Showing 21 - 30 of 39
This woman's work
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 24/11/2019
» "A woman's work/ A woman's prerogative/ A woman's time to embrace/ She must put herself first," the opening verse of Mary Magdalene from FKA twigs' latest full-length album is sung from the perspective of a fallen woman whose fate runs parallel to that of the titular figure. Following her much publicised break-up with actor Robert Pattinson as well as some serious health issues, the English artist finds common ground with the Biblical character.
The grey area
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 10/11/2019
» To this day, no one can really say for certain what happened to Dear Tommy, a supposed follow-up to Chromatics' stunning 2012 opus Kill For Love. According to the popular (and, perhaps, most credible) myth, the record and its previously released singles were scrapped entirely by the band's producer Johnny Jewel, re-recorded, and then … silence. Dear Tommy, it seems, is being put on the back burner, and in its place we have their latest release, Closer To Grey, instead.
Driving ambition
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 13/10/2019
» Brisbane-born singer-songwriter and rapper Grace Shaw is not afraid to dream big. "Anything is possible if you just say that you're going to do it. That's honestly such a lifehack," she said recently in an interview with Fader. Shaw, who performs as Mallrat, went on to mention that she hopes to one day write songs for artists like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Camila Cabello. Her aspirations may sound rather ambitious, especially for a relatively new talent. But looking at the 21-year-old's resume, which includes two solid EP releases, a tour with fellow Aussie rapper Allday and opening for Post Malone, you can't help but wonder that she might be on to something.
Portrait Of An Artist
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 06/10/2019
» "I just don't wanna be back in this place again/ I mean, I done cried a little/ Tried a little, failed a little/ I don't wanna do it again," Brittany Howard confesses on History Repeats, a funky opener to her solo debut Jaime. Built on acid jazz and neo-soul groove, the song bustles with the genre-blurring spirit of her former band Alabama Shakes and her own irreverent energy. Singing those words, Howard sounds empowered and energised like a weight has been lifted. "History repeats and we defeat ourselves/ Come on everybody, one more time again," before you know it, the song turns into an infectious anthem, leaving in its wake a glimpse into her self-discovery that would go on to define the rest of the album.
Forever is a long time
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 29/09/2019
» Let's be frank, bands like Metronomy are hard to come by these days. Call us myopic, but we honestly can't think of any up-and-coming groups who would be savvy enough to come up with classic indie jams like A Thing For Me, The Look, The Bay and Everything Goes My Way. A knack for blending eclectic genres seems to come naturally to the UK quartet, a gift that served them especially well from 2008's Nights Out through to 2014's Love Letters.
Snowed in
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 08/09/2019
» "If I lay here/ If I just lay here/ Would you lie with me/ And just forget the world?" Honestly, it's hard not to automatically think of the devastating chorus of Chasing Cars whenever the band Snow Patrol is mentioned. To a great extent, the Northern Irish/Scottish quintet have American hospital drama Grey's Anatomy to thank for single-handedly popularising the song through one of the series' heart-rending season finales. Snow Patrol suddenly became a household name worldwide, continuing the legacy of post-Britpop previously jump-started by bands like Travis, Coldplay and Keane.
A glow of satisfaction
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 18/08/2019
» In 2017, the world got to know singer-songwriter Mattiel Brown and her band (guitarist Jonah Swilley, bassist Travis Murphy and drummer Jordan Manley) for the first time. Collectively called Mattiel, the up-and-coming quartet made quite an impression with their self-titled debut -- so much so that they garnered an endorsement from Jack White. Since then, the hype surrounding the band has been nothing short of palpable. People are genuinely excited by Mattiel's sound, which takes cues from rock'n'roll legends like The Ramones, The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground, and garage/punk icons like Patti Smith and The Clash.
On her own terms
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 28/07/2019
» Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Yunalis Zara'ai, aka Yuna, has come a long way since her MySpace days and her 2012 Pharrell Williams-produced self-titled debut. While her early materials exist mostly in the dreamy realm of folk-infused indie-pop, her subsequent output has crossed over into the R&B/hip-hop territory in a way that not many pop upstarts could pull off (her third international studio album, Chapters, welcomes guest appearances from some of the biggest names in R&B like Usher and Jhené Aiko).
Dreaming awake
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 21/07/2019
» "What's that? (I may be paranoid, but no android)/ What's that? (I may be paranoid, but no android)," Thom Yorke sings on the lead single off Radiohead's third studio album, 1997's OK Computer.
Setting it off
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 14/07/2019
» From its humble start lurking in the shadows of J-pop to partially dominating the globe, the unstoppable power of K-pop has been fascinating to witness. Today, in the hazy wake of the Gangnam Style craze, the genre has grown to have its own annual convention, KCON, which is aimed to celebrate South Korean culture at various locations around the world. In North America, K-pop boy bands and girl bands are being received with open arms. Groups like seven-member boyband BTS have even gone so far as to win 2017's Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist, beating pop royalty like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande.