Showing 41 - 50 of 332
Blast off into the not-too-distant past
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 27/10/2019
» Beadadoobee's backstory is one we're all familiar with: aspiring artist puts out a clip of themselves playing acoustic guitar in their bedroom on YouTube. The video goes viral, et voilà, a star is born. For Manila-born, London-based singer-songwriter Bea Kristi, it all began in 2017 with a cover of Karen O's The Moon Song and her own composition, a two-minute-long acoustic number called Coffee. The latter, set to simple guitar chords and earnest lyrics, has since inspired several covers performed by fans all around the world.
The S.L.P. Experience
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 15/09/2019
» When Sergio Lorenzo Pizzorno came out with his first solo single, Favourites, back in June, we were pleasantly surprised. The song, an unlikely collaboration with UK rapper Little Simz, gave us an early glimpse into what could be expected from Pizzorno's solo project -- a whole lot of wacky swagger coated with a good amount of sonic experimentation. Listening to it closely, you can easily detect that indie impishness of his band Kasabian as well as the genre-hopping tendencies of Gorillaz. It's an impressive balancing act of breakbeat backdrop and funky basslines that sounds entirely new and familiar all at once.
From his home base
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 22/09/2019
» It's not often that the success of an artist can be attributed to his/her talent alone. Without the full backing of a major label, most artists would struggle to get the sort of exposure required to bring them international recognition. Thai singer-songwriter Phum Viphurit, however, is an extraordinary exception. Signed to Bangkok's bona fide indie label Rats Records, the young singer-songwriter showed immense potential from the get-go with his 2014 English-language debut single Adore. Since then, he has delivered gem after gem, dealing in breezy folky rock perfect for a road trip to the seaside or a session around the campfire.
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.
So long Hawaiian shirt, hello disco ball
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 25/08/2019
» The wait for and the painfully gradual lead-up to the release of Friendly Fires' third studio album, Inflorescent, have been a year-long affair, a process that began early last year with a quiet banger Love Like Waves. The way the album unfolds over the course of 15 months is perhaps not the most ideal in the age of music streaming where artists and labels have to appease elusive algorithms and metadata by constantly pumping out what they hope would be a next big smash.
Fight The Fear
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 01/09/2019
» In his 1818 poem When I Have Fears, English Romantic poet John Keats talks about death anxiety, touching upon all of the things he wouldn't be able to achieve and/or experience before his demise. This universal fear has continued to resonate today, especially in the age where fear of missing out is constantly triggered by social media and unrelenting hyperconnectivity. The poem, too, has struck a chord with rising Dublin five-piece The Murder Capital and gone on to inspire their eponymous debut studio album rooted firmly in art-rock and post-punk traditions.
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.
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).
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.
Pegged For Greatness
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 11/08/2019
» Not too long ago, a conversation we had surrounding rising South Korean DJ Peggy Gou led to the general consensus that she was "a fashion DJ". While necessarily not an overt affront, "fashion DJ" seems to connote inferiority -- a lesser kind of DJ who banks on his/her looks rather than musical skills. Given Gou's meteoric rise and her inevitable involvement in the fashion world (she went to fashion school, after all), it's easy to dismiss her musicianship altogether and forget that she's accomplished so much more than just landing luxury ad campaigns.