to this selfsatisfying, star powerfuelled phenomenon. Throughout his oft-mythologised discography (which is rumoured to encompass a Prince-ly 500+ songs), he has distorted and debased entire canons of pop history, melting the sunny-side-up-ness of ‘70s FM tics with rock, funk and r&b mimicry through a weaponised lofi aesthetic to produce a meta-commentary on our pop cultural obsessions. “Pop music is good / It sounds like it should / Pop music is mine / It tastes so

divine”, goes a line from his brilliantly self-referential ditty “Hardcore Pops Are Fun”. And therein lies his irreverent, veil-lifting approach to, as he says, “dilute the whole culture to a point where people – as a last resort – start listening to something like Ariel Pink”. We’ll dazzle them all Very often, Pink’s home-recorded, canonsplicing, scorched-earth collages come off as, in his own words, the work of “the town fool that gets to do whatever he wants”. His self-consciously unstable public persona (remember that Coachella 2011 meltdown?) and controversy-courting statements like the recent, “How do

guys have sex with guys? We don’t have vaginas”, make his pop experiments that much harder for a wider audience to swallow. The “deconstructionist” and “intellectual” “value” of his music was preached mostly by zealous critics until 2010’s Before Today, where a more polished and considered sound took everyone by surprise, eventually storming the Billboard charts. Its staple, the fantastic “Round and Round” was his breakout song, and it exhibited his ambivalence towards pop in a seemingly indifferent but unnerving and even touching way. In the same space as the blasé musings about playing air guitar and a nameless “lady”, there was the self-reflection that always bubbles beneath

the larger smirk of his vision in the line: “We’ll dazzle them all”. In 2012, the majestic follow-up Mature Themes expanded his more refined approach and in its single and closer “Baby”, he stumped everyone by locking arms with no less than Dâm-Funk to reveal a wistful, late-night veneer to the blue eyed soul of the original. Whether or not it was an exercise in irony didn’t matter since it was an exquisite song. When Christopher Owens gushed, “Ariel is the mad genius and the best songwriter of our time”, he was a little more than half-right. pom pom Last month, Pink reached the high-water mark of his career with the

release of his new double album pom pom. Its 17 songs flit across some genuinely charming moments, like on the yearning “Put Your Number in My Phone” and the morally indignant “Not Enough Violence” and some legitimately creepy ones like “Black Ballerina”, which features a skit where a grandfather brings his squirming grandson to the “the number one strip club in L.A”, and threads pristine pop, fuzz-punk ragers and vintage psychedelia into a cohesive statement. This is where we know pop’s at in Pink’s head and he seems to think so too, since he’s said that this is the record where he “finally came to terms with [himself] as Ariel Pink”. pom pom is out now on 4AD

New Order Viet Cong explodes with new sounds

Text: Indran P

This is a from-the-ashes tale with a beginning that’s as gripping as its middle and end. In the late aughts, a Calgary quartet known as Women made music that even then, didn’t require retrospection to be regarded as ambassadorial gold for the “indie” movement. It brought a distinctively inventive and homespun edge to what’s often regarded as post-punk that, in its wild spiritedness and danger, was completely unlike the sound’s more visible and fashionfriendly incarnations. Two great albums and a rapidly growing following came of this until one night in 2010, when the strain of intense touring and bubbling intra-band tension led into an onstage punch-up between band members, followed by news of the band’s dissolution not too long after. And

from these charred circumstances, Viet Cong arose. Upon hearing of the sudden passing of Women guitarist Christopher Reimer in 2012, the band’s bassist-singer Matt Flegel experienced the anxiety that comes with the realisation that the clock’s ticking. “It was like, ‘S**t, we’re going to die, f**k!’ Let’s do something before it ends,” he resolved, before reaching out to Women drummer Michael Wallace, his friend Monty Munro and guitarist Daniel Christiansen. Like they did as the rhythm section of their old band, Flegel and Wallace wrought portentous, hypnotic grooves around the rapier-tipped guitar lines that Munro and Christiansen traded, developing turbulent noise-pop that saw

release as a tour-only EP cassette called Cassette (well). As with all mystifying indie arcana, Cassette became a buzz-magnet and eventually reached more ears as a vinyl reissue in July this year. In brilliant pop reconfigurations like “Throw It Away” and “Unconscious Melody”, the band threw back to English pioneers like XTC and The Psychedelic Furs, but sounded rawer and infinitely more menacing to a now decidedly larger fanbase. But it’s not just that the band contains remnants of the gone-too-soon Women that makes it impossible to regard it as revivalists. As Munro explained, Viet Cong’s Anglo-tinged stylings emanate from a legitimately gamechanging impulse: “The English were the only people to have the balls to take reggae and rap

and be like, ‘We’re gonna do it, and it’s going to be British!’” Sublimating that cultural imperative into a musical one, the band markedly expanded its sound on two new drops this year. The first “Bunker Buster”, like its title lets on, is an epic, almost six-minute tour de force of churning riffs and unrelenting groove. More recently, along with news that its debut self-titled LP will be released next year, the band exhibited “Continental Shelf”, an MBV-esque shoegaze odyssey with all the sweetness drained out in favour of time-bending psych-rock scale. A new band transcending its old legacy through its new sound, Viet Cong is amongst the best ways indie rock is bowing out in 2014. We eagerly await tomorrow. Viet Cong will be released in January on Jag jaguwar

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Brightly into the Night

Philip Selway’s Weatherhouse is a revelation Text: Indran P

In 2010, just one year before Radiohead issued The King of Limbs, its drummer Philip Selway released a folk album. Even removed from the ruthlessly adventurous music that Radiohead has come to be reliable for, Familial, his debut album of preciously hushed, string-led folk, was a shock given his own bag of breathtaking tricks. And he sang. Unlike Dave Grohl who moved up from behind the kit to serve up Nirvana-lite rockisms, Selway’s new role saw him dip into a worlds-apart realm and deliver quiet, idiomatic mediations with an earnest, whispery near-croon that no one knew he had. Polarising though it was, Familial marked an unveiling of a new side of Selway and while that impression took its time to settle

into our cultural imagination, he recently announced a follow-up in Weatherhouse. He happened to be in his home, just outside Oxford, England, when we checked in with him, and gladly obliged our curiosity in his second solo outing.

As sudden as his dip into a new mode appeared to the rest of the world, Weatherhouse’s lead single, “Coming Up for Air”, was a likewise surprising slash into new territory for Selway. Unlike the mostly acoustic folk tropes of Familial, this one was all layered sonics and throbbing bass. With its textured sounds interlaced with spectral guitars and taking on a cavernous scale as it progressed, Selway emphatically agreed that even at the recording stage, it was “immediately in a very different space from Familial” and offered a “window into the record”. If, as he says,

Familial was a “risk” that involved him “re-finding a singing voice and trying to find arrangements to work around that” to produce something “amazingly simple”, then Weatherhouse was an expansion of its modus into even more unchartered and much more complex areas. What “Coming Up for Air” also evinced was Selway working more in a band setting than as a vocal anchor to attendant arrangements. Weatherhouse was recorded with Adem Ilhan and Quinta, members of Selway’s live band, and he was quick to affirm that one of the motivating

factors behind the album was his excitement to “explore the possibilities of [his] musical relationship with them”, adding that the “musical dialogue between [the three of them] was what defined the sound of the record”. When asked if this particular sound was perhaps an unconscious reaction to Radiohead’s more self-consciously unfathomable strokes, he laughed bemusedly and said he supposed “in a way, it was a step outside Radiohead”. But having been a career musician most of his life, he regards both his solo work and his contributions to Radiohead as being “part of a bigger picture”. Even though solo, he had “a whole new set of skills to learn”, any outlet for his craft is fundamentally about “extending what [he] can do musically and a development of [his] own musicality. So, in the electronically coloured “Let It Go”, the climactic swells of “It Will End in Tears” and the jazzy rhythms off “Miles Away”, to name just a few understated flourishes in an album packed with them, we bear witness to an established musician lighting a new path for himself. It’s also no coincidence that his favourite Radiohead album is In Rainbows. Weatherhouse is out now on Bella Union

Rewind

10/10 Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is perfect Text: Indran P

The history of music is punctuated with “classics”, works which claim an irrefutable standard of excellence measured by the universality and singularity of their appeal. But in November 2010, Kanye West introduced a whole new criterion for appraising a work of art: perfection. His fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a glass-ceilingshattering event whose merits and implications were undeniable. As 2014 eases into history, and as we remember the best things about the year, let’s pause to honour that perfection.

Culture shocked For the best and worst reasons, Kanye West is pop culture’s one and only. Even before he likened himself to Shakespeare and Walt Disney, or went God mode, there was never a moment when anything he said or did didn’t inundate global imagination with talking points. But when Fantasy arrived at the lowest and murkiest point in his career and personal life, Kanye sent the greatest shock to the cultural nervous system yet, one that even Yeezus, much more brazen though it is, couldn’t quite manage. Holed up in a Hawaii studio that he had indefinitely booked, with a staggering $3 million recording budget and an all-star cast of collaborators, Kanye brought to life his vision of “sonic paintings” and made what critic Andy Gill deemed “one of pop’s gaudiest, most grandiose efforts of recent years”. As Kanye himself saw it, Fantasy was the “‘Luke, I am your father moment’”. And like that very cultural watershed moment, it left fans and haters alike shell-shocked. A toast to the douchebags What made Fantasy the sea-parting revelation that it was – and is – is that it bore the entire freight of all that is “Kanye West”. And God knows, that’s a lot to bear. Branded a national pariah after the Taylor Swift debacle and reeling from a very public breakup with Amber Rose, Kanye elevated the disclosure-as-catharsis mode to spectacular, show-stopping effect on

the record. And because Kanye’s problems are never Kanye’s alone, what was an intensely personal account of heartbreak, pain, anger and wounded pride was also a fantastic depiction of the flipside of modernity and all its attendant facets. The opener “Dark Fantasy” began with Nicki Minaj promising a tale of “Twisted fiction [and] sick addiction”. A few bars later, Kanye brilliantly developed this theme with the double-edged verse, “The plan was to drink until the pain over / But what’s worse, the pain or the hangover?”, resolving the personal and public dichotomy with inescapable universality. Fantasy’s staple, the nine-minute “Runaway”, upped the stakes on this red-eyed personal stock-take and had him gasping for air as he toasted to “douchebags”, “scumbags” and “jerkoffs”, all epithets that had been hurled his way since he stole Ms. Swift’s thunder, and evinced the self-awareness that no one thought he had. Perfect, just perfect Kanye has said that his life was dependent on the success of Fantasy. And for all the right reasons, it was the universally acclaimed AOTY in 2010. But beyond its list-topping honours, the record amounted to something more significant in the history of music. As esteemed musicologist Touré opined, “the critical community flipped out over it like nothing since Radiohead’s zenith”. A Hail Mary comeback, it served up

a panorama of musical largesse that saw the very notion of “maximalism” untouchably redefined on bangers like “Monster”, which had Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon play wingman to Kanye himself, the worldconquering radio hit “All of the Lights”, which featured Alicia Keys, La Roux, Elton John, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, Tony Williams (yes) et al, the heart-wrenching “Blame Game” where John Legend and Aphex Twin chimed in on Kanye’s ruminations on physical and emotional abuse, and the closer “Who Will Survive in America?” where an urgent, nearly delirious Gil-Scott Heron sample put the preceding 67 minutes into wideeyed focus by posing the titular question. Tellingly, Kanye telling Zane Lowe during their infamous 2013 BBC Radio 1 interview that, “Fantasy could be considered to be perfect,” was the only thing that no one took any issue with. Perfection, after all, is memeimmune.

Shop

The Marble Index Saint Laurent goes back to black at Marina Bay Sands Text: Min Chen

Ever since arriving at Saint Laurent in 2012, Hedi Slimane has effected a sea change in the house’s style and aesthetic that doesn’t just end with his recalibrating of its seasonal collections. To match the sharplookin’ rock ‘n’ roll luxe he’s been sending down the runways, he’s also revamped Saint Laurent’s retail spaces with the same rich and monochromatic visual

identity. All across the brand’s physical stores in Paris, Berlin, New York, Beijing and Hong Kong are spread lavish materials, generous proportions and an architectural clarity that juxtapose French Art Deco techniques against a modernist backdrop, channelling a mood equally serene, elegant and sensual. Newly opened, Saint Laurent’s brick-and-

mortar representation in Singapore is likewise a minimal and monochrome creation that unearths the drama in simplicity. Dominated by the use of noir soie and blanc statuaire marble, the space is naturally greyscaled and ridden with the natural veining of the marble, abounds with geometric energy. The right angles of display cases, shelves and mirrors also add a further mathematical

rigor and visual rhythm. Not all is strict contours, though, as nickel-plated brass and quilted black leather offer a touch of warmth. As with any Saint Laurent product, the craftsmanship here is of the highest order, and the visual expression utterly cool to the eye and to the touch. Shop Saint Laurent at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, #B1-116

Collection

Blue Jean Baby Original Calvin Klein Jeans Fall/Winter 2014 Text: Rosalind Chua The impact of Calvin Klein Jeans on the world of designer denim goes without saying. Pretty much, it’s been responsible for bringing a cheeky sensuality (and controversy too) to denimwear, if not through its provocative campaigns then with those ultra-luxe jeans. This season brings us more CKJ in the form of the Original Calvin Klein Jeans, an Asia-only exclusive line that lives hard and fast by the label’s heritage. But no nostalgia exercise, the range also prides itself on a modern sheen and in the words

of Kevin Carrigan, the brand’s Global Creative Director, “features quintessential, iconic Calvin Klein Jeans denim pieces reinvented for a new generation”. For its first outing, Original Calvin Klein Jeans takes as its starting point the blue jeans worn by Brooke Shields in her campaign for CKJ in the ‘80s. That youthful spirit has been channelled into jeanswear essentials that in their crisp looks and constructions, recall the brand’s iconic styles and cuts. The shirts, jackets

Fine cuts on Original Calvin Klein Jeans Fall/Winter 2014

Original sweatshirt Just one way to stay warm whilst affirming your allegiance

Women’s slim jeans A dark denim creation that sits snugly and chicly below the waist

Men’s straight-cut jeans A classic cut that’s available in a variety of washes from dark to faded

Denim shirt A tough number that sports a unique washed indigo effect

and jeans here emerge from a backdrop of dark indigo, washed denim and saturated black, and sport Calvin Klein Jeans’ signature Omega single-stitch and original cream-and-red logo. A fine serving of sweatshirts, knitwear and tees completes the picture of clean-cut and streetsmart silhouettes. Now, what could come between you and these Calvins? Shop Original Calvin Klein Jeans at Calvin Klein stores at Paragon, ION Orchard and Westgate

Time

Space Cadet

The Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon takes off Text: Sweehuang Teo

Resuming the spacespanning saga that began with the Speedmaster Moonwatch and that picked up with last year’s highly coveted Dark Side of the Moon edition, Omega is unveiling the next chapter of its cosmic crawl. This Speedmaster dubbed Grey Side of the Moon once again plucks inspiration from man’s exploration of the moon (in fact, the Omega Professional Chronograph did actually

accompany Buzz Aldrin to moon in 1969), and arrives flawlessly reconstructed in the smoky hues of lunar dust. The never-before-seen shimmering metallic grey of the timepiece’s 44.25mm ceramic case is the result of a complex reactive plasma process, where the originally white material is entirely oxidised to create this unique shade. Added satin-brushed finish, as well as a laser-engraved

tachymetric scale, further complement the handsome case. Featuring an additional running seconds register, a co-axial hour-minutes register and a date aperture on its dial, the watch’s markers and numbers are then filled with Super-LumiNova in a display case back fitted with a domed sapphire crystal. The final touches come with the Speedmaster’s gorgeous grey alligator strap with red contrast stitching and

a matching ceramic pin buckle. Balancing out its technical expertise and painstaking craftsmanship with a suave and elegant aesthetic, the Grey Side of the Moon continues to be symbolic of Omega’s innovation, forwardthought and style. More so, it’s a befitting tribute to the moon’s silver surface, as much as the science and sense of adventure that got us there in the first place.

Time

Time to Shine From sporty to sparkly with Superdry Fall/Winter 2014 Text: Min Chen

If you’re partying this season, Superdry is guaranteeing that you’ll be doing it on time and in style too. The label’s Fall/Winter launch is a versatile thing that covers the spectrum from urbane sophistication to rugged sportiness in timepieces fit for both the outdoors and the dancefloors. Besides resurrecting its older favourites like the Scuba and Deep Sea in new shades and sizes, Superdry’s also ushering in such fresh faces as the Aviation Equipment, Scuba Rocks and Skinny Metallic. As always, these watches carry the brand’s bright and brash aesthetic, which fuses vintage Americana, British smarts and Japanese design into one trendy package. Let’s dig into three of Superdry’s newest sporty and sparkly entries that’ll ensure you won’t be late for the ball.

Aviation Equipment Following in the masculine footsteps of the Deep Sea and Thor, the Aviation Equipment is set to be another of Superdry’s heavyweights. As its moniker suggests, this timepiece sports aviation-skewed accents, which inspire its bold and precise detailing – from its grey compass-styled hands to its 48mm black brushed stainless steel case to its branded pivets.

Scuba Rocks Superdry’s Scuba re-enters the ring this season with a shiny new coat of Swarovski crystals. Set into the dial of the Scuba Rocks, these gems lend the timepiece a blinding sheen, further accentuated by the watch’s rose gold case and diamond-shaped crown. Replete with such dazzling textures, this one’s catching equal eyes and attention.

Skinny Metallic Also working on that same glitzy theme is Superdry’s brand new addition, the Skinny Metallic. Living up to its good name, it sports a gleaming dial of either sunray silver or gold, accented by lustrous jewel tones. And the sparkle motion doesn’t end with the timepiece’s skinny leather strap, which is bedecked in a glittery texture and metallic shades.

Shop Superdry at Tangs Orchard, Tangs VivoCity, Metro Compass Point, OG Orchard Point, OG People’s Park, and other selected retailers.

Paint

Present Time

Scent-sational: Fragrances topped with a bow

If you’re sticking something under a tree this festive season, make sure it’s a good ‘un

Text: Min Chen

The Body Shop Glazed Apple Tin of Delights The Body Shop’s all-new Glazed Apple range isn’t just fruity-fresh but arrives in a gift-ready tin that contains a Body Butter, Sparkler, Body Polish and EDT

All Dressed Up: Kits that are ready for the floor

Lunasol Party Coffret 2014 Festive joy is all over Lunasol’s Party offering, which bags limited edition goodies like the Party Eyes palette, Treatment Gloss, Shiny Pencil Eyeliner and Skin Contrast Face Powder in a sparkly pouch

Laneige Sparkling Party Makeup Palette A sparkling affair, indeed, involving two of Laneige’s Sparkling Eye Dust colours and two Sparkling Glitter Nail hues

Dior J’adore EDP Pre Wrap Dior’s luxurious and sensual flagship fragrance in a luxe pre-wrapped box? It’s Christmas!

Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling Fragrance Collection The Juniper Sling comes packaged as one of Penhaligon’s gift sets for the first time, ensuring its London Dry Gin-inspired scent goes a long way

Colour Rich: Holiday sets with rainbows included

A Skin Thing: Complexion-friendly balms in boxes

Aesop Gift Kit in Copper Aesop’s Copper tin stores a radiant array that includes its Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash

Soap & Glory Full Clean Ahead Gift Set Soap & Glory’s Righteous Butter Body Butter and Clean on Me Shower Gel stay clean together

Clinique More Than Moisture Set Clinique offers the gift of a glowing skin in this moisturerich kit, which includes its Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief and Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss

Urban Decay Vice3 No one has gotten enough of Urban Decay’s Vice, so here it is in its third and most delicious incarnation, which boasts 20 electric shades – from soft mattes to brilliant metallics – and a matching bag

Sephora VIP Pass Eyeshadow Palette A palette that packs backstage-worthy glamour in eight sexy colours and a gold-coated clutch

Nails Inc Winter Wonderland Further shine is in store as Nails Inc pushes this glittery trio of red, rose gold and silver-shaded pots

Paint

You Say Party Keep your best party face forward with all that’s bold, brilliant and scintillating Text & styling: Min Chen

Maybelline Color Show Neon Lips in Neon Red Stop traffic with Maybelline’s latest Neon Lips, which gifts your puckers with full coverage and intoxicating shades

M.A.C Pro Longwear Blush in I’m a Lover Give your face the bright, rosy finish it’s due with this soft pink shade that’ll get you that much closer to fabulousness Chanel Holiday 2014

Dior Diorific Vernis in 990 Smoky The newly It shades of Diorific Vernis includes this intense deep purple so that fierce begins with your fingertips

Benefit Instant Comeback Facial Serum Armed with hydrating, firming and energising powers, Benefit’s Comeback formula will ensure your mien stays party-ready

L’Occitane Arlésienne EDT L’Occitane’s signatures are all over its new Arlésienne EDT, which is radiant with notes of saffron flower and sensual with rose and violet

Chanel Le Vernis in Phénix This shade is foxier than you are

Dior Diorific Golden Shock Illuminating Pressed Powder in 001 Gold Shock Made of fine pressed powder, the Diorific Golden Shock intends to sculpt, illuminate and ultimately, set your contours aglow

Chanel Les 5 Ombres Oiseaux de Nuit Luminous silver, charcoal greys, antique gold and black make up this limited edition Chanel palette, which promises elegant times ahead Kate Tokyo Flat Skin Base Pores are no more as Kate Tokyo presents us with this paste cream, that’ll coat your skin and reduce unevenness with a silky finish

Miley Cyrus Bangerz

NYX Lush Lashes Mascara in Voluptuous Just one of the lush members of NYX’s Lush Lashes collection, this Voluptuous wand is your key to high-volume and full-figured lashes

The Body Shop Vanilla Brûlée Sparkler Vanilla Brûlée is one of The Body Shop’s seasonal highlights and remains its sparkly self in time for this year’s festivities

Collection Metallic Eyeliner in Solar Ray Your night out on the town calls for a dramatic and galactic look, which Collection is more than happy to oblige with this shimmery, futuristic liner

Shopping

Blue Streak The colour of the sky looks good on you too Text & Styling: Min Chen

Richard Nicoll Fall/Winter 2014

Shopping

The Rolling Stones Black and Blue Coach Varigated stripe scarf

Richard Nicoll Origami leather mini dress

:Chocoolate New York City hoodie

Pull & Bear Faux fur coat

Opening Ceremony Wool mini-skirt with zip detail

Blue Blue Japan DĂŠgradĂŠ T-shirt

Raf Simons Darted collar shirt K.BLU Gems Ashore beach poncho

COS Coat

Bimba Y Lola Piton purse

Celio Blue shorts

Topman Trilby hat

Dior Homme Blacktie 195S frames

Robert Palmer Deep Blues

Collection Work The Colour Nail Polish in Blue Beile

Stradivarius Faux fur warmer

J.Crew Patchwork shorts

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2014

Love Moschino Glitter snow boots

Band of Outsiders Mackintosh peacoat

Shopping

Tech Tonic When things get technical Text & Styling: Min Chen

Vivienne Westwood Fall/Winter 2014

Shopping

Nike Breathe Collection Roshe Run

5cm Printed sweater

5cm Quilted jacket

Bjรถrk Homogenic

Alexander Wang x H&M Parka with down gilet

Kate Spade Saturday Ribbed funnel sweater

Marc by Marc Jacobs Foil-covered iPhone 5 case

Givenchy Open-knit sweater with zip embellishment

Nike x Undercover Gyakusou engineered knit jacket

Topshop Leather look joggers

Fendi Creatures hooded ski jacket

Emporio Armani Ankle boot in mixed fabric

adidas Tech gloves

Marc Jacobs Leather-trim panel ponte leggings

Uniqlo Urban Sweat pullover

Alexander Wang Canteen bag

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall/Winter 2014

Opening Ceremony Mila twill top

Shopping

Extra Toppings Embellishments that are more than ornamental Text & Styling:Min Chen

Etro Fall/Winter 2014

Shopping

Christopher Kane Peony embroidered sweatshirt

New Look Embroidered bag with tassels

F**k Buttons Slow Focus

Topshop Unique Overly embellished shirt

Mary Katrantzou Embellished wool mini-skirt

Coach Floral shoulder bag with jewel embellishments

Versace Wool sweater with gold tassels

5cm T-shirt with zip embellishments

Maison KitsunĂŠ Fox embroidered sweatshirt

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi Floral embroidered jacket

Club Monaco Sequin-studded angora sweater

Kenzo Tiger embroidered leather tote bag

Topshop Embroidered lace bralet

Miu Miu Embellished denim playsuit Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2014

Kate Spade New York Arlisa skirt with crystal embellishments

Topshop Embroidered denim jacket

Stella McCartney Embroidered sweatshirt

Church's Sovereign embroidered velvet slippers

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No Sweat

Photography: Chuck Reyes Styling: Amanda Tan Hair: Mark Cheng / Indigo Artisans, using Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OrĂŠal Professionnel Makeup: Marie Soh (mariesoh.com), using Benefit and Illamasqua Model: Agni Blumberg @ Mannequin

Hooded jacket, bandeau and bottom set, chunky belt, knee high socks and heels by Alexander Wang x H&M

Slogan pullover and bottoms by Alexander Wang x H&M

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Slogan beanie by Alexander Wang x H&M, and tank top by H&M

Pullover and chunky belt by Alexander Wang x H&M, sneakers by New Balance, and bottom, modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own

Cropped tee, jogger pants and menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gloves by Alexander Wang x H&M

Sports bra, tights, knee high socks and mandals by Alexander Wang x H&M

Sports bra, track pants and boxing gloves by Alexander Wang x H&M

Sports bra and bottoms by Alexander Wang x H&M

Incoming

Heart to Angus & Julia Stone venture within

Text: Indran P

These days, it’s hard to find a new song that you can’t and don’t want to escape from, that one song whose ubiquity is more a personal fact than a cultural one for the simple reason that it’s stayed with you through every rippling development in your life and will continue to do so. In 2010, the Australian brother-sister duo Angus & Julia Stone gave the world one such song in “Big Jet Plane” off its sophomore record Down the Way, which amplified the pair’s distinct folkpop smoulder, established on its 2007 debut A Book Like This and became an instant

standard. And even through its period of hiatus in 2012, the allure of its slow-burning songs that shone a warm light on human vulnerability through Angus’ bracing emotiveness and Julia’s silken croon continued its enchanting thrall, touching even Rick Rubin himself, who convinced the two to reunite for their third album Angus & Julia Stone. Before transposing its powers live at Laneway Festival 2015, Julia checked in with us and let us in on the music of her heart.

Incoming

o Heart there’s such a high level of skill that you just have to push yourself.

Congrats on Angus & Julia Stone. It’s your highest charting record to date. What was different about this record for you compared to your earlier work? Thank you very much. That’s a good question. I think just the way we worked this time around was so different. There was a lot more of a sense of collaboration towards the conscious decision of making a record rather than just, “Oh, let’s write some songs, record them, and see what happens”. We both really wanted to make this work. It was a good feeling. There was this universe of positivity that we were living in! That actually manifests in how comparatively vast and grand the instrumentals and music are on the record. Yes, exactly. But I would say that everything happened organically. We’ve been playing and touring a long time, and I know it sounds silly but over the years of playing so many shows, your hands get stronger and your voices changes and you develop a kind of confidence in the way that you perform that trickles into the way you write and the music. So on this record, the both of us just felt good about how we were playing our instruments. We also worked with some of the best musicians in the world who certainly raised the bar for us. When you work with phenomenal musicians like Chris Dave and Matt Johnson and of course, Rick Rubin,

Yes, Rick Rubin’s involvement with the album certainly came as quite a surprise since it’s not the kind of sound he normally works with. How did he link up with you? That’s right. How it even happened was by wild luck! Rick told us that he had heard our music at a friend’s party and liked what he heard so he looked us up online and realised that we were working on our solo projects at the time, and he just sort of followed what was happening until he contacted us about the possibility of making a record together. He’s also a very relaxed human, you know. He has a great energy and he’s very much a proper music lover. He never gets tired of being in the studio. It’s like having a friend around but a very talented and cool one! He brings this sense that every performance counts, every take counts. It really makes you want to give it your best. Let’s talk about the great lead single “Heart Beats Slow?” It reads like a breakup song but only on the surface. Yes. It sort of originated from an email chain I was having with a friend. I had been communicating about what animal I’d be if I wasn’t a human. I said that I’d be a hummingbird because they make this noise, move about and go about their own way. Anyway, my friend wrote back and said that he could see me being a hummingbird because their wings move so fast you can hardly see them.

And I took offense to that. I wondered if he thought that my life was so fast that nobody could see me. Of course, he didn’t mean that at all. It was my own reading. I felt like, “Gosh, my life does move so fast. Maybe it’s time to let people see that I have a slow-beating loving heart and that I move really slowly”. I was in a hotel room while on tour at the time and I remember thinking, “Maybe I’m always going to be alone”. The song started from that. And conversely, there’s “Grizzly Bear”, which is an impassioned declaration of love. Oh yes. “Grizzly Bear” is definitely a love song and in a very pop sense. It’s about taking somebody away and making it good. And it has the feeling of the joy of love as opposed to the fear and confusion of it.

“Big Jet Plane” is perhaps the most beloved fan favourite. What does that song mean to you? It’s really exciting when a song connects with people. A good song is kind of a doorway into the house of the rest of the things that you love. It gives people the opportunity to then discover the other stuff they’ve got hanging around the house. I think artists are always grateful for that one song because it means that people who wouldn’t necessarily listen to our type of music would hear that and get to learn about the other stuff. “Big Jet Plane” is a beautiful song. I’m glad Angus wrote it. Given that your songs are intensely personal, are you ever afraid of

revealing too much? That’s actually the one thing in my life I’m not afraid of! There’s a lot of fear otherwise, but I don’t ever get afraid of singing what’s in my heart. Music is the one place where you have that forum and whether it’s in front of Angus or in front of a bunch of people, I feel like this is who I am, this is how I feel and this is how I express it. I don’t care whether it’s too confrontational or too much for people; I don’t even think about it, to be honest. And when it comes to Angus, he knows me so well and he’s been with me through so much so I don’t think anything would surprise him. He knows my life back to front so I’m pretty safe with him. That’s good to hear! And are you looking forward to spending Laneway 2015 with us? Of course! I’m also really excited to have Angus playing in Singapore. I played a solo show there before and I remember thinking, “I wish Angus was here!”. He would’ve absolutely loved it. The fans were really sweet and that made playing in a new place all the more exciting. It’s so lovely to know that your music has touched people and to get to connect with those people and build an experience with them is great. Angus & Julia Stone is out now on EMI Australia/ American Recordings Catch Angus & Julia Stone and many others at Laneway Festival Singapore 2015 on 24 January. Tickets are $165 and available from SISTIC and eventclique

Talk

Massive Attack Into Jon Hopkins’ mesmerising universe Text: Indran P

It’s easy for us as listeners of music to draw a line between the quiescence of reflection and the lose-yourself lift-off of catharsis. But for Jon Hopkins, each state is a continuum of the other, and his early albums Opalescent and Contact Note were dazzling showcases of colouristic sounds, which, whether hushed or propulsive, were imbued with a matchless level of detail to offer both respite and release. In 2013, Hopkin’s golden touch led to his fourth album Immunity, a landmark in the dance canon whose singular freight far transcended the honour of its Mercury Prize nomination. His recent announcement that he would be releasing reimagined versions of a few of its songs in the EP Asleep Versions, was just another reason to check in with him and as you’ll see, we were mighty glad we did.

The dance community has been buzzing with news of Asleep Versions. Is it meant to be a more meditative reworking of Immunity’s songs? Well, we’ve released a few singles, a record and a few remixes, and all of them have been kind of banging, heavy and club-friendly, but that doesn’t totally represent me. The last release before the album was, without exception, just so heavy. The quiet stuff is much harder to play live because you’ll see the crowd isn’t always listening to stuff like that. So, it was more for me than anyone else, just to make something a little bit deeper and not to just take it away from the volume. There are a lot more beats, melodies and sounds in there that are more submersed. It felt like a great opportunity to bring them out and explore them before we moved on to the next album. The new incarnation of “Form by Firelight” with Raphaelle StandellPreston on vocals is a great testimony for your experiments in the interim. Thanks. I was in Southern Iceland recording and I was really interested to see what effect a different landscape had on my sound. As

you can hear, it really changes it quite a lot. And then when I finished the backing track, I was thinking of who I could get to sing on it. I’ve been a big fan of BRAIDS and Blue Hawaii, and I had just seen Raphaelle play. I think her vocals are absolutely one of the best in the world, really. It just so happened that she was in London during a brief window, and I needed to record and it just worked out with her. I’m not a big believer of fate but generally when things work out, they work out very quickly and very easily. Like when I did a track with Hayden from Wild Beasts. We had just one day of free time and both of ours happened to coincide, so it was very easy to arrange. The same happened with Raphaelle and we had this amazing day of recording, which turned into something really magical. I’m really pleased with it. Congrats on Immunity. How do you feel about its Mercury Prize nomination on top of all the acclaim it’s gotten? It feels really amazing. I was just as excited about my previous album, so I think when it came out this time, I didn’t except anything more than that. I would’ve been happier

with what happened before, but it obviously did a lot better. I don’t think it’s good for anyone to be surrounded by people and play all the time; it doesn’t do your ambition any good. But what it does do is that it allows you to be more ambitious about what you do next and it builds the shows up. Now in London, I have a date where I play to 5,000 people, whereas with the previous album, I played to 300. So I could do so much more in a bigger room like that – I can have a huge video screen and I can get stronger on the visual side to add to the experience. You’ve said that the album unfolds over a single night, with the first half switching between emotional extremes and the second half functioning as a comedown. What was it about this concept that interested you? I wrote the tracks without thinking about the bigger picture, but towards the last couple of months, I realised they were forming into this kind of order. It was a case of me writing out of instinct and from the heart and interpreting it later, really. I love that the contrast of the consistently intense

and aggressive parts dissipates in the second half into melancholy and a beautiful kind of warmth. I think that contrast is really powerful and it reminds me of the most extreme kind of experiences that you have at a festival or club. But I also try to go much deeper than that, showing the different stages of life, consciousness and the experience I’ve had. I think that’s a nice framework for looking at the album. The different phases in the epic “Open Eye Signal” capture these experiential shifts brilliantly. Yes, I think so too. It took a very long to come together, though. I had written a couple of the tracks like “Immunity” and “Form By Firelight” earlier, but this was the first leading track that I tried to write. I knew I wanted to do it a little bit faster, a little bit heavier and to try out the new MS-20 synth that I bought. In discovering how to use it, I realised the start of the album and that I wanted to make it more technoinspired. The very first versions of that track were really ambient and soft and may have been the same tempo but not

in the same sense. Then, that synth arrived and everything changed. It’s just this amazing, organic dirty sound, a banger, really. It took about six or seven weeks to write and it certainly wasn’t easy. The song’s much-buzzedabout video also stays true to the theme in a simple but transfixing way. It’s really incredible! I feel I’m really, really lucky to have met Aoife who directed it. She had this incredible vision for it and she described it in just two paragraphs. I green-lit the video based on that alone. It could not have been a cooler video. It’s been really iconic and widely seen, and I’m really lucky that it came along. Lastly, what do you remember of Singapore the last time you played here? It’s always great to be there. Generally, when I think of Singapore, I think of all the amazing food I had. I also made some really good friends there when I played for a Syndicate night a few years ago. They took me out for great food, and I’m looking forward to that again! The Asleep Versions EP is out now on Domino

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Simply The Best! We bid farewell to 2014 with a round-up of its ultimate moments

The ultimate in musical drops Text: Indran P

St. Vincent: St. Vincent

Annie Clark has never been a mercurial artist. As St. Vincent, she’s only become more of the leftfield pop oracle that she announced herself to the world as on her debut. This year, she greeted us with an imposing coldeyed stare on the sleeve of her fourth album, which she described as “a party record you could play at a funeral”, whose freeze-dried, funked-out fleet of noise-sounds made for the digi-age’s best testimony.

Caribou: Our Love Sometime after his victorious last Caribou record Swim, Dan Snaith realised that he could make a pop record. Over this album’s 10 shape-shifting suites, he explored all the manifold sensations that this thing called “love” inspires, threading the spectrum from unswerving devotion (“Can’t Do Without You”) to the rupture of loss (“Back Home”) with a limb-animating grace.

Sharon Van Etten: Are We There Van Etten made a masterpiece this year but there’s no denying it’s sad as f**k! Heartbreak has long been a reliable muse but as the burning standout “Your Love is Killing Me” evinced – “Break my legs so I won’t walk to you” – she heartbreakingly directed her searing power at her own self and in the most painful ways.

Jack White: Lazaretto Jack White’s newsflashworthy behaviour did not detract from the fact that his second solo album was a return-to-rock master class. Lazaretto was a remarkable indication of where he’s at postWhite Stripes. And so, in rollicking alt-country romps (“Temporary Ground”) and showstopping freakouts (“Lazaretto”), he showed how, as the rock god of every age, “single bone in [his] brain is electric”.

Swans: To Be Kind Having bludgeoned 2012 with The Seer, Swans left 2014 ragged, reeling but mystified with this blinding catalogue of its singular ways – on the jazz-punk roiler “Oxygen” and the 34-minute slavery epic “Bring the Sun / Toussaint L’Ouverture”.

Best Debut FKA twigs: LP1 Tahlia Barnett staked her own claim to the pantheon with LP1, a glorious herald of a provacative pop star to come. Her canny appropriation of alt&b on blog-shattering hits like “Two Weeks” and “Pendulum”, was a phenomenon unto itself but her bloodletting delivery was both a warning and a coup.

Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire For No Witness One of 2014’s unquestionable winners, Angel Olsen swept in the still-effusing acclaim the old fashoined way: through heart-on-sleeve songs with a universal poignancy. In her plainspoken tone and ingenious marshalling of pop, punk, country and folk, Roy Orbison and Joan Baez were invoked. Still, the sun-through-the-blinds warmth of the songs emanated an undeniable contemporaneity: “Are you lonely, too?” she asked. “High-five! So am I!”

How To Dress Well: “What Is This Heart?” In 2010, Tom Krell inserted himself into all conversations of zeitgeist-shifting music with Love Remains, the birth-cry of alt-r&b. But while the ranks of imitators grew, he transitioned into an infinitely more developed artistic mode on this record. Chronicling crushing pain (“Face Again”, “A Power), sky-scraping euphoria (“Repeat Pleasure”) and all the states in between, “Heart” ventured majestically into the night.

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Parquet Courts: Sunbathing Animal Braving renewed scrutiny and the agony of expectation after 2012’s fantastic Light Up Gold and everpresent comparisons to Pavement, Parquet Courts made the most hype-surpassing album this year. “Critics’ Darlings” does set a band up for quite a fall but with a studio-savviness that only amplified their alteverything histrionics and lyrical gravitas – “Lady Macbeth, rock me mama/ Like my back ain’t got no bone” – they more than proved themselves.

Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra: F**ck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything Makers of imposingly high-stakes statement pieces, TSMZMO’s leading couple had its 10-year-old open Get Free with the heartmelting cry, “We live on the island called Montreal, and we make a lot of noise… because we love each other!” And with a child’s earnestness before their formidable noise-prefixed habits took over, signalled its most uncompromising album yet. 14-minute crusher “Austerity Blues” will tell all.

Best Lana Del Rey

Perfume Genius: Too True

“No family’s safe when I sashay,” from the booming “Queen” is the Lana Del Rey: Ultraviolence indisputable Why does Lana get her statement of intent own category? Simply of 2014. Michael because, there’s no one Hadreas can close like her; no one whose off the year knowing artistic persona is as consistent as the roles he made the of “sad girl”, “mistress” most stylistically and “poison ivy” on and emotionally Ultraviolence; no one uninhibited record. who takes I-am-thecosmos Internet-age Informing his narcissism and inverts it scorched-earth lo-fi with a sensibility like, “He confessionals with a hit me and it felt like a newfound maximal kiss”, and no one whose aplomb, he proved consummate artifice is her own inescapable that there never was reality. a reinvention this dazzlingly brutal.

Shabazz Palaces: Lese Majesty Affirming their like-noother status, Shabazz Palaces unveiled a genuine revelation. A seven-suite, 18-song scifi monolith, it saw the duo departing further into the Afrofuturistic domain their first transmissions issued from. But this time, the warped polyglot sounds, the structureaverse, layers-uponlayers compositions that make tags like “spiritual jazz” seem reductive, and mercurial metreevading flows were even more implacable and unbelievable.

Chromeo: White Women Years before the Haims and Chvrcheses of the world, Dave 1 and P-Thuggg were experimenting with (funk-inflected) retrofuturistic pop with varying results. This year, the duo finally alchemised its ‘80s-baiting dance-pop imprint into a pleasure-centredestined musicality. With end-to-end hits like the gloriously doofy “Jealous (I Ain’t with It)” and the disco&b career highlight “Sexy Socialite”, the guys took everyone to school on how to mix old gold with new.

Prince: Art Official Age Prince makes good albums. Even though Art Official Age didn’t conquer the world like Purple Rain, it reminded us that no matter how long he’d been away and no matter which trend(s) had their legs around the head of the zeitgeist, he could do things to funk you right up to space and back.

EMA: The Future’s Void Bringing the antipodes of noise rock and folk together, EMA had her name to an incredibly realised sign-of-thetimes statement that wasn’t without an intensely personal bent. So from the devastating opener “Satellites” to the sweetly acoustic “When She Comes”, we were presented a work that for all the most harrowing and urgent reasons, was the most vivid cautionary tale for the Internet age.

Best Eye Candy Beyoncé: Beyoncé Ironically, what the Queen called her “visual album” is the only one whose sleeve doesn’t bear her universally worshipped image. Instead, in the same spirit as the its Internetbreaking dead-of-night reveal, Beyoncé sneakily housed 14 futurelighting pop&b tracks AND 17 budget-averse music videos under its unassuming front. It gave new meaning to “seeing sounds”.

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Best Best Beefs WTF

The best claws-out moments of the year

Flying Lotus: You’re Dead!

Mining whatever he could from a fascination with mortality, Steve Ellison achieved the very tall order of making the weirdest, most challenging work of his career. With his beatmaking approach jettisoned in favour of a holistic fusion of a spectrum of sounds, Ellison also got Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock and a host of others to chime in. But the guiding genius is his alone.

Epic Fail The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream The pathos that saturates every inch of Dream contains a very familiar ingredient: a break up. But in fleshing out this emotional drama with his dynamic six-string wizardry and openhearted songwriting, Adam Granduciel brought a warm clarity to the murk of melancholia. Just listen to “Under the Pressure”.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Piñata When one of the most adventurous voices of contemporary rap paired up with a cult hero with genre-flitting chops, something like Piñata was bound to happen. This is a sample-bedecked masterwork where the devil is in details: “I’m a crook and you crooked, that’s all we had in common”.

U2: Songs of Innocence “GET OFF MY F***G PHONE. YOU COULDNT COME UP WITH AN ACTUAL MARKETING IDEA? F**K @U2 I DONT WANT YOU. I DIDNT ASK FOR YOU IM MAD” – was how Tyler, The Creator reacted to U2’s force-feeding of its latest album. Obviously, he wasn’t alone in feeling this way.

Mykki Blanco: Gay Dog Food There has been no better f**k-you to any old order than Mykki Blanco’s exitence in the modern rap game. Gay and influenced by a disruptive lineage of punks, his music and performances redefined the boundaries of confrontational agitpop. And with this mixtape, he took all his hellish electro-tinged punk-rap and kick-inthe-face intensity even further. We’re still asking WTF this is.

Perfect Pussy: Say Yes to Love Giving 2014 a fist-to-the face shock, Perfect Pussy didn’t just make the best punk album of the year. Summoning the ghost of Black Flag past, frontwoman Meredith Graves and co. also delivered a veillifitng feminist missive. When she demanded, “When do we say yes to love?”, on the careening “Interference Fits”, she raised her fist for social justice in the most unvarnished sense.

Josh Homme vs The Grammys Even though he apologised and chalked it up to being “drunk”, Homme still showed the love with, “F**k everything... f**k the Grammys, f**k all this sh*t”, following his halted performance at this year’s Grammys.

Katy Perry vs Taylor Swift Katy and T-Swizzle engaged in a nameless feud whose intent was plain to see in Perry responding to Swift’s disclosure in an interview where she said she was “straight-up enemies” with a fellow star, with the tweet, “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing...”

Jack White vs Everybody Living up to the first half of his weirdo-genius rep, White bizzarely took on entire ecosystem of rock this year, with barbs against the Black Keys, the Foo Fighters, Duffy, Lana Del Rey and Rolling Stone.

Ariel Pink vs Madonna Following Pink’s baseless claim that Madge’s camp had enlisted him to lend a hand to her new album because “They needed songwriting”, the Material Girl’s manager responded with “@madonna and I have never heard of @arielxpink. The label may have reached out but M has no interest in working with mermaids”.

Snoop Dogg vs Iggy Azalea In the most ignominious beef this year, Snoop started a back-andforth with Iggy when he Instagrammed photos mocking her apperance, backing down only when his daughter and Iggy’s mentor, T.I., intervened. Orlando Bloom vs Justin Beiber Bieber clearly doesn’t know his LOTR: he walked up to Bloom in an Ibiza restaurant and got punched in the face by Legolas himself. Nice one, Orlando.

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Best BFFs

A rundown of Taylor Swift’s team of besties, ‘cos this matters Karlie Kloss Tay Tay’s supermodel bestie, Karlie Kloss probably aleady knows that she’s very creepily assembled a massive photo collage of her, her favourite Whole Foods treats (kept next to a bed) and a rack of nightgowns in her apartment.

Mac Demarco: Salad Days

Even though he arrived with a distinct and sort of fully formed aesthetic, 2014 was special for Mac Demarco since this is the year he graduated from Lena Dunham indie rock’s cheeseThe Girls mastermind rock-peddling christened 27 October “Taylor Swift Day”, since enfant terrible to that was when the latter’s amongst its best album dropped. and most selfaware songwriters. Lorde Less shtick-y It’s funny how Lorde than before, his could turn down an infinitely profilesmoked-and-burntexploding tour with Katy out jangle-psych Perry but has been damn ditties were darker near inseparable from and more direct, Swift… with standouts like Sarah Hyland “Brother” and “Go One of the newer Easy” providing a results of Swift’s serial bestie-questing ways, the compelling realism Modern Family starlet was through the haze. all over Tay’s Instagram account at one point... probably against her will. Emma Stone Tay’s oldest bestie (they met at the Young Hollywood Awards in 2003) had this bit of gold to offer us about her: “Taylor’s a pretty normal girl”… She’s not [like], ‘I am one of the world’s most popular singers.’”

Comeback Kid

Aphex Twin: Syro Here’s a timeline of greatness: In August this year, a blimp with the words “Aphex Twin 2014” was sighted flying over London; just after, the famed Aphex Twin logo was spotted stenciled in various parts of New York; then, the man himself announced his first album in 13 years and shared songs like “mini pops 67 [120.2] [source field mix]” and “CIRCLONT6A [141.98].” Wildly hypnotic and inventive as ever, Aphex Twin is back.

Future Islands: Singles The quirks and moves of its frontman Samuel T. Herring may count for Future Islands being more seen than heard this year, but let’s not forget that his red-eyed intensity also informs this great album. There’s the ubiquitous “Seasons (Waiting on You)”; the indomitable synth odyssey “Spirit”, and the bracing power ballad “Fall From Grace”, to affirm why we need pop music so much.

Sun Kil Moon: Benji Mark Kozelek has had a polarising year. His needless snapping at The War on Drugs aside, he assured his spot on any AOTY list with Benji, on which he turns in a beautiful performance that reveals so much about how conflicted and gifted its maker is.

Cloud Nothings: Here and Nowhere Else With the second half of “indie rock” undeniably in the rear view, making elemental, guitar-abused no-fi fuzz-punk in 2014 was always going to a risky proposition. But with one less member, Cloud Nothings made one of the most fascinating records to enter the canon of sixstring-fuelled underdogrock. Trend-averse and intensely personal, cuts like “Psychic Trauma” and “Pattern Walks” were a clinic on how to confess and overwhelm in a single flourish.

Ought: More Than Any Other Day In the midst of closing his band’s excellent first showing, frontman Tim Beeler declares, “I retain the right to be absolutely mystified”. Indulgently emotional, the finale “Gemini”, like its seven preceding songs, uses post-punk as sea-parting stave to navigate a dense morass of sentiments and influences that invoke musings worthy of the Talking Heads in the same space as a Fugazi-esque head-rush. For all its scars, Day is a triumph.

Better Still Spoon: They Want My Soul There are many reasons why Soul commands top billing, but condensing the essence of each, we’ve arrived at one major conclusion: whether they were strutting like the Stones (“Rent I Pay”), going maximal (“Knock Knock Knock”) or warping house and funk (“Outlier”), Spoon turned in the most soulful and dynamic performance of the year. You can feel the hearbeat behind every flourish.

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The ultimate in fashion statements Text: Min Chen

Hot Cake

The Bucket Bag The quintessential summer festival bag that now bears more than just your lipstick

Gap Dress Normal Campaign Sounding a note of of individuality, Gap’s Dress Normal campaign was a celebration of authentic, personal style, hallmarked by a series of great images (plus bonus David Fincher-directed video) that sees the likes of Anjelica Huston, Luke Grimes and Elisabeth Moss in the most everyday of get-ups. And surely Gap’s not the only one that’ll appreciate you for dressing like you.

Chanel Fall/ Winter 2014

Karl Lagerfeld doesn’t go to supermarkets; supermarkets come to him. Hence Chanel’s F/W show, which presented its tweed-coated and graphic-coloured sports gear in a supermarket environment complete with Chanel-branded water bottles, paint cans and doormats. Lagerfeld’s debt to art pop was evident here, as was his tongue-in-cheek allusion to the commodification of style and more so, his abiding hold on the zeitgeist.

Fred Perry x Raf Simons: 10th Collection The Fred Perry and Raf Simons partnership goes back 10 whole collections, which meant their collaborative Fall/Winter drop was something of a milestone. Made special by a unique short film, the collection saw more of Raf’s creative renderings of Fred Perry’s classic shirt – in colour blocks, diagonal stripes and patches – that 10 seasons on, continues to boldly lean left.

Billabong Surf Punk Collection Billabong’s surf credentials go without saying and when the Australian label chose to launch a collection termed Surf Punk, you know it’s legitimately sun-kissed from those graphic-mad bikinis to them beach-ready dresses to those tropicalhued flip-flops.

Alexa Chung x Nails Inc Apparently stylish right down to her fingertips, Alexa Chung was crowned Nails Inc’s new face this year and also, got to launch her own capsule line of polishes. These pots were texturedriven revelations – from Alexa Cashmere to Alexa Sequins – and guaranteed your nails no shortage of cool-girl steez.

Picture Perfect

Kenzo x TOILETPAPER Spring/Summer 2014 Once again, Kenzo and TOILETPAPER paired up over the label’s S/S ’14 outing to make beautiful images. Still surreal and playful, this new campaign channelled Kenzo’s latest marine obsessions into a series of fantasy-heavy pictures. Devon Aoki and Paul Boche also gamely played alongside the big fish, prawns and fake waves.

Alexander Wang Spring/Summer 2014 Fresh and street-smart, Alexander Wang’s S/S statement set the tone for everyone’s summer with crop tops, pleats, sheer blouses and lots of logos. How very. The “Parental Advisory” stamp and the name “WANG” have rarely been imbued with this much downtown cool.

Bao Bao Issey Miyake Spring/Summer 2014 There’s no stopping Bao Bao Issey Miyake’s takeover of everyone’s shoulders. And not least with its Lucent Shogun drop in S/S, which saw Bao Bao’s trademark geometric body filled in with all-new luminous hues, block colours and textures that again, were pretty much irresistible.

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Coach Fall/Winter 2014

Heralding Stuart Vevers’ arrival as Creative Director of Coach, the house’s F/W duly saw its leather-rich heritage polished up with an effortlessly modern veneer. This revitalised take on American sportswear included such smart moves as soonto-be-It bags like the Whiplash, the Apollo sweater that was picked straight off The Shining, and the launch of its Dreamers campaign that infused Coach with a good dose of teen spirit.

Best Kicks Nike Air Yeezy II “Red October” In a move that would make Beyoncé look like an underachiever, Nike dropped the Air Yeezy II on us quite suddenly one day in February, and being the final collab between Kanye and Nike, these Red Octobers sold out in a matter of 11 minutes. They’re now available on eBay for thousands of dollars, though more accurately, these kicks be priceless.

Lara Stone for #mycalvins Campaign To cap off its starstudded #mycalvins campaign (with the likes of Miranda Kerr and Iggy Azalea taking to Instagram to show off, well, their Calvins), CK brought us a series of campaign images, shot by Mert & Marcus, and starring the sublime Lara Stone in CK’s signature black-and-white, ‘90s-inspired aesthetic. A class act.

Puma x McQ Run Mid High-Top Avant-garde most certainly took place when Puma and McQ teamed up lately for another run of sneakers. Taking its cue from human anatomy, McQ’s Sarah Burton wielded ribcage-like overlays and mesh panels to match Puma’s sporting expertise, most brilliantly evidenced in the sleek and avant stylings of the Run Mid High-Top. Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss for My Burberry Campaign It ain’t everyday that Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss end up in the same frame, so you’ve got to tip your hat to Burberry for this one. To launch its My Burberry fragrance, the brand paired these Brit fashion icons up in a campaign, and watched as they played it sexy, cute and cool all at once.

Best Time

Vans x Star Wars The legendary skate label teams up with the greatest force in all the land and galaxies, begetting Storm Trooper, Yoda and Darth Vaderdecorated slip-ons, sneakers and tees. Which perfectly sane fanboy could resist?

M∙A∙C x Lorde Already a pop sensation, the 18-year-old Lorde unlocked another achievement when she unleashed a limited edition capsule collection with M∙A∙C in June. Though small – containing the Pure Heroine lipstick and a Penultimate Eye Liner (because, “I wanted to make the two products more important to me”) – the release perfectly evoked the singer’s dark sensuality in regal and vampy hues.

Moschino Fall/Winter 2014 This being Jeremy Scott, Moschino’s Fall/Winter runway did not lack for cow prints, leather, candy wrappers, and odes to fast food and Spongebob Squarepants. Proudly and loudly, the collection delivered a blow straight to the heart of cultural consciousness, reinstating wit, humour, fun and games to the business of fashion. What a happy meal.

Tudor Heritage Ranger Scoring top marks amongst Tudor’s many unveils at this year’s Baselworld, the brand’s Heritage Ranger was remarkable for tempering its peerless pedigree with a contemporary and creative narrative. In its trusty caliber movement and modern, sophisticated finish are summoned the pioneering adventures of any trueblue ranger.

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Agyness Deyn x Dr. Martens Spring/ Summer 2014

Snoop Dogg x Happy Socks Snoop applies some of his hallmarks (you know what they are) to some pairs of Happy Socks and best of all, dubs the whole thing “The Art of Inspiration”? Damn, let’s hope the smoke never clears.

Limited Edt x New Balance Made in England M577LEV After the smash hits of its first two collaborative kicks, New Balance and Limited Edt wrapped up their Made in England trilogy with the M577LEV. And yes, ‘twas a good ‘un, with its premium blend of nubuck leathers and reflective panels that built up to a bright blue-and-orange colourscape.

Rihanna for Balmain Spring/Summer 2014 Campaign Never a more fitting meeting of minds and style has occurred since Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing tapped Rihanna to star in the house’s S/S campaign. Riri brought the unflinching fierceness to match the brass of Balmain’s ‘80s-skewed creations, and as Rousteing sums it up for all of us, “In front of the camera, she makes you feel like she is the only girl in the world.”

Agyness Deyn’s collections for Dr. Martens have long been themebeautiful affairs, and after tackling Harajuku girls and Brighton punks, her latest S/S collection dipped head first into Californian surf-thrash culture. Always on point, Deyn’s palm treelined dresses, boots and sandals were authentic beach-rat articles and proof that the model’s still got her heart in the right place.

Hot Cake The Sweatshirt Thank you, Kenzo

Fine Print

Abstract Matter The art world continues to lend fashion its bold strokes and painterly hues.

All Natural Florals, forestry and other botanical wonders still make for ripe and ready inspirations

Cara Delevingne x Mulberry For Cara, being Girl of the Year doesn’t stop at owning campaigns, magazine covers and Instagram; it also comes with her very own Mulberry bag. Of the 18 pieces in the CD x Mulberry collection, the Cara Delevingne bag was distinctive for its quilted nappa and camo variations, but also for being easily transformed from a shoulder bag to a rucksack in a show of great versatility. Now that’s Cara.

Perfect Union

Kate Moss x Topshop Spring/Summer 2014 After 14 great collaborative seasons and a three-year hiatus, Kate Moss rejoined Topshop to land her signature boho-chic back onto the high street. Flirty and festival-ready frocks and smocks made up her new launch and as always, were duly snapped up in record time. “It feels like I’m back home working with Topshop,” said Moss, and indeed, what a homecoming.

H&M x Alexander Wang You ain’t seen collaborations until you’ve seen how Alexander Wang took over H&M with his innovative and avant doses of performance wear. Wildly anticipated and coveted, this 61-piece collaborative union worked magic in infusing the high street with the so-hot-rightnow designer’s bold cuts, and in shifting units faster than you can say WANG.

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Hot Cake The Slip-On Vans’ signature silhouette is remixed, remodelled and re-loved everywhere

Celine Hobo Bag Spring 2014 The It bag game hasn’t been the same ever since Céline stepped in with its Trapezes and Luggage Totes. And this year, the house’s Hobo bag had its day when it surfaced in the summer-fresh shades of saffron, indigo, vermillion and the like, coupling with its calfskin surface and rounded construction to deliver an elegant solution to all your It bag needs.

Givenchy Spring/Summer 2014 Campaign Riccardo Tisci has long been one for diversity in fashion, and his discovery of Joan Smalls and Maria Borges aside, his S/S campaign for Givenchy continues in the same spirit of inclusion. Erykah Badu takes centrestage, alongside Asia Chow and Eboni Riley, making up a rare picture of diversity in fashion, as part of Tisci’s sound belief that, “We are all the same”. Word.

Y-3 Yohji Boost Following closely on the heels of adidas’ Pure Boost drop, Y-3 saw Yohji Yamamoto step in with his own inventive take on the silhouette. Thus, the Yohji Boost was born, an approach to the running shoe that though minimal and understated, still catches eyes with its stark colourway, lightweight construction and impossible-to-match sophistication.

Best Face

Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2014

Once again, Hedi Slimane’s sonic inclinations rule the day as he sent glamcoated, teddy boyinspired creations down Saint Laurent’s Marc Jacobs Beauty Fall/Winter runway. Marc Jacobs’ bid for total Not just a tribute fashion world domination to a sound and an is almost complete, what age, and to the with the launch of his very own beauty line. The house’s impeccable lipsticks, nail lacquers, craftsmanship, eyeshadow palettes et al the collection was on here don’t just make for luxurious applications, also modelled by true-blue musicians but in their inspirations (from The Wizard of Oz (handpicked to Nirvana to The Great by Slimane), so Gatsby), reveal a pop its authenticity cultural groove that’s MJ shouldn’t be in right down to that last doubt. brilliant hue.

Rodarte Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2014 If there’s one thing the Mulleavy sisters excel at, it’s their unparalleled love for their native LA. Beginning with their Fall 2013 season, they’ve been conjuring memories of their Californian childhood, culminating with the many nods to ‘70s-esque librarian chic, ‘80s hair metal bands, ‘90s LA street-punk stylings and of course, Star Wars on their 2014 collections, and belying Rodarte’s idiosyncratic cool and otherworldly fun.

Cara Delevingne There’s no approaching the fashion frontier these days without encountering Cara Delevingne. Swiftly and coolly, the model has dominated catwalks and campaigns with that steely gaze and those eyebrows, falling in line with brands like Chanel, Balmain and Topshop. Better yet, under all that satin and tat, Cara’s lost none of her wild-child pizzazz, so she functions just as beautifully on a Burberry runway as she does at Rihanna’s house party.

Feature

The ultimate in party time

The ultimate in eats and drinks

Text: Indran P & Min Chen

Potato Head Folk

Unaffected and unassuming, Potato Head Folk dropped into our hood this year, bringing with it a haul of succulent burgers and Naughty Fries, served amidst a playful, David Bromley-painted space, while also providing us with an intimate cocktail bar and a chilled-out rooftop area to hang our troubles on. MC

Laneway Festival 2014 @ The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay

Ushering the year with its almighty payload of indie delights, this year’s edition of Laneway added the electronic alchemy of Jamie xx and Mount Kimbie to the rock chops of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Savages, Haim and heaps more. IP

The Pecking Order A gastronomic extension to the Mad Men Attic Bar, The Pecking Order owes its fame to its small plates of pan-cultural cuisine. The Roasted Bone Marrow and charcuterie and cheese platters have been our staples, as has the Chrysanthemum Martini. IP

Slowdive @ *SCAPE Slowdive’s presence here was nothing short of a milestone for the scene. “Avalyn”, “Machine Gun” and “Allison” were just some of the supremely influential classics that the band exhumed with sublime grace and earthshaking power. IP

Fine Films

Things that looked great on the big screen Life Is Beautiful Never once buckling under its christening, LIB was an unfaltering beacon of Southern charm, good cheer and palettedefying scrumptiousness. Mad props must go its chef Rob Staedler for his NOLA-inspired soul food, especially the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. IP

Loof Our choice rooftop bar, Loof, with its exquisite cocktails, like the Black Forest Mojito and the Singapore Sour, its arsenal of comfort food, and its Wax On Wax Off and Pops of the Top parties, played host to many happy times. IP

And now, a Toast Zouk 23rd Anniversary Week @ Zouk When our national treasure celebrated more than two decades of party-throwing and memory-making with a full week of festivities involving Sander van Doorn, a special serving of Mambo Jambo, The Analog Girl and lots of laser beams, we most certainly had our cake and ate it too. MC

Phoenix @ The Star Theatre Phoenix’s SG landing was a spectacular affair. Remember the colossal visuals? Remember how we all shrieked when the band segued into “Lisztomania” from “Lasso”? And remember when Thomas Mars walked through the crowd and back to the stage again? Sigh. IP

Desperados The tequila-flavoured beer that partied harder, faster and stronger than any of us

Reyka Vodka Smooth and pure like the Iceland it was handcrafted in, Reyka was one prime addition to our drinks list

Sailor Jerry Armed with a cool and cultural edge, Sailor Jerry and its Spiced Rum make for warm and robust company

The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson’s impressionistic touch weaves the familiar ingredients of family politics, wartime realities and young love into an alternately hilarious and tragic tale. IP Only Lovers Left Alive Jim Jarmusch’s vampires, Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, meditate on the highs and lows of immortality, and in brooding and romantic strokes, uncover a depth and heart previously unseen in the undead. MC X-Men: Days of Future Past Bryan Singer’s direction and the beyond-stellar performances by the ensemble cast (J.Law’s dilemma as Mystique, that Quicksilver scene), make this outing the best in the franchise. IP Gone Girl Using Rosamund Pike as a vehicle to unearth the psychological dynamics at play in a marriage, the twist and turns of Gillian Flynn’s material smashed us right in the gut in its very visceral denouement. IP Interstellar Christopher Nolan takes on the final frontier, and many wormholes and celebrity cameos on, ends his thrilling and audacious space exploration with an unveiling of the unknown… right? MC

Talk

Masters of the Universe

do you need that?”, and I’d say, “We don’t. But it’s happening and we’re glad that it’s happening”. That’s because some of it was just so f**king cool, crazy and unexpected, and we thought that anyone who didn’t only love The Beatles but music in general would love this. I haven’t spoken to one person who didn’t feel the same way.

Bow before The Flaming Lips

Text: Indran P

Nothing is too sacred or too profane for Wayne Coyne. As the leader of the most unpredictable band of our time, he has been the orchestrator of these following beyond-jaw-dropping enterprises: recording a six-hour song (for charity), releasing a 24-hour track stored in a hard drive placed in a human skull (also for charity) and celebrating Record Store Day by releasing records containing samples of blood from all involved in their Heady Fwends project (well, why not?). But it’s this exact utterly confounding streak that illumines The Flaming Lips’ 30+ years of bewildering and brilliant output. More than merry pranksters, the Lips have blurred the lines between transcendence and hilarity, just as much as they’ve bulldozed the gates of the disparate canons of music. To prove this, Coyne and co. recently refashioned the sacrosanct Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, bequeathing their (re)inventive glory to one of pop culture’s most precious relics. Ahead of the Lips’ second showing here, Coyne himself granted us an audience and told us to relay these words.

You last played in Singapore four years ago. Can you remember what that night was for you? I think it was the last show that we played in that series of shows. We’ve been lucky to have been around Asian audiences for a little while. We went to Japan in the mid-‘90s and like our time in Singapore, it changed my way of looking at the world. I’ve observed that in Asia, there’s just this deep emotional impact felt for music. It’s not just a party. That really does affect us when we play. It’s not psychic, but there’s something about that heightened emotion that works really well with our music, especially live. You’re encouraged to surrender and if you want to cry, you’re able to. That’s the first time we ever had that happen to us. And since then, we’ve wanted every show to be as emotionally powerful. I get that this emotional connection doesn’t happen with and for everyone, but if it does, it really does stick with you. Yes, your live shows are often a transcendental experience.

It took a lot of time. In the very beginning, we just mixed punk rock with psychedelic freak-out music. We thought we were only going to last a year at most! It wasn’t until we made three or four records that we felt like we could really even write songs. Making records was what we were always interested in, not just playing as a group. Running into Dave Fridmann in the late-‘80s and him allowing us to be ourselves, and meeting new people later who further encouraged us to get to a deeper, bigger, more expressive version of The Flaming Lips. I think, by the time we got to do Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, we sort of believed that we could sing from the heart of our minds. That’s a big leap from just having distortion pedals and not giving a f**k. Did With A Little Help From My Fwends come from that same place? Yes. When we were making it, we secretly knew how great it was coming along. I would talk to people along the way and they’d say, “Why

What was it about Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band that made you want to repurpose it? Well, it really didn’t start as a tribute. We were doing a big New Year’s Eve show last year, and we did seven or eight of John Lennon’s Beatles songs, like “She’s So Heavy” and “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”, but “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was the standout from all that. So we recorded this rehearsal one night and pretty much what you hear now is that very rehearsal. And then Miley Cyrus came and did that very Miley, very stunning, very cool take on it that floored everybody. We got to perform it on the Billboard Awards and it went down well. But even then, Miley and I felt that we’d just release it as a single to support an animal welfare organisation in Oklahoma City. Eventually, we were surprised at how some of the other attempted covers were and we decided to re-do the whole album. I’m so glad we’ve done it now, but if you’d have spoken to me six months ago, I wouldn’t have known if this thing was going to happen!

Let’s go back earlier into your discography to Zaireeka, one of the boldest feats ever attempted in rock ‘n’ roll. What led you to that concept? Well, thank you very much. We were starting to make this record that was going to end up being The Soft Bulletin, but Stephen and I were starting to break out of this rock-band mode where he was the drummer and I, the guitarist. Then, in the mid-‘90s, we started doing these cassette tape experiments where we’d have these giant meetings with our friends and play these giant compositions on their car stereos. Initially, we thought of putting something out with 50 CDs per package! Eventually, we whittled them down to four. But I remember being like, “I can’t deal with four! It’s got to be 20!” And almost two decades on, how do you feel about it? Now, I don’t even know how we managed four! We were just so deep in the mindset of wanting to break out of the way we were making music before and that really did lead us to make something like that. We just felt we were an entirely different creation; we weren’t thinking that we were the same band. I mean, we knew we were the same band. We had all these other records like “She Don’t Use Jelly”, but Zaireeka was the evidence of us trying to do something different. I love it and I can’t even

Talk

imagine what we’d be if we hadn’t done that. Do you think that there’s still an appetite for original rock statements today, even with dance music’s rising popularity? To me, rock is never really dead or alive. It’s really up to who’s making it and who’s listening to it. There’ve been times when I myself have thought that I’m f**king sick of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and I’ll listen to anything but them. Then, a year later, I’ll love those bands again. I’ve gone to some EDM concerts and I can totally see why people love it. It’s like this big social thing. But in rock shows, you’re supposed to shut up and listen to the singer. That can get kind of boring. I’ve been to more bad rock shows than EDM ones, just because rock bands demand so much of your attention. I think we’ll find that EDM will always be here just like how punk, classic rock and futuristic music will always be here. It’ll just become part of how we make music. So, you’d say that “Fight Test” and “Clarity” are all part of the same continuum? Yes, why not? Some EDM sounds amazing! I don’t know how they’re

doing it, sometimes. It’s hard to make it sound that wicked. When I was much younger, I believed my older brother’s stupid friends when they said that disco was the enemy of music. But it’s music too. How can it be the end of music when it’s music too? I think there has to be new s**t. Otherwise, the world’s going to come to an end. Every great party starts with some really curious people trying to do something new. Eventually, that party gets broken down again and it’ll become something else. It’s always energising to be able to do something new. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Singapore again. Are you as eager to see us? For us, just being there is great enough. The last time we were there we stayed in this giant pool on top of this crazy hotel. It was something out of outer space! We really do have a special love for Asian audiences and it’s always a powerful thing for us to be able to play our music and let our performances happen. We’re moved by it as well. At the end of those shows, everyone’s crying together. That’s something we really like. Catch The Flaming Lips at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore on 1 December. Tickets: $98 (standard) and $120 (door), available at eventclique.com

Talk

It’s Bliss

Chvrches makes heavenly pop Text: Indran P

Nobody went platinum in 2014. But even as self-styled indie tinkerers, Chvrches more than have it in them to put paid to the doom-y, gloomy “Music is Dead”

prophecies floating in the ether. Amongst the most distinct acts to claim the upper reaches of indie-fame and transition into the ranks of the mainstream, the ever-upward

trajectory of the trio of singer Lauren Mayberry and multiinstrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, is a reflection of the worldconquering

appeal of its empyrean, star-consuming sounds. The maximalism of “The Mother We Share” and “Recover” off its chart-topping debut, The Bones of What

We Believe, has infiltrated clubs, airwaves and the WWW, like nothing else in recent memory, promising great things for pop and its vested interests – which

is pretty much culture itself. Before she took to stunning at the seaborne shindig, It’s The Ship, Lauren broke mythic bread with us.

Talk

What is the chief ingredient in Chvrches’ sounds? I think we are all big fans of film scores, especially certain ones from classic horror or ‘80s cinema so maybe that is where some of the more epic elements of the band’s sound comes from.

How are Chvrches? Good! Today we are in London as we are playing our last show of the album campaign at Brixton Academy. Other than that, we’ve been on tour pretty much constantly for the past couple of years but are winding down the gigs to go into the studio at the end of the year. You played in Singapore at Laneway Festival

2014. How was that experience for you? It was exciting! None of us had ever been to Singapore before, and we really enjoyed the whole Laneway tour. It was a really great vibe and very different from other festivals we had done, because all the bands toured together for the few weeks it’s on, whereas normally you don’t see the same faces for more than a day.

The phenomenal The Bones of What You Believe certainly has a cinematic bent. Thank you! We started writing together in 2011 and, because we self-produce, we tend to write, demo and record as we go along, so the album is the end product of all those sessions. And how do you feel about its success? So psyched! We found out today that our album has gone gold in the UK which is something we never dreamed would happen, and the fact that we made all of this in a basement in Glasgow

blows my mind, but in a really good way. We’ve been so lucky to have had this many people support the band so far. But we have also worked hard, and will continue to work hard. So I am excited to see where it goes next. “The Mother We Share” juxtaposes emotional devastation with swelling pop hooks. Is that what you wanted to do on the song? I think that is something we enjoy musically, yes – the juxtaposition of the light and the dark, the sour and the sweet. I feel like our music, if it had incredibly upbeat, rhyming pop lyrics, would be too pure. Likewise, if it were sonically and lyrically of a darker ilk, it would maybe be too far the other way. I think there should be light and dark in the things we create because there is light and dark in life. Nothing is one dimensional.

“Recover” is another universal fan favourite that’s likewise fatalistic. I would say realistic rather than fatalistic. I am a pessimist, but a reasonably optimistic one, so maybe that explains it. Well, that pessimism certainly doesn’t creep into your pristine vocals. I grew up without any particular vocal training so I learned to sing by being in bands and listening to music. I think you can learn a lot from vocalists who play completely different styles of music from you, as it’s all about how you use your instrument. I don’t have a lot of time for singers who are looking for songs to be the vehicle for their vocal performance. It’s about using your voice in a way that works with the song, knowing your limits but also when to push yourself. Before this band, I was not a full-time singer, so I have definitely learned a lot from touring this hard and I’m excited to see how that can be reflected on the next album. Not in terms of changing the

way I sing per say, but just being more sure of the instrument, and using it in different ways. Given the sheer magnitude of your music, would you consider yourselves a pop act or an electronic act? Electronic with pop sensibilities…? A leak of a new song tentatively titled “Richard Pryor” just made its way around the Internet. What can you tell us about the song and any new material you’re working on? Richard Pryor was the code name we were using for the song “Dead Air” when we were playing it live before the song’s release had been announced. “Dead Air” will be on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack, and we wrote the song specifically for that project. Other than that, we wrote a song called “Get Away” for Zane Lowe’s reworking of the Drive soundtrack, and we’ll be going into the studio properly in January to start working on album two.

November 2014 / Free

Iggy Pop Sucking in the ‘70s

That ‘70s Issue: The Vans Sidestripe Horace Panter Syd Barrett Sheila Rock Annie Hall and disco!

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Review

Azealia Banks: Broke With Expensive Taste Text: Indran P The tweet went, “Voila!!!! Here it is... Broke With Expensive Taste! Enjoy!”, and it was all that heralded Azealia Banks’ highly anticipated and mythically overdue debut album. Internet-age brevity notwithstanding, Banks’ last-ditch, fanfare-bereft and gratis mode of release is a sign of how urgently she had to get the record out before the year wound to a close, if she wanted to be remembered in 2014. Coming three years after “212”, numerous false starts and buzz-eroding social media feuds with various other artists, Broke is the belated payout of the faith and goodwill she allowed the world to put in her. There is every reason why it should flop hard, its sheer lateness adding insult to the largely self-inflicted injuries on her credibility. But, fortunately for her, all she’s guilty of now is bad timing. Even very early on, it’s plain to see why Interscope were dragging its feet on releasing it; Broke is an undisguised

risk from the very getgo. This is an all-defying compendium of the Best of Azealia Banks taken to a hyperventilating extent, meaning to say, in the midst of the other tracks, “212” is an anomaly. Nothing here is goes-down-easy pop radio fare and the opening tracks make this clear: “Idle Delilah” starts the record off on a tropical house romp that actually has a xylophoneled outro, next, “Gimme a Chance” is a disco-funk exercise in footwork that morphs into a percussive salsa heater with Banks cooing in perfect Spanish, whose delightful schizophrenia only gets amplified on the following “Desperado” where garage-inflected twilit house serves as a bold sigil for ‘90s dance music. What makes this early start already so inviting and auspicious is that it reveals just how dynamic an artist Banks is: when she sings, she inhabits space like a pop chameleon with angel wings, able to alternate between ethereality and sultriness in a single musical measure, and when she raps she can breathe fire with a superhuman effortlessness: “I be pretty, prissy, plenty plush and stuff / You be piggy-pissy, pennycrushed and crunched” (“Desperado”). In this

light, “212” and its only other companion in accessibility, the resplendent houselaced hip hop jaunt “Chasing Time”, play like bones tossed from a throne on high. And even though the latter’s turn as a radio staple is inevitable – because, c’mon: that killer chorus and those cosmologically chilled-out vibes – it’s not out of place with this collection’s decidedly off-centre cuts like the Machinedrum-assisted “Luxury”, where Banks slurs every single line until the climatic release, and “Nude Beach A-Go-Go”, the lo-fi-asinterpreted-by-AzealiaBanks experiment that features no other or less than Ariel Pink. Throughout the teeming sprawl of the record, Banks’ presence and voice act as invaluable and authoritative anchors, giving each track an unmistakable authorial stamp that is unlike anything in the mainstream or in the fringes. Of course, fame is a capricious mistress and it remains to be seen whether a stunning, out-of-nowhere album delivered at the end of the year is enough to elevate Banks to her former place of power. But let it be known that on Broke, she seduces and slays like only she can.

Review

Text: Indran P

Kindness: Otherness

Jessie Ware: Tough Love

On his debut as Kindness World, You Need a Change of Mind, Adam Bainbridge swirled hip hop, r&b and dance into an exciting, implacable mix of sounds and added his name to the ranks of (alt-)producers and artists whose omnivorous musical appetitites and MOs were the foundation of the new pop movement in the indie world. Two years later, Otherness emerges to show just how much more adventurous Bainbridge’s approach has become. Though still hewing to the same lostalgic jazz-bar sensibility, he expands its scale tremendously by trading drum machines for live instrumentation. This caverous but organic atmosphere makes the big-room feel of cuts like the opener “World Restart” and “Why Don’t You Love Me” so easy to surrender to. Indeed, effect mirrors intent perfectly on Otherness such that when Robyn poses the question, “Who do you love?” on the titular song, amidst a lush bath of spectral textures and booming live drum loops, reflection is irresistible. Still, there are reasons enough here why this’ll be an indieonly pop phenomenon. Lacking the 0-to-100in-a-milisecond drive of Top 40 staples, these songs come niche-ready. And that’s just fine.

When Katy Perry first heard Jessie Ware’s 2012 debut, she issued this imperative: “I think this lil’ lady is going to be massive”. By now, the boundary-levelling universality of Ware’s soul-pop effusions have more than proven Perry’s urgings. Jessie Ware is one of the most persuasive singers around and her residence in the not-too-distant pop peripheries only makes her that much more likable. But these are the very reasons why Tough Love is such a fantastically executed risk. Largely shrugging off the widescreen electronics that made “Wildest Moments” a festival staple and playlist mainstay, she adopts a warmer, more understated aesthetic that only makes her burn-note confessions that much more intimate and sensual. When the tremble of a line, “You have me crying out, crying out for more,” issues on the title track, its yearning and desperation are tremulously palpable. Even the comparatively more upbeat outings “You & I (Forever)” and “Cruel” emanate an ambivalence that privileges Ware’s voice and the emotion to be mined from it over the backing sonics. And for a self-correcting second showing, that’s exquisite.

Deerhoof: La Isla Bonita

Taylor Swift: 1989

It’s been breathtaking to experience Deerhoof’s evergoing metamorphosis throughout its 12 ruthlessly original albums. So, it’s particularly charming that its latest offering still evades quantification as “punk” or “Dada” despite being its most accessible one yet. Here, in very, very cursory nods to its tropically inspired title, the band have sharpened its usual weapons, such as the serrated power chords, repetitive phases and WTF lyricism with catharsis-ready purpose. The Ramones-inspired first reveal “Exit Only” exhibits this fantastically with its swashbuckling distortion over which frontwoman Satomi Matsuzaki intones in her wide-eyed way, “You enter U.S.A. / Welcome to speech of freedom / Thank you for coming / Get out now”, blending scathing commentary with knives-out pop. But beyond their blinding slash-and-burn stokes, guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez even conjure starlit textures on “Mirror Monster”, before Matsuzaki’s reggae bassline skanks its way into the mix to unveil a new dimension to the drama. Still improbable and unfathomable this long in, Deerhoof gets closer to “songs” without losing any inch of itself. Cue applause.

In a year when no one could boast of a Platinum record, Taylor Swift’s 1989 shifted more than a million units in its first week alone, proving that more than Madames Gaga, Minaj and Perry, she is the one-woman industry powerhouse capable of pulling off a ripple-effect sensation. And that’s exactly what 1989 is. Throwing out her banjos along with her larger country affectations, Tay juices every – and we mean it – of-the-moment zeitgeist-consistent sound into a widescreen pop extravaganza of infallible likeability. Recovering from the fumble that is lead single “Shake It Off”, the rest of the album is a Michael Bay movie presented as pop songs. Every song is singleready Queen Mother of an earworm so it’s just a question of which is more inescapable. In taste-immune maximalism, “Out of the Woods” and “I Wish You Would” mix EDM’s skyscraping atmospheres with pop’ bleeding-heart sensibilities and map out 1989’s bloodwork. But because it’s hardwired for universality, it balances those louder moments with hints of delicacy in the discofunk of “Style” and the ethereal “This Love”.

Review

Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2

Thurston Moore: The Best Day

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways

The second installment of the El-P and Killer Mike partnership opens with, “I’m finna bang this b*tch the f**k out!”, reprising the take-no-prisoners aesthetic that made its predecessor such a thrilling outing. It’s stupefying to think that RTJ’s heady fistto-the-gut threading of vulgarity, aggression and aplomb could be improved on but, hell, they’ve accomplished it here in a twofold approach: through an even more unsparing wordplay and even more bombastically dynamic sounds. Line for line and bar for bar, El and Mike serve up a gold standard of haterdecimating one-twos like: “Fashion slave, you protestin’ to get in a f**kin’ look book / Everything I scribble’s like The Anarchist Cookbook” (Mike) and the militantly crass, “You can all run naked backwards through a field of d**ks” (El). This intentionally narrow topicality is viscerally fleshed out by blaring scorched-earth sounds; “Early”’s bass-warped techno; the acidblasted electro-soul of “All My Life” and the seismic drums of the Travis Barker-guesting “All Due Respect” make this the rap event hydrogen bomb that it is.

Leaving New York for London, Mr. Sonic Youth finds himself at the cusp of a new beginning at the ripe age of 56. This lateperiod transition brings for him not the frenzied energy of possibility but the confident air of comfort in a new stomping ground. A dialectic of the 2011 Beck-produced acoustic set Demolished Thoughts and last year’s art-rock days-of-yore fetishising as Chelsea Light Moving, The Best Day is indeed Moore’s most settled post-SY work. With his newfound kith, legendary Britons MBV’s Debbie Googe and Nought’s James Seward and his old comrade Steve Shelley, Moore sublimates his unrelentingly questing ways into a majestic showcase that doesn’t have recourse to the confrontational spirit of old. But that’s not to say that it’s nothing if not absorbing. As the 11-minute epic “Forevermore” reveals, the six-string witchery of Moore and Seward morphs powerfully around Googe and Shelly’s Krautrock pound. There’re also the backs-to-the-wall rippers “Tape” and “Germs Burn” that reprise Moore’s old tricks and recast them with his older-wiser incarnation and the crystalline acoustic ode “Tape” to compliment the dashing edge.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead: IX

To put it colloquially, the Foos have been a lost cause for a long time. One of those rare acts able to get away with chronically mediocre output because of a few immortal radio hits and for what it stands for more than what it actually is, Dave Grohl and co. have been a hardworking legacy act at best. And Sonic Highways is yet another post-“Everlong” point of stasis. But that’s not to say it doesn’t aim big. Locking arms with HBO in an eight-episode TV series documenting the band recording each of the album’s eight songs in eight different cities, it was hoping the rarefied air of those historic locales would rub off on it. And it somewhat does. Recorded in Buddy Guys’ stomping ground, opener “Something from Nothing” isn’t without its funk or blues tics; Gary Clark Jr’s exqusite lead guitar lines give “What Did I Do? / God As My Witness” some measure of soul. But for all their historybook invocations, it’s just too easy for them to regress into their doofy, cloying ton-of-bricks verse-chorus-versefaux-climax ways. To reference a title from its previous album, we all should’ve known.

That an excellent, no-turning-back album can be a burden is something the Texan art-rock confounders know too well. Struggling to recreate something approaching 2002’s Source Tags and Codes, the band has seen its world-consuming sounds falter in a series of notquite hits. But over its last four records, it began a road-to-redemption trek that finds its best testimony in IX. In a berzerker rock fashion that stretches either part of “post-rock” to the most colossal and rapturuous extent, the band uses a winning broad strokes approach to evoke the cataclysmic noise that at many points, is worthy of Source Tags’ almighty splendour. While its opening tracks exhibit the band’s yen for heavy, high-energy theatrics and its captivating juggling of prog, emo, post-hardcore, punk and pop, it’s the latter half that makes it a defining statement of the band’s killing dynamism. “Lie Without a Liar” and “The Dragonfly Queen” bring a spry jauntiness to the wrecking-ball thrall with a daring jangle-pop drive; the closer “Sound of the Silk” erupts with pulsating African percussion, scholastically enriching the expressiveness of volume.

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Come Away An idyllic haven for relaxation and recreation, Baliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s credentials as a top holiday destination remain plated in gold. In this sun-kissed special, we unveil 11 of the very best that the island has to offer in terms of stays and eats, fun and games. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go. Text: Min Chen & Sweehuang Teo

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Best Sunset W Retreat & Spa Bali

If there’s anything that best defines and elevates any Bali experience, it’s surely the island’s many unparalleled sunsets. Already legendary to behold, that view comes extra sweet when taken in from the deck of WOOBAR at W Retreat & Spa Bali. The five-star hotel, of course, has long been beloved for its dynamic edge and energy, though coupled with a traditional Balinese air,

can also lay claim to a rare tranquility. It’s a mix and a contrast that WOOBAR, fortuitously situated on a breathtaking Seminyak beachfront, carries off with maximum style and sensuality. Whether you plan to sip, sightsee or socialise, WOOBAR’s got you covered. Since its first drink hit the bar in 2011, it’s been doing the double duty of offering an ocean-spanning view from its two upper decks, as well as an electrifying club scene at its main bar, which

also serves exceptional comfort eats and cocktails. Weekends see WOOBAR transform into one of Seminyak’s smartest party centrals, with international DJs keeping up a feet-moving tempo, while the bar’s signature cocktails, such as its tropical I Candy and fruity Mexican Berry Punch, fly off the menu. These nocturnal shenanigans aside, there’s also the option of kicking back and winding down at the bar in the afternoons to catch the last fading rays of the sun. Everyday from

4pm, WOOBAR hosts a sunset session, where chilled-out beats and drinks mix and mingle with a golden, twilit panorama. An equal idyll and playground, the chic resort vibes and sunsetscape at WOOBAR are enough to remind you that life can, indeed, be very good. MC Find WOOBAR at W Retreat & Spa Bali, Jln. Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Escape Uma Sapna

It’s no surprise that Uma Sapna’s one of Bali’s most preferred residences, since a step into its compound already entails an escape from the grind of reality into a pristine haven. Whilst creative and contemporary on one hand, the villa also emphasises the comfort and privacy that comes with any Bali getaway so

you may score that peace and quiet you deserve. Uma Sapna’s central location near Seminyak’s stretch of boutiques and eateries does nothing to disturb its tranquil waters. Its 24 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom villas are scattered throughout the property to promise ultimate seclusion, with each of these residences boasting all the right facilities to soothe you

mind, body and soul. Spacious courtyards encircle each villa, personal pools are generously sized, living areas come beautifully furnished, and dining and massage services are just a call away. Besides those creature comforts, Uma Sapna also proffers food for the eye and soul in its gallery of contemporary art. The Kendra Gallery features a vast collection

of artwork from all over the world, and has seen showcases by such artists as Nyoman Adiana, Joni Ramlan, Soni Irawan and Hanafi. In its fine synthesis of ambience and art, calm and comfort, Uma Sapna truly offers the charm and serenity of another world. ST Find Uma Sapna at 20xx Jln. Drupadi, Basangkasa, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Group Hug Sahana Villa

Loneliness is a thing of the past at Sahana Villa, where crowds are most certainly welcome. Built and designed to host big groups and gatherings, it’s just the place to get the fam together and at the same time, take in the trendier side of Seminyak. Though located right in the heart of the bustling city (just footsteps away from the popular Oberoi Street),

Sahana also comes furnished with enough luxurious trappings to make for a bliss-filled escape for you and co. Modern and chic, Sahana’s villas boast an open-concept that makes the most of tranquility and tropicality. Each villa houses three master bedrooms with ensuite semi-outdoor bathrooms, a capacious living and dining area that opens up to the garden, on top of an extravagant 8m pool, sundeck and gazebo.

That’s more than enough room for no less than six people! Plus, that large group of yours will also get the full experience of Sahana’s excellent hospitality. Upon request are cooking services, massage treatments and even grocery shopping services to ensure that your vacay stays worryfree. Already an impressive sanctuary and home away from home, Sahana will definitely be made all the more special by

the company you keep there. Its oasis of tranquil gardens, sumptuous rooms and loungeworthy opportunities, after all, were made to be enjoyed by you and everyone you know, so grab your friends and go. ST Find Sahana Villa at 35B Jln. Kayu Aya, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Beach Hangout Finn’s Beach Club

The beach is yours at Finn’s Beach Club, an idyllic and paradisal haven that sits on the sandy stretch of Bali’s southern coastline. While beach clubs do proliferate on the island, Finn’s is extra special for its discreet and private location, being based within Semara Luxury Villa Resort at the base of Bali’s Uluwatu Cliffs. There unfurls 180 metres’ worth of unspoilt beach, the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean, beach sports, and an array of cool food and beverage options – the makings of a sandy and little golden oasis. A trip down on an inclinator gets you to Finn’s Beach Club, and if the stunning view hasn’t already won you over, its activities and menu surely will. Whether you choose to lounge by the beach to take in the rays, dip into the ocean, get a massage or spa treatment, or partake in watersports like snorkeling, kayaking and paddle-boarding, Finn’s will get you set up nice and easy. Over by its bar and bamboobuilt restaurant, the beach club also boasts a delicious line-up of

pizzas, tapas, seafood and salads that’ll sit well alongside its healthy juices and signature cocktails. Finn’s by night is equally breathtaking, as starlight provides the perfect roof over a very romantic dinner experience. Not just beautiful to look at and fun to be at, Finn’s also promises day and night-outs that’ll leave you equally relaxed, sun-kissed and content. There’s no saying no to this beach. MC Find Finn’s Beach Club at Semara Luxury Villa Resort, Jln. Pantai Selatan Gau, Banjar Wijaya Kusuma, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Catch of the Day Sardine

Looking good: Atmospheric and picturesque, Sardine already makes quite the first impression with its rustic, bamboo-rich setting alongside an endless view of rice paddy fields. The dining experience here emerges equally from this verdant vista, and prides itself on freshly caught seafood and organic produce.

Best High Tea L Lounge

Looking good: Sitting just next to the lobby of L Hotel, the L Lounge is all plush couches and touches of greenery that add up to a perfect picture of urban chic. What’s brewing: The L Lounge doesn’t just provide a sweet setting to while the day away, but in its serving of traditional British high tea, will ensure your afternoons here sit equally well with your tastebuds. MC Find L Lounge in the lobby of L Hotel at 8L Jln. Raya Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

What’s cooking: Dubbed “cuisine de soleil”, Sardine’s menu is replete with light eats that have been created to suit Bali’s warmer climate. Seafood picks are dependent on the catch of the day, and include sea bass, lobsters, kingfish and mahi mahi, which have been deletably pan-roasted or grilled. Also note Sardine’s pan-Asian appetisers like its Hamachi Ceviche and Asian salsa-spiced Banyuwangi Scallops. Eat this: Conchiglie “Pasta Shells”, which sees prawns, scallops, clams and mussels bathed in a light tomato basil and garlic sauce. ST Find Sardine at 21 Jln. Petitenget, Kerobokan, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Chic Eat Kilo Bali

It may be new on the island, but already, Kilo Bali has been making the best of its hip and cool credentials. Launched in June this year, the bar and dining concept has set itself up on Jalan Drupadi, just aside Uma Sapna, and though snug, has brilliantly filled its space with fusion eats, delectable pours and cool tunes. At Kilo, it’s all about the soul and coupled with a few aptly placed Balinese influences, makes it just the place to get your fill of good times. Though slightly off the beaten path in Bali’s Seminyak, Kilo makes it worth the trip with its pan-Asian-andWestern-blended menu. Its bowls come filled with fusion-friendly delicacies like its Pork Belly and Pan-seared Donburi Salmon, neatly balanced by luscious salads and sharing plates. Lunch

also sees excellent Bahn Mi picks, which line up the Thai-spiced Blacken Mahi Mahi and the Kilo Smash Burger, which is proudly home-made with double patty and American cheese, while dinner is serviced with hearty bites of Broken Squid Ink Rice and Beef Short Ribs. Yum! Kilo’s eco-inspired environs come alive by night too: if its dinner menu hasn’t already sated appetites, its cocktails and lounge-y soundtrack will definitely work wonders on anyone’s social life. A hip cat through and through, Kilo’s not just cooked up a fine fusion storm, but in its unaffected and earthy ambience, has got its groove in the right place. MC Find Kilo at 20xx Jln. Drupadi, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Theme Work Four On Drupadi

While Four On Drupadi does promise the industry standards of lush environs and peaced-out vibes, this residence also houses a rich array of artisanal and stylish concepts. Situated just slightly off the hustle and bustle of Seminyak’s main street, the villa has culled inspiration off

the city’s vibrant and cosmopolitan energy, and applied it liberally to its designs. What’s resulted are Four On Drupadi’s six villas that each boast an individual culturally minded theme, as well as the chic interiors and bold strokes that make this no humble abode. Dubbed Lovable Homes, these themes uniquely inform each of Four On Drupadi’s private compounds, which already sport a private

bathroom, garden and pool. The six villa concepts include Yuubi (Japanese), Damou (New Orleans), Cinta (Balinese), Amore (European), Pyaar (Indian) and Oaini (Chinese). Everything from the villas’ furnishings to finishings have thus been swayed by their respective themes. Oaini boasts Chinese calligraphy on one of its walls, Amore is incredibly stylish in its monochromatic palette,

while Yuubi comes well-lit with traditional Japanese lanterns. Strong in character and culture, the resort experience at Four On Drupadi won’t lack for romantic or artistic colouring that’s stunning and immersive. Great theme work, after all, does make the dream work. MC Find Four On Drupadi at 4 Jln. Drupadi, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Boutique Stay L Hotel

Bali is more than just a feast of villas, as deep in the bosom of Seminyak also lies L Hotel. A boutique hotel that’s just arrived on the island, L is quintessentially Bali from its luxurious spaces right down to its chic appeal. The aesthetic here may be cool and contemporary minimalism, but that doesn’t subtract from a level of comfort that won’t stop short of total indulgence. Your first step into the hotel will already be greeted by a butler, following which you’ll be left in the good hands of L’s highly personalised services. You’re pretty much covered, whether you need food or an errand run. And you’ll be in great surroundings whilst that happens: L Hotel has arrayed 30 lush and modern suites, each boasting a smart open concept, all mod-cons and sweeping views of padi fields. Facilities like L’Spa and

the hotel pool provide great distractions, just as L Hotel’s Luna Roof Bar, Love Bar, L Lounge and Lola restaurant are front-loaded with fine cuisine and Pan-Asian specialties. Being the cool kid it is, L Hotel may be located off Seminyak’s main road, but it’s never far from the action. Petitenget Beach is just an amble away, Ku De Ta and Potato Head are practically neighbours, and the hotel’s shuttle service ensures that Seminyak’s hottest bars and restaurants stay close. How’s this for a snazzy and stylish answer to island living? MC Find L Hotel at 8L Jln. Raya Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Best Coffee Revolver Espresso

Looking good: Hidden behind Seminyak’s This is a Love Song and Home boutiques is Revolver Espresso, which just so happens to serve some of the finest brews on the island. The coffee joint has been decked out in all manner of vintage accoutrements, making for a nice and easy Melbournian vibe, but it’s in its menu that the café truly shines. What’s brewing: Coffee, of course! Revolver Espresso can be counted on for espresso shots and cappuccinos that will sway even the hardiest of coffee junkies, but also, for hearty servings of breakfast (eggs, toasts, paninis) and lunch (salads, falafel). Must-try: The Ristretto soy latte, which is brewed and heated to silky smooth perfection; and the Smith & Wesson, a great breakfast bite which packs avocado, basil and roasted tomato on sourdough. MC Find Revolver Espresso at Gang 51, 3 Jln. Kayu Aya, Oberoi, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

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Best Sushi Shiro

Looking good: As part of the One Eleven Villa, Shiro’s snug space has been designed and conceptualised by Shigemasa Noi to be warm and intricate throughout. Its natural woodwork takes centrestage and sets the tone for an exquisite dining experience. What’s cooking: Shiro’s head chef, Hiroki Mimaki, presents a range of Japanese flavours that sit comfortably alongside Bali’s own seasonal ingredients. Hence, the restaurant’s range of fresh catches to make for luscious sushi and sashimi, on top of servings of grilled treats and tempura. Eat this: The Omakase Set, a Shiro signature which sees a series of plates – stacked with sashimi, tempura, sushi and grilled fish – arriving in order from lightest to richest, so you’re guaranteed to end on a high. ST Reserve your place at Shiro at 3 Pangkuang Sari, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia, by ringing +62 361 731343

Cheers

Star Power Shining up the Heineken Star Can Text: Min Chen No festive season should ever go dry, so the Heineken can’s latest wardrobe change arrives just in time for the party. This newest look again marks the brand’s progressive aesthetic, and comes at the end of a long line of visual reworkings that the humble Heineken can and bottle have undergone. From 2010’s Tactile Can, featuring little raised dots that enhance one’s beerholding experience, to the STR Bottle, which revealed itself under UV light, to the recent cosmopolitan-minded Heineken Cities of the World series, this iconic brew has constantly been one for shape-shifting and style-hopping. And this month, it steps out with a fresh face that’ll surely make it the toast of your house party. The Heineken Star Can is a sleek creation, equally

inspired by simplicity and sophistication, and that allows the brand’s well-recognised symbol to shine. Standing out in a sea of contemporary silver, Heineken’s bold red star gets a starring role on this can design, and signifies the pride, quality and magic inherent in this premium beer. In fact, in medieval practices, a red star was hung outside breweries in order to harness its mystical powers and to fortify the quality of the brew. Following in that line of tradition, this new can, with its gleaming body and red-hot star on the outside, can lay claim to some serious liquid and quality gold on the inside. And we’ll raise our Heineken Star Cans to that. Just for this festive season, The Heineken Star Can is available in a special 20-can pack at all leading supermarkets.

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ZoukOut 2014

12 to 13 December @ Siloso Beach, Sentosa Text: Indran P

Amongst the ranks of the superstars who’ll gather to lend their world-moving powers to this year’s edition of ZoukOut stands Nick Rotteveel van Gotum, more famously known as Nicky Romero. In 2012 the young Dutch DJ-producer transcended “wunderkind” status with “Toulouse”, an EDM scorcher custom-built to make big rooms shake. Before he heated up the decks at the biggest dance party to ever hit our shores, he gave us the lowdown on his scintillating sounds.

to have a platform to release my music, and to give upcoming artists a chance to get their talent out there. We have so many sick tracks that have already been released on Protocol Recordings, or are coming out soon. Although it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of fun at the same time. Where are you now and what’s kept you busy lately? I am currently having some home time, which is amazing. I have been so busy, so it’s nice to be able to chill a little. I am working in the studio and keeping busy with Protocol stuff. We have been having lots of Protocol events which have been really successful, and we are gearing up for many more. Yes, your label Protocol Recordings has really taken off. I feel so fortunate

It’s known that your musical development began with you playing drums as a child. How did that progress into making electronic music? Yes, I was a little drummer boy! Playing the drums was definitely the beginning. Once I had the chance to DJ at this bar that I worked at called Scoop, I got addicted to it. I was DJ-ing on Thursdays and started producing on Fridays. It all went pretty fast from there and I had my first release in 2009. What was your vision behind the fantastic

“Toulouse” and what inspired the treatment of its music video? Even in my wildest dreams, I didn’t see “Toulouse” reaching the level of success that it did! There is something about the track that people just love. People enjoy wearing Guy Fawkes masks, and it has become some sort of a symbol for a dance revolution. I feel so proud. It’s a catchy track and I think, combined with the masks, it just works. Even to this day when I drop it in my sets, people go wild! It’s great. Your collaboration with Avicii, “I Could Be the One”, is another global smash hit. What was like working with him? I definitely was excited by it because I knew we had something incredible on our hands. But again I couldn’t foresee how massive it was going to be. Working with him was a pleasure. Anyone who listens to his productions knows that

he is a musical genius. I think, together, we came up with something very special. What can you tell us about your upcoming album? Yes! I have been working on it, but I want it to be perfect. The last thing I want to do is rush it just to get it out there. Albums take time, and I want to do it right. Lastly, how psyched are you for ZoukOut 2014? I love playing sets at festivals, full stop, but a festival on the beach in December… Now that’s what I am talking about! Also don’t miss the likes of Maya Jane Coles, Skrillex, Steve Aoki, Nina Kraviz, Steve Angello, Dubfire and Above & Beyond at ZoukOut! Tickets: $128 to $158 for one-day passes, and $208 to $388 for twoday passes, available at zoukout.com

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Singapore International Film Festival

4 to 14 December @ various venues Text: Min Chen

The Singapore International Film Festival may have been absent for the past two years, but its resurrection this month means another brilliant platform on which local film culture may flourish. This 25th edition of the festival will be unveiling 147 films from 50 countries, and as is the SIFF mission, will continue to put in a good word for both aspiring and established filmmakers in Asian and world cinema. An equal celebration and showcase, then, the SIFF’s many highlights (also including workshops, exhibitions and the Silver Screen Awards) are all great things, but we pick a solid 10 that shouldn’t be missed.

Winter Sleep Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan This year’s Palme d’Or winner, Winter Sleep is not for tourists. Rather, in three hours, human complexity is up for intense scrunity, with Haluk Bilginer taking the lead as a hotel owner in a failing marriage. Besides its lush framing of the snow-covered Anatolian landscape, the film comes rich in unforgiving character studies and in alternately heartbreaking and humourous strokes, packs an emotional punch.

Unlucky Plaza Dir. Ken Kwek After the controversy kicked up by Sex. Violence.FamilyValues, Ken Kwek returns with more insightful and less MDA-scandalising fare. Unlucky Plaza tells the tale of a struggling Filipino single father who, one afternoon, allows his desperation to get the better of him.

The Obs: A Singapore Story Dir. Yeo Siew Hua Being a musician in Singapore, as you know, is tough enough, and more so for a band like The Observatory, who’ve boldly insisted on going at it their very own way. And here’s proof in Yeo Siew Hua’s documentary, which uncovers the band’s uncompromising artistic vision in the face of pragmatic realities.

Lilting Dir. Hong Khaou Hong Khaou’s first film comes ably anchored by Cheng Pei Pei and Ben Whishaw, whose characters, Junn and Richard, are brought together by the death of Junn’s son and Richard’s gay partner. Moving and poignant, Lilting may weave age-old themes of unlikely connections, grief and love, but does so with moving delicacy.

Red Amnesia Dir. Wang Xiaoshuai Wrapping up his Cultural Revolution trilogy (which began with 2005’s Shanghai Dreams and 2011’s 11 Flowers) with the aptly titled Red Amnesia, Wang Xiaoshuai examines the consequences of selective memory in a story of an aging widow who’s made to recall a 40-year-old mistake.

Stray Dogs Dir. Tsai Ming-liang Tsai Ming-liang trains his lens on an impoverished family in Taiwan, and in artfully composed scenes, paints a heartwrenching picture of urban poverty in contemporary Taiwan, as well as that of human survival.

Southeast Asian Cinema When the Rooster Crows Dir. Leonardo Cinieri Lombroso The derring-do of Southeast Asian cinema is on display here, as Lombroso converses with four regional directors (Brillante Mendoza, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Eric Khoo and Garin Nugroho), and film talk aside, touches on themes from democracy in Indonesia to censorship in Singapore.

Forma Dir. Ayumi Sakamoto Ayumi Sakamoto’ debut feature may be heavy with ponderous dialogue and a slow pace, but its tension pays off to stunning effect. The psychodrama begins as Yukari takes a job with Ayako, a woman who proceeds to make her life miserable, and climaxes with a startling 24-minute static shot that’s marked Sakamoto out for greatness.

Clouds of Sils Maria Dir. Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas’ muchfeted Clouds of Sils Maria stars Juliette Binoche as a veteran actress ridden with insecurities, as well as Kristen Stewart in a great turn as Binoche’s assistant. Sharp and thoughtful throughout, it also offers sideeyed commentary on film, celebrity and the complexity of female roles. Meta, much?

The Crossing Dir. John Woo The Crossing is John Woo’s ambitious two-part war epic, which depicts the lives of three men in the lead-up to the Chinese Revolution. In particular, this first chapter depicts the tragic voyage of the Taiping steamer in 1949, with Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro in starring roles. Tickets: $12 to $25, available at sgiff.com

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Super 0 Openair 17 January 2015 @ #superoffthegrid* Text: Indran P

It’s back! After bringing the best of techno and house as well as Berghain’s and Space Ibiza’s finest to our shores last year, the purveyors of cutting edge floor-fillers have announced the next conceptually minded shindig. By now, it’s obvious that any Super 0 outing is no mere dance party and its upcoming installment only promises more unconventional goodness. Last year’s month-long scene-redefining Season at The Mill, with its beyondeclectic fringe picks, like the Pop Lab DJ workshops, the Mini Record Shop and the Social Dining Club, were definitely #yoloworthy highlights. This time, though, brace yourselves for an even greater payload of extramusical options.

Christened Openair, the next incarnation of Super 0 will be held in conjunction with Singapore Art Week 2015 and will offer supertroopers an embarrassment of art, design and lifestyle riches to immerse themselves in over and above the sounds from its superbly curated line-up. Starting when the sun’s still up this time round, the fest is gearing up to be a dayto-night extravaganza of multi-conceptual offerings that celebrate creative culture with a party-ready aplomb. Besides crowd faves like the Silent Disco and the Record Shop, the fest will furnish choice artand-designed themed attractions. “Tropical Uncanny”, the debut Asian showing of famed Dazed and Confused, GQ and Vice photographer David Ledoux’s breakthrough

works, zany, interactive theatrical games by “Singapore’s most kickass theatre company” Pangdemonium and the Alchemy Garden, which sees Reyka Vodka and Edible Gardens partner for a dedicated mixologist space, are just a small sampling of what to expect. Inspired no less by its bodymoving aims, Openair will also embrace dashing athleticism in its partnership with lifestyle titans Tokyobike, in an initiative dubbed “Art of Cycle”, where five iconic Tokyobikes will be redesigned by up-andcoming artists through a variety of approaches and exhibited at the festival ground. And if that giddy array of happenings didn’t already psyche you up, check out what Openair has to offer musically: in its first wave alone, Openair boats a live set

by microhouse sensation The Field, techno luminary and Kompakt heavyweight Scharre, deep house maven Ben Pearce, Mancunian soul and techno alchemist Trus’me, polyglot dance maestro and Beats in Space mastermind Tim Sweeney and local jocks Zig Zach, CATSONCRACK and Zul. Start celebrating already.

Tim Sweeney

The Field

Scharre

Tickets: $65 (advance), $75 (door) and $90 (VIP or #SUPERTROOPER) available at eventclique. com * Follow #superoffthegrid for updates of the festival’s location!

Ben Pearce

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Text: Indran P

The Flaming Lips

Tenacious D 2 December @ The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel

Kode9 & DJ Spinn

6 December @ Canvas

1 December @ The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Between the two of them, Jack Black and Kyle Gass have written the “Greatest Song in the World”, defeated the devil in a rock-off and have pretty much been rock ‘n’ roll’s all-powerful funny bone-tickling force for the past two decades. Therefore, you shouldn’t need any further invitation to their first showing here. Tickets: $98 (standard) $120 (door), available at eventclique.com

Fwends, you already know how much of a mythic night this is going to be. Having released their darkest and Trus’me boldest album yet 6 December @ kyo in The Terror and a beyond-bonkers Para//el reimagining of Sgt. presents Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in James Zabiela this year’s bafflingly 5 December @ Velvet Underground impeccable With – Dance a Little Help from My Fwends, Wayne Coyne and co. can be counted on to be even more spectacular in their live behaviour. It’s Trust a devout crate more than safe to digger to be able to say that this’ll be up This Southampton native thread disparate sounds is no stranger to the upper into an infectiously there with the live echelons of the dance powerful deluge. A highlights of the pantheon since his tech marvel since his debut – house and breakbeat and now classic – album year so make sure alchemy has wowed Working Nights, David you show up and multitudes on the stages Wolstencroft’s golden battle those pink of Kazantip, Godskitchen touch has seen house, robots. and Creamfields as well as techno and soul come on remixes for Radiohead, a long and storied way. Tickets: $98 Orbital and Röyksopp. Get with the journey (standard) $120 Get ready to move. this night. (door), available at Entry: $28/33 Entry: $20/25 (incl. two drinks) eventclique.com (incl. one drink)

Start off the month’s revels on a historic note as iconic UK label Hyperdub celebrates 10 glorious years of boundary-torching sounds on our very shores! Gracing the proceedings will be no less than its founder Steve Goodman, who, as Kode9, has set an irreplicable standard for dubstep, garage, drum and bass, jungle and dub reggae. Besides his two path-lighting albums Memories of the Future and Black Sun, he’s also given Burial a home in his stable and elevated the discourse of dance music worldwide.

Joining him will be Chicago juke forefather DJ Spinn, whose contributions to ghetto house, disco, juke, and ghetto-tech can be measured by just how helplessly bodies have surrendered to them the world over. Head over and prove the obvious. Entry: $28/35 (incl. one drink)

Pops of the Top

11 December @ Loof

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Ferry Corsten

20 December @ Zouk

Just as they’ve been the most indie-minded twosome for the better part of 2014, so will Ginette Chittick and Jinmart fly the flag until the year’s final days. Everything from Britpop to the glitter-caked rock of the Killers to the alteverything sounds of new kids like Bombay Bicycle Club awaits you. Reservations: email loof@loof.com.sg or call +65 9773 9304

Transfix presents Markus Schulz

19 December @ Zouk

It’s not difficult to see why Markus Schulz is known as the “unicorn slayer”. Combining prog, trance and house into a trifecta of propulsive sounds, he’s emerged as the hardest possible counterpoint to the softer side of trance. Hit play on “Do You Dream?” and “Remember This” before having him shake you in the flesh. Entry: $33/38 (incl. two drinks)

Darker Than Wax feat. Delano Smith 27 Decemeber @ kyo

Yes, you read right. This night you’ll In its latest partnership, be in the hands of the local sonic agitators one of the dance will lock arms with one world’s bona fide of the last members of the first wave of Detroit living legends. house for what’s shaping Starting out under up to be an almighty the moniker pairing. Personally System F in the coached by Motown’s first DJ Ken Collier, ‘90s, Corsten Para//el Bassic Smith can be trusted to stands amongst the deliver a wealth of house presents early pioneers of presents riches this night. Carl Craig Entry: $20/25 the classic trance Bonobo (incl. one drink) 26 December @ sound. And while (DJ set) Velvet Underground the transcendental 20 December @ swells of “Don’t Velvet Underground – Dance Simian Be Afraid” proved – Dance Mobile Disco irresistible, it 31 December @ kyo foretold that he’d grow out of the Rotterdam scene to engulf the world with his polyglot sounds. Gifting everything from Groomed by Derrick electro, EDM and What better way to cap May himself, Carl melodic trance with a great year of Bassic’s Craig is a giant on How lucky are we that whose shoulders stand James Ford and Jas Shaw an unmatchable irresistible rumblings with Bonobo? legions of indebted have elected to close verve showcased on than Bringing a cavernous beneficiaries. A hallowed the book on 2014 with hits like “Walhalla”, and heady pound to name in techno, Craig’s us? As we bid adieu to “Check It Out” and electronica, trip hop and explorative approach to 2014 and welcome the the discipline led him to dawn of 2015, it’s most “Many Ways”, he acid jazz, Simon Green has long been one of enrich it by reaching out appropriate that we can be counted on bass music’s foremost to the canons of funk, stand in the presence to spin you right authorities. Expect some soul and jazz, lending it of the group which has an exquisite dynamism. influenced everything round in the most hard-hitting but no less monumental ways. entrancing sounds on this Watch, listen, learn and from pop to techno with great outing. dance. its kinetic thrall. Entry: $33/38 Entry: $33/38 Entry: $28/33 Entry: $20/25 (incl. two drinks) (incl. one drink) (incl. two drinks) (incl. two drinks)

Parties

Electrico

@ The Substation Theatre Text: Indran P Image: Alvin Ho

What: Local heroes’ triumphant return Anyone tuned in to the pulse of the local musicverse will tell you this: Electrico absolutely rock. For more than a decade, the now-trio has been twinning pop and rock into an alchemic blend that inspires both contemplation and a body-movin’ good time. Following its emergence from a two-hear hiatus, the band was scheduled to play at this year’s incarnation of the Good Vibes Festival in Sepang, Malaysia, but had to cancel its set due to inclement weather. This unfortunate turn by the elements, however, led to one fantastically fortuitous consequence: the band got to take that very setlist back home and recreate it rollicking glory on home soil to home fans.

Who: Diehards and advocates of made-inSingapore rock ‘n’ roll Being the beacon of locally made modern rock, Electrico undoubtedly commands a loyal fanbase which can relied upon to compliment the energy of its songs. And it was this section of thoroughly devoted, patently pre-hip faithful that showed up to dance, cheer, sing along and scream. We don’t mean to be throwback-y, or forcibly nostalgic, but the swelling cries, palpably feel-good vibes and the fact the iconic Substation was the staging ground of such a performance really did take us back to a sweeter time.

How: Heart-on-sleeve rock Striding onstage to uproarious applause, frontman-guitarist Dave Tan, bassist Desmond Goh and drummer William Lim Jr wasted no time in launching themselves at the audience full throttle. After the blustery opener “Yanie”, the band unspooled its well-worn hits until the diptych of “Love in New Wave” and a scintillating cover of Oasis’ mega hit “Supersonic” signalled an even more frenzied and spirited secondhalf to come. And if an impassioned rendering of “Runaway” didn’t close the proceedings and leave us struck with anticipation of its future doings, its promise of new material to come most certainly did. Stay very tuned.

Parties

All Dressed Up

Before Electrico took to The Substation stage, we joined the band for a shopping trip to Onitsuka Tiger and Fred Perry, where the boys put together their onstage wardrobe and allowed us these peeks. As Dave tells us, “The time off has made us focus more on having fun,” and indeed, fun was had. Photography: Sweehuang Teo

At Fred Perry, the trio show off their haul of shirts and polo tees. Very preppy, we say, but in Dave’s words, also “very rock ‘n’ roll”

Electrico with their Onitsuka Tiger kicks, which include the Mexico 66 and Dave’s pick of the very fierce Colorado Eighty-Five MT in Tiger Camo

Parties

Heineken Green Room: The Transporter

@ Infinite Studios Text:Min Chen What: A long, strange trip Living up to its rep as a one-stop for electronic music of a cutting edge nature, Heineken Green Room came around again last month with gifts from a futuristic frontier. Presenting itself as The Transporter, this new edition served as a cosmic portal to new realms of sound and experience, with a line-up of inventive jocks, including Thomas Schumacher, Benoit & Sergio and DJ Intriguant, and a party that was all of out-of-this-world. HGR accomplished that by first commanding Infinite Studios, setting it aglow with Tron-like trimmings, before unleashing a night of audio-visual tricks that illuminated our heads, our feet and the bottles in our hands.

Who: Our friendly community of electronic fiends and scenesters Since HGR already prides itself on its exploration of new and now sonic bounds, it’s only natural that it continues to attract like minds and bodies. Those gathered for The Transporter were similarly discerning in taste and electronically inclined, not excluding a number of HGR regulars and familiar faces who’ve shaped our own dance community. All eagerly supped on ice-cold Heinekens, did their turns at the photo station and stood in anticipation for the night’s envelopepushing entertainment.

How: Tomorrow, here we come Local light DJ Intriguant had the honour of opening the night with a set that leaned left toward hip hop-coloured tones and atmospheric textures. From there, things went intergalactic as Benoit & Sergio stepped up with a plump sonic narrative that defied the trappings of genre and gravity. While utterly cosmic in its techhouse blend, the duo also bore a visceral force that benefitted those on the floor. ‘Twas a feat that Thomas Schumacher then effortlessly matched just by showing up with his reputation and record bag. One of the key figureheads of the German electronic scene, Schumacher wasted no time in getting his deep house and techno in order, and weaving an eclectic set built with sonic intrepidity and soulmoving power. With all the above beats mingling with the sci-fi light and shadows cast across the dancefloor, as well as Heineken’s motion-andmusic-activated igNITE bottles on hand, this HGR serving wasn’t just downright cinematic, but futuristic too in its unveiling of all tomorrow’s electronic dimensions.