10/04/2025

LYFE THURSDAY | APR 10, 2025

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Elton John says new album ‘freshest’ since 1970s

E LTON John has described his new album as the “freshest” he has done since the 1970s, with Who Believes in Angels? releasing last Friday. The studio album comes after he wound down his glittering live career with a global farewell tour, which wrapped up in Sweden in July 2023. Who Believes in Angels? is a collaboration with US singer Brandi Carlile and co-written by John’s long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. “This album marks a new beginning for me. It is very fresh. It is probably the freshest album I have done since the 70s. “I needed new musicians, although I love my band so much, (and a) new producer to give me a challenge. “You have to be challenged,” the 78-year-old singer told Smooth Radio ahead of the release. John, famed for his flamboyant performances and unforgettable melodies, has sold over 300 million records worldwide. The new album was written and recorded from scratch in 20 days in October 2023 at the Sunset Sound recording studio in Los Angeles shortly after the end of the farewell tour. o Legendary artiste returns with Who Believes in Angels? EMERGING as another new voice in R&B and pop, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer Rangga Jones has served up a new single Move On . A soulful blend of a gently strummed guitar, infectious drums and melodies, the track offers an intimate window into Jones’s personal evolution, as he reflects on the journey of moving past the heartbreak of a past relationship. “I remember browsing through sounds in a hotel room and found the guitar melody. I instantly knew I wanted to write about accepting and finally moving on from my seven-year past relationship,” said Jones. “The song honestly wrote itself. I did not have to think of the lyrics at all and I let my emotions and thoughts do their thing. When I finished the song, I felt some sort of ‘relief’ because I finally got all the words and feelings out from the heartbreak I went through.” The single is also a prelude to Jones’s upcoming sophomore album Everything I’ve Wanted To Say , set for a release this May. An artiste with an ear for groove and sentiment, the singer has received significant recognition in Singapore’s music scene, having released his self-produced EP A Little Bit Patient debuting through the country’s Noise Music Mentorship Programme in 2020.

“That is the rest of my life. It is a challenge,” John said, adding that the biggest challenge is being a parent. “And it is the most wonderful challenge you will ever have, and it has its ups and downs – but it is pretty amazing,” he said. With his music, he said, he could now pick and choose exactly what he wants to do now, so he does not have the brunt of touring and he can concentrate on other things such as recording more songs. “But it will not be like Who Believes in Angels? , it will be something else,” he said. The release comes after the Rocket Man star revealed in December that an eye infection contracted last summer had severely affected his eyesight. “I am healing but it is an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he said at the time. A headline set at the Glastonbury festival in 2023 was his last UK performance as part of his 330-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which ended with an emotionally charged show in Stockholm, Sweden. In January, he achieved his ninth UK number one album with Diamonds , a greatest hits compilation. – AFP

John has sold over 300 million records worldwide. – PIC FROM ISLAND EMI RECORDS

Rangga Jones chooses to Move On

Let there be rot ONCE in awhile, a band comes along and simply forces listeners to drop whatever they are doing and just engage in a bout of spontaneous hair swirling. One such band is Rotpit. Formed in Sweden in 2019, the three-piece outfit makes an almighty racket that is redolent of late 80s death metal. Rotpit has been making significant waves in the global underground scene as its first two albums received rave reviews from fans of the genre and critics alike. Golem of Rot is the latest single to assault listener’s eardrums and picks up directly where the last album Long Live the Rot let off. The influence of early progenitors such as Obituary and Cannibal Corpse loom large as Rotpit regurgitates the thick, swampy sound that was beloved by those Floridian pioneers. It is just non-stop riffage that is designed purely to get those cranium muscles moving with the tempo never dropping below fast and furious. The production is almost treacle-like as the band attempts to make listeners feel as if they are trapped in quicksand while being relentlessly pummelled on the head with a sledgehammer. Rotpit stretches the “rot” theme to the nth degree, making all its releases extremely fun. Aside from the latest g

Rotpit’s latest single is out on War Anthem Records and can be sampled on all major streaming platforms. – PIC FROM FACEBOOK @ROTPIT

single, examples include Night of the Ultimate Rot , Rottenness and We Rot . Obviously not to be taken seriously, Rotpit’s forte is mining old school death metal for inspiration and producing no-frills, straight-up death metal. No flashy stuff here as solos are kept to a minimum to allow the song to just gallop through its paces with minimal distractions. Like a gore-drenched horror film, this is the aural equivalent of Fright Night . Nothing original but hugely entertaining in its own way. All together now – all hail the mighty Rotpit! – by R. BALA

The idea for the new track stemmed from Jones’s solo trip to Tokyo.