Jazzing up local album covers

SINGAPORE - For too long now, print designer Olivia Lin felt, the album covers of Singapore bands were dull compared to international ones.

"The artwork on local albums is not on a par with international albums. It's such a waste because there is a lot of talent out there. People are afraid to approach these talents because they think there will be a lot of money involved," says Ms Lin, 25. "An EP with better visuals will definitely draw more people to the songs."

So she decided to organise a music-cum-art event called Blue Hour Sessions in April last year.

She invited local bands to collaborate with graphic or visual artists. Each band was paired with an artist and given a Lomography analogue camera. The bands were to produce a limited-edition EP and turn out photographs and artworks with the artist.

Each EP purchase entitles the buyer to choose one free print from the range of photographs taken by the band with the Lomography camera.

Only 36 copies of each EP will be on sale at the Blue Hour Sessions - a series of six evenings of gigs and exhibitions, presented and sponsored by the Lomographic Society in Singapore.

The first event held last November at Lomography Gallery Store Singapore was attended by 180 people. An average of 100 attended the next two events at indie nightspot Home Club in Upper Circular Road.

The fourth Blue Hour Session was held on Friday at Home Club, with local bands sub:shaman and Spacedays performing songs from their EPs.

Genre-bending quintet sub:shaman's EP, Outsider, has four new tracks - Broker, Sleuth, Harlot and Hypnotist. Guitarist-vocalist Isa Ong describes their music as "dark, groovy, but occasionally chaotic".

Conceptualised by the band with illustrator and artist Marc Gabriel Loh, the debut EP is based on "a dark narrative that deals with a group of characters woven together through chance, desire and hope", says 23-year-old Ong. "It was fun using the camera and it has allowed us to illustrate the setting behind our concept more clearly."

The band include vocalist-keyboardist Chew Wei Shan, 23, drummer-percussionist Syahadi Samad, 23, bassist Mohamed Hanis Isahak, 26, and sound artist-vocalist Isa Foong, 26.

Loh, 25, says his illustrations for the band's EP cover, which has a dark mysterious vibe, differs from his usual style. "My work tends to be more theatrical and whimsical. But the band and I decided to go for a film noir aesthetic." He will also do the visuals for the performance.

At the event, psychedelic groove band Spacedays will unveil their second EP, Moondust, with tracks Darkest Day, Ego, Knight and Morning Light.

Formed in 2009, the band released an EP in 2009 and their debut LP last year. "The vision of Moondust is deeply pensive but we wanted the EP to serve as a prologue for what lies ahead for the band," says bassist Mohamed Hanis, who also plays for sub:shaman.

Moondust, based on the narrative of a spacegirl on the moon reflecting on her time on Earth, has an illustration of characters in a spacecraft looking down on earth by Djohan Hanapi on its cover. Artist Wu Jun Han will provide the visual elements for the band's show tonight.

Wu, 39, says he "clicked immediately" with the band members. "It'll be colourful and psychedelic," he says of the light-filled show he has created.

The session will be a comeback concert for Spacedays, with new members, keyboardist Mohamed Zaki Mohd Shariff, 24, and bassist Mohamed Hanis, who joined in November last year. Guitarist-vocalist Mohamad Rahmat Suliman, 28, and drummer Muhammad Shakir Samat, 34, have been with the band since it was formed.

Ms Lin says the cameras record what goes on behind the scenes in producing the EPs. The albums, priced at $10, will give the audience "something to bring home and remember the band by".

Other bands and artists to be featured in the next sessions on March 28 and May 2 include Monster Cat, Ellipsis and illustrator Frompamm. "There are many talented people with great works. But they get lost in cyberspace and nobody remembers who did them. We hope that Blue Hour Sessions can take their work to a wider audience," Ms Lin adds.

seemanda@sph.com.sg

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