Kylie Minogue

Guided BY NOISES

Kylie Minogue

ONSIRI PRAVATTIYAGUL

Can Kylie measure up to Madonna and take the Queen of Pop's throne? That, ladies and gentlemen, is for you to ponder and decide for yourselves.

With her latest release, X, she has the advantage of it being a comeback album _ a comeback from breast cancer, that is. This alone deserves a huge round of applause, for _ from what we've read and seen in the news _ the diminutive lady was nothing short of gracious when dealing with the threatening disease.

Still, it must be noted that Kylie remains a few steps behind the queen bee herself. Not exactly as music savvy as Madonna, Kylie also lacks that provocative, thrill-seeking charge that comes from the first lady of pop.

There's nothing ground-breaking about X; it's just another Kylie album. The lyrics are sexually charged, but if you actually listen to them they won't exactly leave you flushed. Mediocre and manufactured is the overall feel of the album; a few dance floor killers and a lot of filler. The first three songs _ 2 Hearts, Like a Drug and In My Arms _ sound fresh with well chosen synth lines and perfect beats to keep your feet tapping. But that is about it. After those openers, Kylie's saccharine charms and cold delivery just wear thin.

X probably wouldn't make a list of the 100 Greatest Records Ever Made if the world were to end tomorrow. Still, this is what Kylie does and will always do. All we can do is acknowledge her presence and accept that she's unlikely to leave as long as gay clubs and hen's nights exist.

- Various Artists

smallworld 002: Radioactive. The Future is Here

Legendary radio deejay Wasana Wirachartplee has recently relocated back to Bangkok after a decade-long hiatus and reclaimed her crown of the most influential radio personality in town. It might not mean much to you, but for those whose musical tastes were shaped in the early- to mid-'90's, Wasana's show was at once illuminating, intimidating and interesting.

Imagine the Internet wasn't available and every radio station just played mind-numbing pop songs; then Wasana, or Pa Taew, came along and bombarded the airwaves with the likes of Blur, Suede, Sensor and many others. She practically raised some of us with music and information on bands from foreign music magazines that were not easy for local teenagers to come by at the time. To make a long story short, Britpop mania in Thailand and the local alternative music boom wouldn't have happened without her help. Credit should be given where it's due.

And now she's back in the game. Working closely with the label smallroom, Wasana has handpicked 17 tracks from bands that she, er, likes from around the world and compiled them on an album entitled The Future is Here.

Well, this is where I beg to differ.

To boldly proclaim a compilation album represents the sound of today, you gotta be really sure you understand what the sound of today is. It changes on an almost daily basis. With the online world all around us, music is migrating and evolving faster than ever. Also, thanks to cool music blogs, the newest tracks are readily available at the tips of many fingers.

It's tacky and outdated to claim that one is in possession of the freshest tracks for nowadays those tracks are everywhere and within the reach of many. Thanks to technology, we no longer need the guiding hands we did before.

Also, trends are so fickle that I don't even want to tell you that dubstep is it for the moment for it might go out of style before this review reaches the hands of our sub-editors. What I can tell you is that The Future is Here, which was released in November, doesn't even represent what was going on in the music world of, let's be kind and say, 2007. The 17 tracks are guitar heavy, traditionally structured and a plain old accumulative bore. They are basically the guitar music of the '90s with new faces and haircuts. The only band worth checking out is The Whip, who are falling slightly off the radar as I type.

It might be a cliche{aac} to say that a "cutting edge and introductive" album might be better done by talent scouts from hip labels who are out there checking the scene, for more than ever music is now tied up with the likes of nightlife, clubbing and fashion. But then again, who am I to say? We all sing to a different tune, right?