Enough of Electrico and The Great Spy Experiment already. The local music scene today is in a rude state of health. From hip hop acts with live instrumentation and ambient sound-scapers to straightforward rock ’n’ rollers, these acts demand to be heard. Here are our pick of seven Singaporean bands that ought to be on your radar.

Basement In My Loft

The sound: Basement In My Loft are not your typical cookie-cutter band. With so many up-and-coming bands coming from Singapore, it can be hard to tell them apart, but after hearing their brand of noise rock-slash-melodic grunge, change is certainly afoot. Their tunes are generally bipolar, veering from lilting melodies to raucous power-rock riffs,a blend that should satisfy anyone who dug the grunge-rock era of the mid 90s.

The story: Despite only having met and formed after an open-mic night at the Singapore Art Museum last October, the trio of Adrian Jones, Dzaf Dzefro and Zhong Ren, collectively known as Basement In My Loft (BIML), are all set to release an album this weekend at Baybeats. Entitled See The Rhyme In The Dirt & Grime, the album consists of 12 tracks that, according to frontman Jones, “follow a theme of moving forward and away from struggle, being honest with oneself, one’s own hang-ups and doing something to change them, transcending fears that pull us down and re-writing the script of life.”

The melodies on the album seduce listeners with their simplicity, and Jones’ earnest lyrics lift them above ear-candy-sets by your average band. One of eight bands that made it through the Baybeats Auditions platform, Basement In My Loft are looking forward to rocking the Esplanade Waterfront this weekend. “It’s all so new,” gushes Jones. “Having an album out with at least 10 potential “Number Ones” on it is an achievement. After only being together for four months, we were over the moon when we saw the reactions of the judges at Baybeats. It was fulfilling and extremely encouraging.”
Catch them at Baybeats or listen to them at www.myspace.com/basementinmyloft.

Elektone

The sound: An amalgamation of futuristic sounds fusing synth-pop, space-y guitar riffs, twee and other electronic beat-filled melodies.

The Story: We at I-S can never get enough of forward thinking, dance-friendly bands. Taking their cue from acts like New Order, Depeche Mode, Phorous, Giorgio Moroder and Club Ecstasy (remember them?), Elektone is made up of the button-pushing and guitar-strumming trio of Zulfadly, Eswandy and Aze, who pretty much work out of their bedrooms. The songs they make “reflect all the crazy things that can only happen in a cold and dense urbanistic environment.” Elektone’s Eswandy describes the band’s style as “A mix of 4:4 and broken beats with minimal guitars and hooky synth lines.”

If you manage to catch one of the band’s very rare public appearances, you’re sure to appreciate their talent. They’ve opened for the likes of Jens Lekman, Montag, Dyko,and Goodnight Electric and have played alongside acts such as Sonicbrat, The Oddfellows, The Karl Maka and Plus Nueva. Songs like “Wait” and “Damn This Disco” with its dreamy vocals, soft synths, and disco drum-loops are evidence of the trio’s sensitivity to melody and groove. “We want to make it sound like the feeling you have of unexplained gratitude for smoke machines, crazy lasers and glitzy disco balls, while at the same time telling yourself, ‘Damn this disco lah’,” explains Eswandy.
Catch them at Baybeats or log on to www.elektone.com.

Indus Gendi

The sound: “Our music sounds heavier than how we look. But then again there’s still that whimsical and light-hearted feeling to it. We sound happy at times, angry and woeful at other times,” explains vocalist Esther Low of seven-piece band Indus Gendi. She points out that the band’s influences run from the Arctic Monkeys, We Are Scientists and Interpol to Björk, Bats for Lashes, Cocteau Twins and Asobi Seksu. But before you think the band is schizophrenic, we assure you that their sound is cohesive, catchy and suitably dark.

The story: Formed in 2006, Indus Gendi have an absorbing sound that makes them one of the more promising local bands around. Layering soaring guitar riffs (courtesy of I Am David Sparkle’s Amran Khamis) with Low’s sweet vocals lends their sound a slightly bleak and depressing tone, despite their cheery outlook. As for the name, they say it’s a riff on the words “indie” and “jazz,” after guitarist Arif wrote an indie rock tune with jazzy elements. “We thought Indus Gendi looked less retarded than Indazz Jandie,” says Low.

Their much-anticipated upcoming album, I’ll Be Good If You Say Yes, is slated for an October release and Low says it pretty much revolves around topics close to home. “Being Singaporean affects what kind of songs we decide to write, whether directly or indirectly. We probably don’t even know it because our culture and the environment we grew up in are things we often take for granted. For example when I wrote the lyrics for “Child” (a single from the album), about a child-like hope for a better tomorrow, I was hoping that my GST Offset Package would come sooner.”
Check out Indus Gendi at www.myspace.com/indusgendi or listen to “Child” from their upcoming album I’ll Be Good If You Say Yes at dl.dropbox.com/u/8303021/Child 140710.wav.

The Pinholes

The sound: They call their music “highly funky and highly soulful tropical rock ‘n’ roll, Singapura-style.” Read: retro-licious 60s-styled tunes blended with modern rock.

The story: Catching The Pinholes play is like going through Austin Power’s whirly time machine; with Go-Go girls dressed in paisley mini dresses with bell sleeves dancing in the foreground. Frontman’s Famie’s tongue-in-cheek take on living in ever-changing Singapore has struck a chord among music fans here and abroad—they played at one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world, South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas earlier this year (the third Singapore band to do so after Electrico, The Great Spy Experiment and I Am David Sparkle). “It was great to get featured at this year SXSW and the experience itself was priceless. We even managed to spread the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games over there (via ‘alternative’ YOG theme and new single, “Youth of Gold”, geddit?),” says Famie of the band’s experience in Texas.

Together since 2005, the band owe their retro stylings to their obsession with the romanticism of the Singapore music scene in the 60s—an era when people actually flocked to gigs to hear local bands play and when Singapore-made music mattered. “I think we have lost those values along with the fun and vibrancy that should accompany a punk-pop gig,” Famie laments. The band will be releasing a new album, Ready To Go, at the end of the year, featuring new material alongside songs from their 2006 five track EP, Longlive Rock N Roll.
Tune in to The Pinholes’ new single “Ready To Go” at thepinholes.bandcamp.com. Log on to www.thepinholes.net for more information.

Sixx

The sound: Some of the freshest hip hop and urban grooves this side of Asia, coupled with live instrumentation, vocals and rapping. Although hip hop is big here with the proliferation of DJs, B-Boy groups and emcees, Sixx are one of very few acts (maybe the only one, for that matter) that successfully fuse urban grooves with rock’s veracity.

The story: Despite the name, there are actually nine band members. Explains rapping wordsmith Kevin Lester, “We were connected by ‘six degrees of separation.’ It’s always a laugh when we come on stage, people always expect a sextet but suddenly they see the stage spilling off with musicians! We can’t imagine how Sixx would sound without any one of us, everyone has something unique to add.” With catchy songs, belying great depth in their lyrics and instrumentation, Sixx are one act that truly lives up to the well-worn boast of “keeping it real.” Explains Lester, “We want to make music that relates to people. Sixx has its feet dipped into hip hop for sure but it’s the other genres we’re exposed to, that gives us a fresh perspective on music. One day, someone is talking about Broken Social Scene, another day it’s Lupe Fiasco, then Erykah Badu, James Brown or MJ. We allow ourselves to listen to each other’s tastes and try it at least once. No-one will grow musically otherwise.”

To date, the band have performed at a number of big gigs, including the recent Street Revolution Jam during the Singapore Street Festival, Sentosa’s Music by the Beach and Sunburst KL Music Festival. The band recently made news online and off when they were bumped off the schedule due to time constraints at the recent SingFest. Nevertheless, they hold their heads up high and look forward to performing more gigs here. “Every performance should be given like it could be your last, we push ourselves to create good music so that you leave wanting more,” says Lester.
Let Sixx get your party started. Log on to www.myspace.com/ilovesixx to hear more, or catch them live at Tab on Aug 21 from 8pm.

Trella

The sound: Now fronted by For This Cycle’s WeiWen Seah (after frontman Zach’s departure in 2009), the quintet retain the same painstaking commitment to writing finely crafted, straight-up alternative rock songs with a slight emo tip, now backed up by Seah’s vocal prowess and stage presence.

The story: After watching this young band (frontman Seah is barely out of his teens) perform, you’ll wonder why the Singapore music scene hasn’t really taken off. Formed in 2007, the five-piece band—Safith on drums, Leon on bass, Joey and Nicholas on guitars and Seah on the mic—are busy rocking school halls, concert spaces and even on TV in last year’s short-lived Channel 5 program Live & Loaded. Their latest effort, The Silver Lining, is a six-track EP which demonstrates the young band’s propensity to evolve and develop. “It has songs both old and new, so I suppose it’s a sonic record of the development of our band and our musical style over time. The songs have various themes; we have a song about heartache, a song about feeling lost and alone, a song about overcoming judgments and having faith in people, things and ideas,” explains guitarist Nicholas Bong of their new effort. He also reveals that they’ll be working on their debut full album sometime next year. While some say that it’s hard to write music in Singapore, Bong almost welcomes the difficulties. “It just makes us more determined to try to turn things around because it annoys us to hell that the Singapore music scene is the way it is,” he says.
Point your mouse to www.myspace.com/trellaband to check out the band. You can buy their album The Silver Lining at blkmarket.sg.

The Zozi

The sound: A fiery mix of sambal belacan, fish curry, sweet and sour pork and ayam buah keluak thrown into a mortar; The Zozi cite Singapore’s melting pot of ethnic cuisine as their inspiration, resulting in a repertoire of delectable surf-rock with a sense of humor. The quirky quartet, named after the Godfather of Heavy Metal himself, Ozzy Osbourne, are known to parody genres including blues and Malay rock/pop.

Why them: The Zozi may sound cute and funny at first listen but serious undertones are never far below the surface. Listen to the lyrics and it’s clear their songs are both personal and socially conscious. From making fun of “Mat Rempit” (Malay delinquents) to their favorite food “Cheeseburger,” the band, whose music influences include Boredphucks, Force Vomit, Stoned Revivals, The Oddfellows, Ramli Sarip and P. Ramlee, have successfully put a slacker attitude and funny spin on things—a breath of fresh air in the power-pop/emo dominated scene. Explains frontman Naz, “Every song we write is related to an incident that one of us has been through. It’s more about appreciating something and making a mockery of it at the same time. As ridiculous as it sounds, our songs are amusing to the ears. Every song we produce has a significant meaning or story behind it. It’s also general enough for every Singaporean to relate to.” Despite having only one complete album, Hilamony (2007), to their name, The Zozi have performed at a number of gigs here and around the region, including The Substation’s Radioclash ‘08 and last year’s DiskoPapan in Kuala Lumpur. They’re currently in the midst of recording a compilation of old and new songs and will be debuting “Raincoat,” at this weekend’s outdoor music festival Baybeats. Asked why he thinks people connect with their music, Naz has this to say, “Many people tell us that our songs made their day when they were down. With the comedic element in the music, it brings some bright light and cheerful colors that you don’t find in dull, love-based rock music.”
Catch them at Baybeats or check them out at www.myspace.com/thezozi.

Homegrown acts share their unforgettable moments

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