Song: “Unreal”

Artist: Yellow Fang
Label: Independent
Fresh from their song “Kep Pha” featuring on the soundtrack for Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s most recent film, 36, super stylish female rockers Yellow Fang are back with a dreamy new single, “Unreal.” Lyrically, it deals with the blurred line between reality and fantasy in a relationship. Musically, it combines garage thrash with 60s girl-group harmonies—and one swoon-worthy pop hook. And it’s the type of song that could only sound better live.

Song: “Dan Neramit”

Artist: Big Ass
Label: Genie Records
It’s been a tough year for alt-rock heavyweights Big Ass who’ve been through all sorts of inter-band conflict. But now they’re back with a new single, “Dan Neramit,” on which brand new vocalist Daycha “Jeng” Konalo shows off his impressive set of pipes. The track maintains the band’s signature bigger-is-better sound, from the crunchy guitars to the massive drums, while Jeng’s soaring delivery of the
positive lyrics hints that the Ass are set to get even bigger.

Song: “Untitled 001”

Artist: Stoondio
Label: Independent
This charming single by Stoondio, the electro-pop project of Chotika “Toon” Kamwongpin, a graphic designer at Leo Burnett Thailand, seemingly came out of nowhere to lodge itself in the Fat Radio Top 20 chart. It’s easy to see why. The simply titled “Untitled 001” will work its way into your heart, with its beautiful production, understated melody, poetic lyrics and sweet vocals, and leave you wanting more.

Song: “What You’ve Lied”

Artist: Animal Machine
Label: Zoo Studio
DJ Kingkong may have gone solo with the single
“Let You Go” in July, but that doesn’t mean it’s curtains for his full band, Animal Machine. After starting their own record label, the group delivers this hard-hitting drum n’ bass single, which carries a beefy nu metal vibe thanks to its live instrumentation and growled vocals. It’s slightly grating, but that was probably the intention.

Song: “Rak Kan Loey Terd”

Artist: Sky Band
Label: Parinam Music
This second single from Sky Band, the newest addition to Parinam Music, sees the gang retain their humorous edge with some almost nonsensical lyrics, but things are altogether sexier thanks to the addition of some smooth sax. Little details like this elevate “Rak Kan Loey Terd” above typical melodic pop-rock and make for an ear-catching ditty.

Song: “Kon Tee Lok Ja Salai”

Artist: Tete Techa
Label: Stay Young Music
After being awarded Bedroom Artist of the Year at the 9th Fat Awards earlier this year, Techa “Tete” Tungkatecha finally steps out with his first single, “Kon Tee Lok Ja Salai [Before the World Ended],” for indie label Stay Young Music. Here, the musical whiz-kid delivers a warm piece of acoustic pop with lyrics that confront rumors of the world’s end. If this is the sound of the apocalypse, it can’t come soon enough.

I never thought of being a musician when I was younger. I started off my career at a production house with [veteran art director] Eke Eiamchuen right after I graduated from Thai Vichitsilp Art Institute.

English is necessary, whatever your career path. I decided to go to England to study English, which also gave me the chance to study photography.

Those classes were the best I’ve ever taken. At first, I had no idea whether I would like it. As a test, they asked me to take photos of anything using two rolls of black and white film. I passed and eventually fell in love with the art. I also formed an indie band there, but it didn’t last as the other members quit school to pursue their musical dreams.

I returned to Bangkok to work as a fashion photographer. I got a freelance gig at Metro Magazine where I met [glam-pop star] Gene Kasidit, who was a writer there, and Roong [Roongroj Ooppa-tampotivat, bassist of the band Crub and founder of Smallroom Records]. He asked me to contribute to Smallroom’s first compilation album, Smallroom 001 [2002], even though I was more focused on photography.

I prefer shooting film, but that doesn’t mean I’m anti-digital. I’m just accustomed to it and I also trust the quality, mood and tone of film.

Stills are such an underrated part of the film production process. Nonzee Nimibutr asked me to take some promotional shots for his film Jan Dara [2001]. I realized that the first images you send out to the public can really influence people’s decision to watch the final film.

I am always understanding of other people’s jobs, but others aren’t so accommodating. I had a conflict with a film’s PR rep who asked me to take behind-the-scenes photos of the cast during their down-time. I saw no reason in doing that as it didn’t say anything about the film. Queens of Langkasuka [2008] was the last film I worked on before deciding to take my music more seriously.

“Why are your lyrics always so dark?” That’s a question I’m constantly asked. I’ve got no reply except to say they reflect the truth. If my life was some happy ending love story, I would probably write differently. But it isn’t like that in reality.

Writing my song “Pap Shin Ta” was one of the toughest experiences of my life. One of my closest friends had just lost his wife in an accident. He was lost and drowning in sorrow, which also affected me emotionally. Although I was just an observer, I wanted to compose a song that truly captured his feelings.

I’m not a fan of reading, so I don’t have the biggest vocabulary when it comes to composing songs.

No matter how beautifully you can sing or how well-composed your lyrics are, nothing tops actually believing in the songs you sing. This helps build rapport with your audience who will come to understand you better.

Love is a beautiful thing that makes your heart race every time you find it. I’m sure everyone agrees. But you can’t expect a fairy tale ending every day, so why live in a dream? I’m certainly not turning my back on love, though.

My life has unfolded by chance, from being a photographer to making music and, most recently, starring in a film. I thought it was a joke when Kongdej [Jaturanrasamee]’s assistant asked me to audition for P-047. He’s a famous director, I was afraid I’d screw it up. I was so excited when we started filming, but a little paranoid about whether I would do well enough.

Don’t let emotions get the better of you. When I started work on my new album, I hit a block, I thought I would never be able to write a song again. I became so down that I questioned my abilities and whether my whole career had just been a fluke. After I got my head in check, I took a trip back to London, things got better and I started to write again.

Making a new album feels like updating an old friend on my life. It wasn’t my intention but most of my new songs talk about journeys, probably because the bulk of them were composed overseas.

I don’t have dreams of becoming anything. Right now I’m just happy to have what I have and do what I love. Who knows what’s going to happen in the next five years, or even next year.

Hosting an art exhibition is the only thing I’m really looking forward to. I hope to make it happen by the beginning of next year. I got the idea when I went to Tibet as part of the production team for Shambhala. I was recruited to compose the soundtrack, so I took a lot of photos, made field recordings and just captured the ambiance. It was so beautiful. I’ve put together a photo collection that is mixed with these sounds. I really want to share what I experienced.

I’m still far from a success. It’s hard to measure. But I’m happy right now, as with each gig I play my audience seems to be growing, which gives me a very warm feeling.

There was a time when the choice of beers in Thailand was pretty much limited to local lager or local lager. Thankfully, that’s changing fast, with a whole raft of exotic brews from stouts and ambics to ales and pilsners pouring into Bangkok. Much like wines, these different beers offer very different flavors, and as such, work best when enjoyed with different types of dishes. So what better excuse to crack open a few than our handy guide to pairing food with beer.

Ale

Richer and more complex in texture than lager, it has more hops and other added ingredients, which lends it more bitterness and often a slightly fruitier taste. Ale is also best served at a warmer temperature than lager to enhance its aromatic complexity.
Best to pair with: The additional hoppiness or bitterness of ales can slightly impair the taste buds but does help cut through the grease of deep-fried dishes. While they can work quite well with some less-spicy Thai dishes, they really shine when combined with seafood or dishes that have high levels of acidity created by the addition of lemon or vinegar.
Our choice: Match London Pride (B220) from Brew Beers and Ciders with fish and chips (B230) from next door Fat’r Gutz (02-185-2373. Open daily 5pm-2am).

Lager

Perhaps the most popular and prevalent types of beers to be found in our fair city. Lagers are usually quite light and refreshing, with a slightly bitter aftertaste, while the carbonation means they are good at cleansing the palate.
Best paired with: The light body of the lager and the cleansing quality of the bubbles means these types of beer best complement rich or spicy food and usually make a good match for Thai dishes.
Our choice: Beerlao (B95) with some deep fried chicken (B75) and tam sua Sakon Nakhon (B65) at Somtam Der.

Wheat Beer

Wheat beers like the Bangkok favorite Belgium Hoegaarden manage to be both aromatic and refreshing. They often carry hints of citrus and coriander, with a strong yeasty aftertaste making them quite delicate flavor-wise.
Best to pair with: Belgian wheat beers go great with lightly grilled seafood or chicken recipes or dishes that feature light sauces.
Our choice: Moules frites (B350) and Hoegaarden (B220) at HOBS.

Stout

Most stouts will offer up a sweet initial hit before leaving you with a super bitter aftertaste. Many stouts have a complex series of flavors that can include hints of nut, coffee or chocolate.
Best to pair with: The complexity of stouts means they really work best with hearty dishes that have robust flavors: strong cheeses, rich meat dishes and oysters.
Our choice: Match Guinness (B350) with the fresh oysters (B90 each) at Witch’s Oyster Bar.

Fruit Beer/Lambic

Very full-flavored, these light beers can be either very sweet or perversely quite sour. They can be treated as a good digestif to end a big meal.
Best to pair with: Not surprisingly, these tart affairs go well with desserts, and particularly light fruity dishes like cheesecakes or soufflés. However, if they are particularly aromatic then they can also work well with rich chocolate dishes.
Our choice: A bottle of Framboise (raspberry or cherry, B330) or a St. Louis (peach, B260) with the blueberry cheesecake (B190) at BeerVault.

Where to Drink Beers in Bangkok

Brew Beers and Ciders

Seenspace, Thonglor Soi 13, 02-185-2366. Open daily 4pm-2am

Somtam Der

5/5 Soi Saladaeng, Silom Rd., 02-632-4499, 084-764-4291. Open daily 11am-10pm. BTS Sala Daeng

Witch’s Oyster Bar

Ruamrudee Village, Room 20/20-21, Ploenchit Rd., 02-255-5355. Open daily 11-1am.

HOBS

Penny’s Balcony, Soi Thong Lor Soi 16, 02-392-3513. Open daily 11-1am.

BeerVault

Four Points by Sheraton, Sukhumvit Soi 15, 02-309-3000. Open daily 11-1am.

It was four years between albums; what took you guys so long?
Well, we did come out with an EP called Night Train (2010), which we ended up spending a bit more time touring than we had anticipated. We thought we would just put out an EP and that would be it. Then we spent a year doing this record. But, you know, we wanted to have time to sort out our lives, as well. We have friends and families and it’s important to make time to see those people.

What in particular inspired Strangeland?
It’s definitely about the things we’ve been through. We’ve been growing up. We’ve been friends our whole lives and music has been something that’s been there throughout our lives. Obviously we all have experienced difficult things. Songs like “Silenced by the Night” and “On the Road” talk about being positive. And “Day Will Come,” as well, talks about those difficult points in your life that eventually pass. I think in a way, this is more personal than ever. “Sea Fog” is a song about those darker times in life when you just want to get swept away. And I don’t think many are brave enough to write songs about them. As for how it sounds, we took a long time playing the songs as a band in the studio and we really refined them, just making them as catchy as possible. It’s much more about the four of us in a room playing songs rather than the production trickery or extravagance of Perfect Symmetry (2008).

Do you feel any pressure from your fans when you release an album?
There’s always pressure, but I don’t think there’s been any more for this album than before. Maybe we’re more used to it now. We’re used to the idea that you just have to forget about everyone else and do what you think is best. And if people like it, that’s good. If they don’t, you know, it’s something we have to deal with. I don’t think you should make music to fit a certain market. Unless you’re one of the best pop music writers out there, people are going to realize that you are faking it. The music that we make is very much from the heart and I don’t think you can fake that. There is some cynical TV-based music out there that’s part of a factory trying to make money. But we feel like there’s one record in us and that’s the one we’re going to make.

What are your memories of Bangkok when you visited in 2006?
That was a pretty strange time. We were going through quite a lot of stuff, but I do remember the trip pretty clearly. I remember being taken to a temple complex and having an interesting time walking around there. We were driven around with a police escort. So that was pretty strange. I don’t know why. And then later in the day we just wandered off and got to see some of the city. It was a really good time. But the next few months were quite difficult. I guess we didn’t know what was coming at that point.

What are you looking forward to most this time?
I’m looking to reconnect with our fans out there. I always take my camera. I find that if I go out with my camera, I’m always going to find something interesting. And that’s really the thing I want to do: capture new memories in Bangkok.

What are your future plans?
We’re going to keep touring into next year and after that we’ll work on new songs. At some point we’ll get into the studio. I think it’s important that if you want to do this for a long time, you have to make room for, your life outside of the tour bus. We’ll take some time off at the end of next summer and see where we are. Right now we’re just enjoying the tour.

What were you guys doing before forming Vacancy?
We had quite different backgrounds and experiences before coming to Thailand. DJ Moola, in particular, has had a huge DJ career. He used to play with [Japanese pop group] Pizzicato Five and organize a big party called Readymade Blacklist with [Pizzicato Five member] Yasuharu Konishi. After we all moved to Bangkok, we were introduced to one another by DJ Hiroo then we started hanging out almost every week. Actually Hiroo and Moola launched the original Vacancy earlier this year at Tease Gallery (J-avenue) but after Hiroo went back to Japan, we decided to form a new crew and restart Vacancy. It was all very natural.

What type of parties are you looking to put on?
There’s a big nightlife scene in Bangkok. It’s our opinion, though, that it can be separated into two types of parties: the big ones comprised of all the current commercial tunes in a big location with DJs and tons of people; or more original parties that give you real good music in a small location with nice DJs and a crowd made of music lovers. We prefer the second option but we’re not doing the same thing we would do in Japan. We want to do something original to Thailand; something more than playing Japanese artists for a Japanese crowd.

What’s the plan for Vacancy?
First of all, we’re trying to make our home base Shades of Retro. Then after that, we want to join with Thai artists, other foreign artists, and Japanese ones, too. But for now, Shades of Retro is the best place for us to get started.

What was the inspiration behind the film?
Back in 2010, I started thinking about making my first full-length film about where I was born [Khon Kaen]. That same year, there was chaos in Bangkok, so I decided to combine my story with the political situation in the background. Then I started writing the plot and seeking international funding.

Is it easier to get funding from abroad than domestically?
I think it’s just a privilege of working with Electric Eel Films because many of the company’s films have received international success. I consulted my producer, Khun Anocha [founder of Electric Eel Films], who has a lot of experience in this and she helped me a lot.

What sort of reception do you expect for this film?
I actually don’t have high expectations. The film premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in the Netherlands earlier this year, and the feedback was OK even if it didn’t receive any awards. It was more important to me just to have the chance to screen my film for an international audience. It’s good for the Thai film industry to have films on the world stage. For me, it’s great to know that people outside of Thailand like my work. It gives me a lot of encouragement as a filmmaker. Domestically, I just want to play my part in introducing more Thai people to independent films, so that in the future the independent film scene receives more support.

As a filmmaker, what are your inspirations?
One of my favorite films and one that has had a big influence on my film career is Fight Club (1999) directed by David Fincher. I really like Fincher’s style of storytelling. In my first short film [Phee Hong Nam], I tried to write a film with a similar twist. More recently, working with Electric Eel has helped me to think outside of the box, widen my knowledge of film and come up with new ways to tell stories.

What’s the indie film scene like in Khon Kaen?
In Khon Kaen, as well as Mahasarakham, more and more people are becoming interested in making their own films. Because of improvements in technology it’s easier than ever before to make a film. But what’s still lacking here is distribution. There are only a few places where you can find independent films in Khon Kaen, as the big theatres only screen blockbusters.

What’s next for you?
I’m in the process of writing a new script right now. I’m interested in the lives of Sao Cheer Beer [beer pretties] not in a sexy way, but to show their everyday reality, the side that people don’t know.

What’s the current state of Burmese cinema?
The 1950s-1980s were the glory days of our film industry. At that time, even Indians and Koreans would head to Burma to study film and the Thai film industry hadn’t even started up yet. But the industry ran into trouble in the 80s due to our political situation. Whereas we once had huge fully-equipped post-production houses, later all the equipment was seized and the buildings taken over by the government and used for other purposes. Censorship became so strict that it was the biggest obstacle in the fields of art and film. At that same time, our economy collapsed, which had a devastating impact on local cinema.

What’s the current state of censorship like in Burma?
In the past, the government never directly told me or any other director what to produce, but there were cases when the government would be your main sponsor. We just had to do the best we could. I started one film in 1992 and then didn’t finish it until 2008. Now, since our country has transformed into a democracy, the government has opened up a bit and is more supportive of the scene. Right now there are film companies from the USA, Japan and Germany that are interested in doing business in our country. Also, the Kantana and Technique groups from Bangkok have also shown curiosity. We hope that the Burmese film industry will peak once again.

What’s hot in Burma at the moment?
I’m not sure if it’s just because people are looking for ways to escape their stress, but comedy currently dominates the scene. Korean films and TV series are the hottest, followed by Thai series that we watch at home, on the TV.

Thailand produce internationally-acclaimed films that go almost unnoticed here. Is it a similar case in Burma?
Over the past 10 years, we have had only seven films that have reached an international audience. We need a lot more funding to make good films; also we’re constrained by a lack of international distribution. Burma basically has three types of film: ones that are produced here and only watched domestically; ones filmed in the country using international equipment, with the post-production carried out elsewhere, so it might not even be screened here; and art house productions made domestically but aiming to reach only an international audience. We have a number of new young directors entering the scene, but we need more if the industry is to grow. The internet is having a positive impact on the new generation, inspiring more and more to become artists. I hope we look to emulate countries like India, where the government is so supportive of filmmakers.

What are your thoughts on the Thai King Naresuan film franchise which depicts both Thai and Burmese history?
The Burmese are portrayed as particularly brutal, but actually the Thai and Burmese had so much in common. Thai people may not be aware of some of the mistruths in these films, and we actually have a plan to tell the story from our side; not to rewrite history, just to add more information for the benefit of both countries.

What impact will the ASEAN Economic Community have on the Burmese film industry?
Because we’re the ones who stand to learn, I see only positives. I think the AEC will give us the chance to gain technical know-how and forge connections with other countries. We’ll have a great opportunity to improve ourselves.