The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 08 Jul 2011 03:44 AM PDT Electro-pop outfit Tenderfist is revving up its career with newly recorded material and a broader fan-base. AT a recent edition of the Deer Society's indie dance night in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the hipster masses proved that homegrown electro-pop has hit a nerve when the deejay dropped Tenderfist's new single This Wasted Heart during the party's business end. It literally swept the crowd into a singalong frenzy. It was also a rare case of clubbers grooving to – and turning – a local indie act's single into a word-of-mouth anthem. In Tenderfist's case, the group is steadily conquering one dancefloor at a time in the Klang Valley. Yet there is nothing flashy or fanciful about this highly committed outfit. Two months ago, the sight of the Tenderfist duo – brothers Edzwan (vocals/guitar/synths) and Faiq (drums/sequencer/synths) lugging their own equipment, plugging in an early live set at Twilight Actiongirl's deejay night at Zouk KL and later setting up a table outside to sell its new single (This Wasted Heart) until closing time at 3am underlined a hardworking ethic at play here. These days – whether you see Tenderfist at a phone launch event or taking on the hip hop masses at rapper/collaborator Arabyrd's private party – you're bound to take notice of the group's new found zest on stage. Be it Edzwan, or better know as Wan, 28, lighting up the melancholic tunes or Faiz, 22, attempting a funky dance move when nobody is watching, these dudes are upping their public profile. There is nothing static about Tenderfist's career momentum. But how did these guys loosen up? Anyone who attended the Norwegian acoustic duo Kings of Convenience show in Kuala Lumpur last year would tell you that the last 20 minutes of the show was absolutely magical. It was a perfect combo of frontman Erlend Øye's silly antics and the playful tunefulness of I'd Rather Dance With You set uncharacteristically to electro grooves (watch the video at tenderfist.senipekik.com). It turned out to be the clincher in an absolutely memorable night of music. Putting Øye's panache for choppy dance moves aside, let's not forget the crucial "electro beats and blips" element that helped send the music on its merry way. It was opening act Tenderfist supplying the beats. In a way, opening a show for Kings of Convenience signified Tenderfist (with key collaborator Nazri, 31, on synths/sampler, now on hiatus) coming full circle. Let's hit the rewind button and go back to the Jens Lekman show in KL in 2008, the event that helped set the course of Tenderfist. "It was one of the best shows I've ever been to," shared Wan enthusiastically, "There were just two people on stage, Viktor (Sjöberg) manning his laptop and trigger finger and Jens singing and playing his guitar. But the sound they got was amazing – strings, bells and horns and, most importantly, it was a set brimming with heartfelt pop melodies. I was completely blown away and totally inspired, and I realised at that moment that this is what I want to do if I was in a band." The band had the opportunity to spend some time with the critically acclaimed Swedish singer-songwriter in KL. It was an experience he later conveyed to Øye. So when Tenderfist started getting some songs together and playing shows, the group introduced some of the tracks to Lekman who, in turn, uploaded onto his blog a video of the band performing, which was picked up by Øye who liked the track. So when the opportunity came for Kings of Convenience to play in Malaysia, there was only one band on its mind to be the opening act; Wan appears deeply grateful about this chain of events. "We are so grateful for that. It was a great opportunity, and it opened other opportunities as well." And from then on, Tenderfist never looked back as it slotted itself nicely into a niche, combining electro undercurrents with heartfelt songs. As music geeks, the band also claims New Order, The Smiths, Arthur Russell, Kate Bush and most of the Mute catalogue as key influences. Before Tenderfist, the music scene was largely polarised between the more dance-heavy deejay/electro acts and the indie pop/rock bands. But with Tenderfist, both elements sit somewhat comfortably together, neither looking to outshine the other too much. Of course, the big question is, is the music scene ready for a band like Tenderfist? Here is a group that prefers the subtle live approach to swinging guitars and ear-bashing volume. "It is a challenge, especially when we perform with rocking bands and their noisy guitars. We often have to compete with charisma and awesome showmanship," said Wan frankly, before switching to a more upbeat note. "The bands we've played with have driven us to be better. We are really shy, and sometimes the awkwardness shows. These days, we try to incorporate visual elements to our shows." Believe it or not, Tenderfist only learned how to play electronic music after watching that Jens Lekman show. In the confines of their home studios, the band members slowly dabbled with toy keyboards, synths and gradually started making original music together. "One of the reasons why it took a few years to finally release something is because we spent those few years learning to play," explained Wan. "We were just lucky that there were people out there who were interested." With a new-found mastery and confidence in their chosen genre, the band decided that the time was right to release its first single, This Wasted Heart (featuring Hana of Lucy In The Loo fame), Everything's Gone and It's Sunday, We're Alive as B-sides and a music video. The band has also aligned itself with the Seni Pekik imprint. "Zul (of Akta Angkasa) approached us and basically told us he wanted to help us release an album under his Seni Pekik label," he revealed. "We decided to release the single first before dropping the album later this year. We pretty much did all the recording ourselves. You could say we were making pop music the punk rock way. It was a good learning experience. We won't be mixing our album, though. We're not that crazy." Appropriate to the kind of songs the group seems to churn out with ease, Wan's face lights up when talking about the 1980s, an era he obviously holds dear. His particular passion? John Hughes' movies. "Maybe when we hit a certain age, we'll understand what being a teenager is all about. John Hughes' movies were all about that – what it means to be a teenager," said Wan, who mentions Pretty In Pink and Some Kind Of Wonderful as his favourite Hughes movies. This conversation goes off in several tangents – music talk, movies, studio gear (the dinky Casio keyboards, Roland sequencers, Korg Mono/Poly, etc), right to the dreams of having Tenderfist releases on vinyl. But to wrap things up at this interview, we asked Wan to tell us something about the mysterious music enigma that is Erland Øye, the man who, in a way, gave the band a stage to shine on. "He is afraid of ikan bilis. True story." ■ More Tenderfist info at (www.face book.com/tenderfist). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Cook pays tribute to his brother Posted: 07 Jul 2011 06:40 PM PDT David Cook's latest album is filled with his late brother's presence, he says. WHEN David Cook competed in American Idol in 2008, he often paid tribute to his eldest brother Adam by playing a guitar emblazoned with the latter's initials 'AC'. When he won the reality TV competition, Adam was in the live audience at the grand final despite suffering from a brain tumour. Even now, two years after Adam has died, Cook feels his late brother's presence. "I think he permeated this record," the 28-year-old singer says of his recently released second album, This Loud Morning. "I tried not to blatantly write about him but when I sing 'Give me one more quiet before this loud morning', I'd be lying if I said that when I woke up some mornings, he wasn't the first thing on my mind. He's in most of the songs in this record, in one form or another." He was on the telephone from Hanoi, Vietnam, where he was about to play a show. His gigs these days are a far cry from his pre-American Idol days when he used to play to empty bars and clubs, he says. Before American Idol, he had self-released an album in 2006 called Analog Heart, which sold just 1,800 copies. After the popular reality TV contest, his self-titled second album sold more than one million copies and he produced two singles, The Time Of My Life and Light On, that made it to the Top 20 of the American pop charts. While he is buoyed by his improved fortunes in the music business, he is also careful to temper expectations for This Loud Morning. He says: "I think I'm conscious enough of the fact that one-half of the music business is business and so obviously I want to do well enough to have another record. But I let other people worry about the numbers. I feel like if I put out good records and play good shows, then the record will do what it is supposed to do. And so far, that theory has got me to this point." The bachelor adds that he loves performing in Asia and wants to play in this region although no concrete plans have been made yet. "One of my favourite shows was just over two years ago when we played in Manila and this massive crowd showed up, over 100,000. I went back to the States the next day and I played somewhere in Ohio and something like 800 people showed up. It's still a good-sized crowd for a new artiste but 100,000 is a lot more," he deadpans. He says he still watches American Idol and has high praises for this year's winner, 17-year-old country singer Scotty McCreery. "Scotty was great on the show and he's going to be a fantastic ambassador for the show. Country artists sell records, so I don't see why he will be any different. I think he has a bright future and I think of runner-up Lauren Alaina the same way," says Cook, who is nothing if not diplomatic. He is also Mr Nice Guy on the topic of the show's new judges, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, who replaced Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. "Comparisons are tough. Paula and Simon had nine years to get it right. So far Steven and J. Lo had one. "I will say that they are a great shot in the arm for the show and I look forward to them progressing." – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network ■ David Cook's This Loud Morning is released by Sony Music. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 07 Jul 2011 06:39 PM PDT Warner Music Malaysia rolls out a comprehensive reissues campaign with 220 titles in the Super Cheap series. IF you need to push back catalogue titles, then you got to get the quality and variety right. It helps that Warner Music Malaysia can dip into a vast back catalogue from the legendary Atlantic, Reprise, Elektra, Nonesuch, Asylum and Sire vaults for a budget priced CD campaign. Add the EMI stable of labels like Capitol, Virgin, Parlophone, Blue Note and Liberty to the Warner equation, and you have a whopping 220 titles to carry off the current season of the Super Cheap CD campaign. The best part of this reissue fest is the wide array of imported CDs on offer, including nifty Rhino editions complete with liner notes, hardstock cardboard packaging and also a whole load of highly rated compilations back on the racks with DVD bonus editions. The list is too long to mention, you'll just have to visit the participating music stores to suss out the selections. From soul, jazz rock and blues right down to country and New Wave, the titles are a treat for back catalogue fans. Any recommendations? Take for instance, Emmylou Harris' bumper Anthology – The Warner Reprise Years (2CD) and punk legends Ramones' Hey Ho, Let's Go! Anthology (2CD) which are definite highlights alongside soul man Lou Rawl's You'll Never Find Another: The Best Of career-spanning package, Glenn Campbell's exhaustive The Capitol Years (2CD) and Brit electro act OMD's Messages: Greatest Hits (CD/DVD) reissue. Among the new compilations added to this campaign include titles by Morrissey, The Verve, The Specials, New Order, Supergrass, Pet Shop Boys, David Bowie, Steve Miller Band, Dr John, Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Joy Division and Associates. For single-disc collections, each title is priced at RM 29.90, while the double-disc edition retails at RM33.90. Campaign ends on Aug 31. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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