Eight releases that lit up the Singapore music scene in 2015
SINGAPORE — It’s no exaggeration to suggest that 2015 was probably the best year ever for Singapore-made music since the heydays of the 1960s (aka the Golden Age of Singa-pop) and the 1990s (Singa-pop: The Next Generation).
SINGAPORE — It’s no exaggeration to suggest that 2015 was probably the best year ever for Singapore-made music since the heydays of the 1960s (aka the Golden Age of Singa-pop) and the 1990s (Singa-pop: The Next Generation).
A flurry of lauded recordings and well-received concert performances hogged public attention — with SG50 providing an added boost and radio stations actually playing local music on a regular basis, such as Lush99.5, which appeared to lead as the radio station champion for local English music, thanks in part to its #lushloveslocal campaign gaining traction.
Beyond our shores, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO) brought several Singapore bands and singers, including SA Collective, Take Two, Charlie Lim, Gentle Bones, Pleasantry, Caracal and THELIONCITYBOY to Beijing, London and New York as part of the Singapore: Inside Out initiative, which provided more evidence of the ascent of Singapore-made music in 2015.
In that context, it was difficult to narrow down the albums that, in our view, made a significant impact — whether artistically and/or commercially — in specific musical genres and styles, but we’ve done it and here it is: Our list of favourite albums of 2015.
This list is not meant to be taken as exhaustive or definitive. It’s merely the tip of an iceberg that, with the right support, will breakthrough into the mainstream in 2016 and beyond.
The Sam Willows’ Take Heart
This was the story of the year for Singapore music, as The Sam Willows released its major label debut Take Heart on Oct 30. The quartet has managed to become the first South-east Asian artist to crack Spotify’s Global Viral Top 50 and Singapore’s Best Artist on iTunes. Produced in Sweden by Harry Sommerdahl, the album combined the band’s inherent melodic folk tunes with a shiny EDM-pop sheen that captured the imagination of teens both at home and abroad. The sky is the limit for The Sam Willows, and they probably have the best opportunity for Singapore music to break into the world music stage.
SHIGGA SHAY
True to the original spirit of rap, ShiGGa Shay has produced observational songs, especially about life in Singapore (a prime example being his 2013 hit single LimPeh). This eponymous debut album finds ShiGGa Shay at the top of his game, with tracks such as Lion City Kia, Sialah and Ang Moh Pai continuing on where LimPeh left off. The fact that these songs are not allowed on national radio (because of the Singlish lyrics) makes his achievements even more amazing. In this respect, ShiGGa Shay has created a new art form, one that embraces the local vernacular while marrying the same with US hip-hop norms.
.GIF’s SOMA
This unassuming duo — the laid-back Din and idiosyncratic woman-child weish — creates minimal, hypnotic, sample-based soundscapes that soothe, but are still edgy enough to keep things intriguing. After a well-received EP, Saudade, in late 2013, .gif (pronounced “dot jif”) offered this debut full-length album, which was an eye-opener that came with surprisingly sophisticated beats and welsh’s impassioned vocals. It impressed listeners with quality tracks such as Blanche, Sate (featuring TAJ’s Tim De Cotta), Juvenile and Godspeed.
CHARLIE LIM’s TIME/SPACE
Singer-songwriter Charlie Lim may be best known for his heart-wrenching melancholic ballads, but apposite to that is the jazz-infused soul man behind tracks such as crowd favourites Conspiracy and Knots. Lim’s debut album is actually two EPs, and Time/Space is intended to showcase each side of his musical personas. But his strength lies in the aforementioned ballads where words and music combine to capture hearts and souls. Gem tracks: Choices, Light Breaks In and I Only Tell the Truth.
IN EACH HAND A CUTLASS’ THE KRAKEN
Post-rock has been a mainstay in the Singapore indie music scene for some time now; and one of its leading lights is undoubtably In Each Hand A Cutlass (IEHAC). With its sophomore effort, The Kraken, IEHAC unleashed a sonic leviathan that mined more expansive influences — progressive and psychedelic rock. Central to this conceit was the three-part title track that demonstrated the band’s ambition and ability to encapsulate the virtual breadth of instrumental rock history.
CASHEW CHEMISTS’ PREVIOUSLY ON ...
It’s meaty, it’s beaty, it’s big and bouncy. Power-pop still has a place in modern rock and, thankfully, a band such as Cashew Chemists understands exactly how vibrant and exciting this musical form can be without any consideration to the hip and cool factor. This EP is a breath of fresh air in a scene sometimes too distracted with the relevance of musical forms to appreciate the beauty of the music right before them. The opening track Feel Amazing is an instant classic many times over and a wonder to behold.
CHEATING SONS
Three years in the making, this labour of love showcases the principle that music is its own reward. Informed by multilayered textures of seminal 1960s albums such as Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and Music From Big Pink by The Band; Cheating Sons’ eponymous sophomore effort is without a doubt one of the best Singapore rock albums ever, filled with sophistication and musicality, and featuring excellent songs such as Mercy Of Cain And Abel, Carry Me Down and Patriarch. Essential listening, indeed.
INCH’s LETTERS TO UBIN
With songs inspired by Pulau Ubin, both in terms of words, music and even sounds, iNCH’s spiritual bond with Ubin, with implications and reflections on Singapore’s journey through the decades of material progress and prosperity, has made the EP quite possibly the ultimate SG50 reflection. Songs such as Mousedeer, Simple Kind Of Love, Granite, Breakbone and Dust That Moves are, collectively, an electro-pop rumination of the meaning of life here and now, in the year we will always remember as SG50.
The above albums are available on iTunes, Bandcamp and Spotify.