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The Vault

In The Vault, you'll find a collection of old feature pieces from our back issues. Beta started in June 1999, so you'll find a veritable history here.

Concave Scream: second wind

There are two ways to put this: you could either say Concave Scream is one of the ‘oldest’ bands in the Singapore music scene, or that Concave Scream's one of the country's most enduring bands. The lads probably wouldn't care less which adjective you use - they're veterans who've seen it, and lived through it, the highs, the lows, the praise, the indifference.

In existence since 1994, when school mates Sean and Pann decided to make music together, the band released its fourth album Horizons in April this year. It's been a strange trip from 6-track demo cassette to a starry-eyed stint on local record label PonyCanyon to total independence again. Horizons is a comeback album of sorts, but it's not just Concave Scream fans who are ecstatic. The new album's songs trace a maturing, graceful arc that should win more comers to the band's fan stable. Sean, Pann and Dean speak to Beta's Lee Chung Horn

I hear the New Model Army influence. What is about New Model Army that you admire? I suspect there aren’t too many New Model Army fans in Singapore—why?

Sean: Their raw energy, angst and ability to sound loud using mostly an acoustic setup. They are not exactly mainstream, and maybe the folk rock genre isn't to everyone's liking, I suppose that explains the small following here.

Pann: [I] love their energy, their song structures, their basslines. Their honest approach to writing songs.

Why did you go away in 2003? And what did you do? I saw you play at the Observatory’s "Time of Rebirth" album launch. The auditorium shook with the audience’s roar when you came on stage. Your fans missed you.

Sean: We kind of lay low after our third album due to work and family commitments. Didn't do much musically really. Then we were asked to make a guest appearance with the Obs, we were really overwhelmed by the response that night.

Pann: You know, sometimes life is not as simple as we think. We had commitments to fulfill, family matters to look after, and, of course, to work at our careers. But music has always been our passion, and we have to thank those who cheered us on that night. The audience made us realize that although we had so much to look after, making music should be part of our commitment. Cheers to that.

Why did Victor Low leave to join The Observatory?

Sean: I guess he left to pursue his love for music. Amongst us, he has always been the most accomplished musician, and it would have been a real pity if he had stopped what he was doing. Since we weren't making music together anymore, and Leslie [Low] was looking to expand The Observatory, it was as good a time as any for him to leave us then.

"Tides" is a beautiful instrumental song. Sounds like you’ve been listening to Sigur Ros and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. What do you like about the music of these bands?

Sean: We do listen to Sigur Ros. It's good music when you are in that certain mood, or rather, it has the ability to slow things down around you. "Tides" was more inspired by Pink Floyd, though. It was recorded as a 'live' impromptu session. We probably can't play it back exactly the same now.

"High Places" in the second half has a very Stone Roses vibe. I’ve always been rather disappointed by Ian Brown’s solo work. What are your views?

Sean: [I] never thought of it that way, but Stone Roses are amongst our
influences as well, so it must have surfaced subliminally. I didn't really like Ian Brown's solo work either. We also found out later how badly the Stone Roses, or rather, Ian, sounded 'live' at gigs that they didn't 'lip-sync' to. But still, there's always a special place in our hearts for Stone Roses, lah.

Does it get harder the longer you’ve been in the music biz? Concave Scream has been at it for 12 years.

Sean: There's not much of a music biz to begin with from our point of view. We just aim at breaking even all the time! We're just lucky and thankful that folks are still listening to us after all these years.

Pann: If you are into the business of losing money, start a band, ha ha! We don't really feel we've been doing this for a long time, but I think it just got better with time.

Someone said Concave Scream is one local band that has never been afraid to rock out. "Horizons" is very much a rock album. Do you feel rock is still relevant in this age of electronics? How much of the new album’s rock edge is created using studio technology or enhanced by the use of electronics?

Sean: Hmm...[I'm] not sure bout us rocking out, you should see us on stage more often! I think we rock out emotionally. Not the feet-in-the-air type of thing. To me, rock will always stay relevant one way or another. It may change in form, or get re-interpreted as sampled music via electronica. But there'll always be room for rock music. For "Horizons", we intentionally recorded it as lo-tech as possible. The recording was laid onto tape, and we mixed it via a 60's Neve console, the kind from the Beatles and Pink Floyd era. We really like the warm tone from this type of analog equipment. We did however used a bit of ProTools for editing and some simple effects.

You said early U2 was an influence. What’s bad about latter-day U2? Are you fans of U2 after "Pop"?

Sean: We cited early U2 because it was the most relevant in terms of how our style of music was shaped. There's nothing bad about the current U2, it has changed somewhat, but it's still very them.

Pann: U2 will always be U2. Every album, they sound different but they still maintain a very strong and unique identity! That's why they are so great, in my opinion.

Dean: Their music has grown with time. I still like what I hear on their newer albums, and I won’t stop, just because their fan base is no longer 100%.

"Erratic" was the only album that had record company money behind it. How do you think your time with PonyCanyon and Jimmy Wee helped your career or broadened your experiences?

Sean: Jimmy believed in local music and its musicians. He has definitely helped make us more 'visible'. He helped us reach out to a much wider audience. It was an exciting time for us as we had a lot of publicity, and our songs were frequently aired on national radio. I think those are the perks that comes with being signed to a label. Also, there are also no worries about recording funds and distribution of CDs, which can be a real pain. Thankfully, for "Horizons", we were able to get EMI to help in that department.

How have your views of music as a career changed now that you’re both men in your 30s, as opposed to when you were just starting out? How do you juggle work, music and family?

Sean: Until the day comes when we can get paid to do music full time, and still live comfortably, music would always remain a serious hobby for me. There's no real 'how to' when it comes to juggling work music and family. It's not easy, and time is always not on your side, but you just gotta try. If it all becomes too much, I guess we'll take another break!

Pann: It's a struggle for me, too. I'm not too sure how long we'll keep going, but we sure will try

What do you see as BigO’s legacy in the local music? Are you sorry BigO broke up?

Sean: I still remember BigO as a photostated zine when it started out! [I'm] quite
sure it will be remembered fondly for its strong support for local music. I really didn't know that BigO broke up, isn't it still on the internet? [Ed: BigO is now an online publication at http://www.bigozine2.com]

Pann: They really championed the local music scene. It was like a must-buy for
anyone who was into local gigs and music.

How do you prepare for a live gig? Rehearse or relax?

Pann: My attitude is 'just go up and play only'

Dean: Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Eat some Twisties, and rehearse some more.

Do you know if you have fans overseas, from other countries?

Sean: We may have some fans from across the causeway. Vivian from The Observatory told us we have fans in Mexico!

Dean's drum work really helps every thing to hang together. How do you figure out what works, or doesn't work for a particular song?

Dean: In general, to nail down the drum licks for a particular song, I go by feel. I listen to the guitar and bass parts carefully. At times, I go by what’s written in the lyrics. That’s how the mood is set, and where I get my inspiration. But playing within my own ability--I'm no Dennis Chambers! -- and focusing on tempo, is, to me, key. At the end of the day, knowing what works or doesn’t is all about the
feel I was referring to earlier.

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