Showing 1 - 10 of 15
Blossoming of hope
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 01/12/2020
» Alex Face aka Patcharapol Tangruen -- a renowned Thai artist -- has always been aware that his works will not last forever. While he may create an incredibly impressive mural today, it might be erased tomorrow as it is either painted over or the wall is simply torn down. The Covid-19 pandemic has only emphasised the fact that many things are vulnerable and uncertain. During the lockdown, Alex's wife ordered flowers for their home and the artist and his 11-year-old daughter created their own still life paintings of blossoms and wilting flowers. His iconic character -- a moody-looking three-eyed childlike figure in a rabbit suit -- is also included in a painting, and that is how he began creating his latest collection titled "Monument Of Hope".
Too cruel to contemplate
Life, Chris Baker, Published on 07/08/2020
» The silhouette at the top right of this achingly beautiful book cover recalls a famous photograph from the Thammasat massacre of Oct 6, 1976. The photo showed a dead man hung from a tree being beaten by a chair while a ring of people watch. The silhouette is deliberately ghostly. The incident is well-known but little known. The photo is famous but the dead man, the man wielding the chair, and the prominent bystanders have never been identified. Even the location of the tree is uncertain. The whole event is full of "unanswered questions". The memory of the incident is in a limbo which Thongchai Winichakul calls "the unforgetting".
Sounds of change
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 05/08/2020
» A universal language? A medium to send messages across? Therapy? Or mere entertainment? Music serves different purposes and has been known to have great power over the human psyche.
Music with a message
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 17/03/2020
» After releasing the viral anti-junta single Prathet Ku Mee (What My Country's Got) two years ago, rap group Rap Against Dictatorship has not ceased to confront the government through their music, including well-known songs like 250 So Plo (250 Bootlickers), Before Darkness and To Whom It May Concern.
A matter of time
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 01/03/2020
» After almost a year-long build-up, Kevin Parker's latest offering under project Tame Impala is finally here. The album, their fourth following 2015's Currents, was first teased in March last year with lead single Borderline.
Hip-hop's fresh, new voice
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 26/01/2020
» The first time Thailand was bitten by the rap/hip-hop bug was way back in the mid-90s, when the then unknown Joey Boy introduced the sound and singlehandedly dominated the genre with a slew of hits ranging from Fun, Fun, Fun to Samakom Ta Chan Diew and Loy Talay. Despite being a playful, largely pop-oriented rapper, there's no denying that he was the one who paved the way for daring trailblazers like Fukking Hero, Buddha Bless and Thaitanium.
In da paddy, yo: Thai hip hop's new homegrown stars
Published on 19/01/2020
» In geography and in culture, the rice paddies of northeastern Thailand are thousands of miles away from the birthplace of hip hop in New York City's Bronx, but for Thai rapper RachYo, the language of hip hop is universal.
Top 25 Singles of 2019 (Part II)
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 29/12/2019
» As tradition dictates, we rummaged through some 200 singles we'd reviewed over the past 12 months and narrowed it down to 25. Here's what we learned in 2019: Thai fusion is still very much a go-to for most up-and-coming bands including Southern Boys and Suthep Entertainment, who both look to their roots for inspiration. This year also had its fair share of blazingly political moments, thanks to Solange, Lana Del Rey and our own rap troupe Rap Against Dictatorship. One final note, even though this list is split into two parts spreading across this and next week, these tracks are not ranked and their order is completely arbitrary in nature.
Top 25 singles of 2019 (Part I)
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 22/12/2019
» As promised last week, we've gone back through the 200 or so singles we reviewed over the past 12 months, narrowing them down to our favourite 25. But before we get on with the first part of the list, here's what we learned in 2019.
Death Becomes Us
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 03/11/2019
» Well, what do you know -- Foals have managed to pull it off after all. The English indie-rock mainstay finally follows up their Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1, released back in March, with the second and final instalment. In Part 1, frontman Yannis Philippakis and co got political with tracks like Exits and Sunday while dutifully filling the quota for danceable indie bangers with On The Luna and In Degrees. On the production side, it swung from indie rock and new-wave to funk and disco -- a classic Foals album through and through.