Terima Kaseh, Sondre Lerche!

Norwegian singer songwriter wooed the crowd effortlessly
by Mavis Ang

SONDRE Lerche and his musical band The Faces Down kicked off their 11 th hour live performance last Friday at the Mosaic Music Festival a tad too sloppy, with slightly pitchy vocals and feedback from the speakers.

The band looked uncomfortable as Sondre tried hard to work up some chemistry between his band members. It all looked forced, and with two voiceless guitarists and a lethargic drummer backing him up, Sondre came across as the only one who was genuinely enthusiastic about performing.

Despite some glitches in the opening, Sondre made it up to the audience by amping up his usually sweet melodic tracks several notches with elaborate arrangements by the band. The crowd loved its refreshing energy, and some were soon on their feet, grooving to every song.

Read more on Terima Kaseh, Sondre Lerche!

Múm’s The Word

How the Icelandic band spellbinding performance perfected the art of experimental live music
by Mavis Ang

Múm’s musical performance last Thurday on March 13 at the Mosaic Music Festival is the kind that would linger for weeks. Track after track with haunting vocals and a magical cacophony of musical instruments, Icelandic experimental group múm brought forth a powerful and moving experience for the audience.

From the first note of the opening track “Winter (What We Never Were After All)”, múm laid a quiet spell on the spectators, and transported them across the icy mountains of Iceland through its droning beats and hypnotising hums.

Injected with quirky dance moves by Hildur and Silla, repeated thank you’s from Örvar, and Gunnar’s sprinting bursts across the stage between instruments, múm were far from a bunch of dull musicians who made down tempo music. They were natural entertainers, who kept busy by switching from one strange instrument to another all within a song, and displaying peculiar antics while playing it.

Read more about Múm’s The Word.

Sondre Lerche, The Part-Time Crazy Singer Songwriter

25-year-old Norweigan sensation performs at the Mosaic Music Festival
by Mavis Ang

“IT’S still a mystery to me how music travels and how I end up in the most unusual places,” says Sondre Lerche, the 25-year-old singer from Norway who has endured a long flight to Singapore to perform at the Mosaic Music Festival. “The songs, they’re really fast. I have to sit on a plane and read, and my back hurts, but the songs have different ways of getting there.”

Having toured a great deal in 2007, Sondre Lerche intended to slow things down this
year, but when the Mosaic Music Festival invited him he couldn’t turn it down. “It’s terrific to perform in a country for the first time. It’s quite a kick, and a sensation. When the audience knows the songs, and some shout for other songs, for an artist, it’s the biggest privilege of all,” he confesses.

Read more on Sondre Lerche.

Metrofunk.com Launches Club Metrofunk

Invite-only online social network for trendsetters in NY launches its own ‘Club’

NEW YORK — Metrofunk.com, the first metropolitan-based online social network built by trendsetters for trendsetters, has announced that they will celebrate the company's launch into public beta on Wednesday, March 19th at Club Metrofunk, located at 532 West 27th Street. If the address sounds familiar, that is because it is the address of the popular Manhattan nightclub, Home.

New York nightclubs have been known to be at the forefront of style, culture, and class. Many trends in the late 80s and early 90s such as break dancing, various fashion fads, and music artists like: Prince, C+C Music Factory, George Michael, Wham, and Information Society were born from nightclubs when the nightlife scene encouraged outrageous personalities and unique styles. Metrofunk.com and Home have collaborated in an effort to revitalize this long lost New York nightlife culture by dedicating Wednesday nights specifically to trendsetters in the nightlife, fashion, film, and music industries. Starting Wednesday March 19th and continuing every Wednesday thereafter, Home will officially be renamed Club Metrofunk.

Read more about Club Metrofunk.

Losing Weight But Still Have Belly Bulge?

Getting rid of stubborn belly fat takes more than diet and exercise. Popular "feel-good" pill, Relacore, may be solution
Send2Press(R) is the originating wire service for this story - www.Send2Press.com

YOU diet. You exercise. You're taking the latest diet pill...and you're even losing weight. But take a look in the mirror: You still have that unsightly belly bulge. Twenty pounds lighter and you still look...fat! How in the world can that be possible? As it turns out, the same diet that's helping you lose weight might actually be causing you to retain figure-destroying belly fat. That 's because dieting is stressful. You worry about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat. All that worry leads to "diet stress," according to the experts at the Carter-Reed Company, the makers of America's most popular "Belly Fat" pill, Relacore.

"As we all know by now," says Gina Daines, spokesperson for Carter-Reed, "stress increases that nasty little stress hormone, cortisol, and cortisol increases belly fat. That's why you can go on a diet, lose weight, but still look thick around the middle."

Read more about the "belly fat" pill Relacore.

Múm is made up of joys, friendships, animals, and plants.

What to expect – or not – of Múm’s debut performance in Singapore.
by Mavis Ang

There’s a slight shroud of anonymity which surrounds Icelandic band, Múm (pronounced "mooom"). Made up of two main members Gunnar and Örvar, who sometimes include more friends into its lineup during tours, most identify them as the group who play soothing electronic ambience music with many strange traditional instruments.

For this Thrusday’s concert at the Esplanade as part of the Mosaic Music Festival, Gunnar and Örvar would be joined by vocalists Hildur and Silla, as well as Eiríkur, Róbert, and Samuli on the instruments.

Inspired by joy, friendship, and all living things, Múm tells us that their latest album go go smear the poison ivy was made very easily, with more vibrancy than their previous works.

Read more about this Icelandic band, Múm.

Lumont’s Top 10 flavours

The best of coffee, classic, and fruity chocolates
By Cheryl Chia

When I heard that I was going to try out chocolates from Lumont Chocolatier, I was excited – no, not just because I had an excuse to stuff my face with chocolate, but I remember admiring their pieces through the glass and thinking how colourful and interesting they look.

Lumont’s chocolates are made from the finest Belgium chocolate, and I can definitely vouch for that, having experienced all the goodness of their chocolates and its bite-sized joys.

Seriously, if there’s one thing that I’ve discovered about Lumont, it’s their attention to details. Each piece is handmade and crafted to perfection, unlike most of the up-market ones, which only has well designed packaging. Besides its flowery appearance, Lumont’s chocolates are also made up of innovative flavours and textures.

Read more about Lumont's Top 10 flavours.

How to shop for a “perfect” pair of jeans

It may be a myth, a perfect pair, but here are some tips to bring you closer to that find
By Ronald Wan

Don’t just marvel at the brand and check if the zipper works. Know the right fit when you shop for a pair of jeans.

Jeans is no longer simply a pair of trousers made from denim. It has become a fashion icon and an apparel staple for everyone. In fact, most of us wear it every other day. We wear it to school, to the workplace, to parties, to restaurants, and heck, even to sleep (usually after a drunk night out).

And since we see and wear jeans everyday, we might forget how to wear them right. It isn’t just a case of slipping into a pair of jeans picked from the wardrobe when you can’t find anything to wear. Jeans have different cuts and fits because we have different body types. The jeans need to fit not just the waist but also the thigh and the backside (yes, we need to flaunt the ass).

Hence, the fitting (pun intended) question here is not, “Do you own a pair of jeans?” but “Do you own the right pair of jeans?”

Read the 10 tips on how to get the right look for your pair of Levi’s.

Used cars vs New cars

Let us weigh the pros and cons for you
by Xpert, powered by SG Car Mart

Advantages of New Car

Perhaps the most attractive advantage of buying a new car is its warranty. Usually, the car warranty comes with free car servicing. A new car is equip with new paintwork, new tyres, new engine and the likes. Considering that the car is brand new, you can rest assure that the car is accident-free. The owner is at liberty to customise the accessories for the car, such as its car bodykit and car spoiler. Psychologically, the owner of a new car will probably experience a euphoria high from purchasing a brand new item. Lastly, new car interest rate is relatively lower, translating to lower interest paid for a new car loan compared to a used car loan.

Advantages of Used Car

Purchasing a used car means that you are paying much less as compared to a new car of similar model. Furthermore, a used car depreciates less as the first owner has already absorbed most of the loss. More often than not, additional car accessories do not raise the price of the car. You probably be able to get a fully-equipped used car with super stereos and racing add-ons at a greatly discounted price. For some models that are no longer in production, they can still be found in the used car market. If the previous owner takes good care of the car, you may be buying a used car at almost new condition, but at a much lower price.

When buying a used car, LTA will impose a transfer fee of $10 + 2% of the value of the vehicle. Buyer to borne the transfer fee.

Learn more about the differences between used and new car.

Orchard Road’s best-kept secret shop – yet

Get your cutest knick knacks here this weekend
by Mavis Ang

IF YOU’RE looking for a bookstore along Orchard Road, only two names come to mind: Borders and Kinokuniya. Too predictable? The quintessentially quirky shoppers can now forget about those two because there’s WoodWould.

“We wanted it to feel like your grandmother’s house, where you can find all sorts of hidden treasures,” WoodWould owner Grace Ng quips. “You know how most bookstores are pretty standard and boring? We tried as much to stay away from that idea.”

Most of WoodWould’s products are imported from USA, Japan, and Korea, so you can feast your eyes on unique journals, planners, graphic books and cards, and gift items which previously could only be bought online.

When it comes to indie brands and items, most Internet-savvy Singaporeans would go to online shops and pay costly shipments. Now that WoodWould has brought in unusual stationery for all to see, touch, and feel, shoppers can now buy them over the counter easily.

Read more about this specialty shop on Orchard Road.