Outside (Xander Smith) | 4.5/5

SINGAPORE — Modern rock singer-songwriter Xander Smith has had a checkered musical career thus far but music fans will be thankful that Smith never gave up on his artistic obsessions. Whatever criticisms one might have about the contemporary music industry worldwide, at least modern technology has allowed fairly obscure artists like Smith to continue making music and get it out to people who can appreciate it. Outside is Smith’s sophomore effort and it is another fine example of a songwriting process that is able to embrace styles and elements across genres, taking the best of one’s influences and inspirations and coming up with something fairly distinct and unique. It may be argued that Smith imbues “classic” pop-rock making with a post-punk sensibility, resulting in a timeless quality that will not age when trends exist past their sell-by date. Tracks like Say Anything, Until Always and Seventeen provide a widescreen kaleidoscopic musical smorgasbord that defy easy categorisation, except the most critical one: This is great music.