| Written by Benjamin Tay,
on Tuesday, 8 January 2008
|
Published in : Culture, Music |
 Picture this: the sea (hence the waves), stars (hence the
night), and well, possibly solitude. Or a loved one by your side. Mash all of
the above up, and voilà, you’ve got for yourself the perfect music for the
above-mentioned setting.
SeaStars 2007 is the introductory album conceived by Starfish
Stories (Ed’s note: alliteration! again!), a local band consisting of our
very own Ivan Chew, a.k.a. the Rambling Librarian, along with his long-time
friend Adrian Loo. The instrumental album takes its inspiration from nature –
such as sea creatures (starfish, whales, sea anemone, dolphins etc), the ocean
breeze, and of course, the sea and the stars.
This being the Starfish Stories’ first stab at an album, it’s
a rather noteworthy debut. Its good ol’ mellow, soothing, and somewhat
melancholic music somewhat rues the violence of the world. Waves gush, toddlers
giggle. Seastars is soft, easy-listening music, and it’s not afraid to
be so.
I must say SeaStars qualifies as very good contemplative
music; I can imagine this playlist looping over and over in my iPod. It’s not
just music for those sentimental nights by the sea (even though Singapore is an
island). You can take this anywhere with you, even to chill-out cafes, hotel
lounges, Starbucks, or even if you’re home alone on a rainy day.
It’s so easylistening, I almost fell asleep after listening
to the album. I’m wondering if that’s good or bad.
To sum it up, SeaStars is a product which is the
complete opposite of what the popular indie rock bands are doing in Singapore.
Forget dueling synthesisers or guitar wizardry. With piano and classical guitar-driven
arrangements dominating the album, this is music that goes back to the basics.
The only slight problem you might have is distinguishing tracks from one
another, since the tunes just pour into one another like waves.
Notable tracks: ‘Stargazer’, ‘Seabreeze’
Rating: 3/5 - Commendable effort from the duo.
Public Anouncement: The Starfish Stories want you to review the album!
|
(0 vote)
