The Observatory (band)
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| The Observatory | |
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 The Observatory
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Singapore |
| Genre(s) | electronica, indie rock |
| Years active | 2002–Present |
| Label(s) | Columbia Records, CBS Records, Geffen Records and Sony Music / BMG |
| Members | |
| Leslie Low Vivian Wang Dharma Evan Tan Victor Low Adam Shah |
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The Observatory is an indie space rock and electronica band based in Singapore. They have toured throughout Asia and are influential in the Singapore music scene. They first performed at the Baybeats music festival in December 2002, and have released three albums, Time of Rebirth, March 2004, and Blank Walls, September 2005 and A Far Cry From Here, April 2007. 'They use electronic effects extensively, using several laptops during their performances.
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[edit] Members
Leslie Low - Lead Vocals, Electric + Acoustic Guitars, Programming, Bass, Harmonica
Former frontman of veteran local band Humpback Oak, Leslie is the singer, guitarist and occasional bassist in the band. He is a music composer and sound designer by profession. Low graduated from the School of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Film, Sound and Video.
Vivian Wang - Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Melodica, Percussion
Classically trained pianist Vivian Wang sings, plays keyboards and generates sonic effects on laptops and synthesizer. Wang is a former TV presenter of the arts programme “Artitude” on local channel TV12 and also a host of Cathay Pacific’s inflight series “World of Travel”. Music supervisor and film producer by profession. Wang graduated with an Honours in Music.
Dharma - Electric Guitar
A Nanyang Technological University Engineering graduate, Dharma is currently a mechanical engineer at Epson. A guitarist with the band Heritage from 1995 - 1998, he is also the frontman of local funk band, Throb.
Evan Tan - Programming, Keyboards, Melodica, Percussion
An archivist specialising in audio-visual restoration at the Singapore National Archives. Tan toured overseas with former band The Padres during their album promotion organised by Rock Records. An active performer/programmer in the digital music scene.
Victor Low - Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Bass Guitar, Glockenspiel
Music composer by profession. Low is former bassist of veteran local Singapore band Concave Scream [1]. Classical guitar specialist. Low is an Economics graduate of Boston University.
Ray Aziz - Drums, Percussion
Latest addition to the band. Veteran skins smasher in Singapore, his former bands include Swirling Madness, Opposition party, Sugarflies and Popland. He is currently also playing with Throb and The Blues Machine. Joining The Observatory during the A Far Cry From Here recording sessions, Ray adds a powerful jazz/avant rock-styled drumming to the proceedings.
Adam Shah - (former member) Drums, Percussion
Formerly the youngest member of the group. A sessionist since 15, Shah is musically adept at guitar and bass as well. He joined in January 2005, bringing with him a style that reflects his eclectic influences such as Bloc Party, Radiohead, Broken Social Scene, Lamb of God, Mastodon, John Coltrane, John Butler, The Mars Volta and Pat Metheny, to name a few. Adam left the band after the release of Blank Walls and before A Far Cry From Here.
[edit] Discography
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[edit] Time of Rebirth
Their debut album Time of Rebirth, released in March 2004, is a quiet, ruminating album of poignant songs underlined by delicate textures and lush instrumentation. Delivered in hush tones over layers of subtle electronic elements blended with a distinct acoustic feel. It was written and recorded over a period of two and a half years. It features nonstandard packaging, rather than coming in a jewel case, it was released in the form of a diary, complete with paperclipped photos and "torn pages". The band all had a hand in assembling the packaging. |
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[edit] Blank Walls
Their second album, Blank Walls, elaborates on the band’s philosophy of perpetual change. Blank Walls is deliberately loose, eschewing particular themes and genres while embracing unconventional structures, progressive sounds and improvisatory forms, continuing an experimentation with song form, delving into greater depths of musical and lyrical tension, creating a diverse, experimental palette of words, sonic layering, and musical contrasts. The subject matter signals a mood-shift towards a more palpable intensity, exploring various themes from anger to disenchantment, from the quaint and humorous to self-mockery or plain indignation. |
[edit] A Far Cry From Here
Following on from Time of Rebirth and Blank Walls, The Observatory unleashes their third album in four years. Assimilating diverse influences -- Soft Machine, This Heat, Tortoise, Talk Talk, Shining, Jaga Jazzist, Supersilent, Brian Wilson, Robert Wyatt, Nick Drake e. al -- into a rich and imaginative musical vision, on which vocalist-guitarist Leslie Low builds his pensive, tender yet elliptical song-craft. The adventurous and epic exist in perfect tandem with restraint and intricacy. Exploring an ocean of sound and emotion, A Far Cry From Here should strike a chord with fans of experimental and progressive-minded classics such as Radiohead's OK Computer, Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden and Wilco's A Ghost Is Born. |
[edit] External links
- Band website
- Band blog
- Style Asia 2005 winners of Motorola/Style Asia best Singapore local band award.
- MTV Asia writeup of second album launch
- Review of Blank Walls
Note: Some material for this article adapted from The Observatory Press pack(zip file), accessed 3 March 2006
