Ellie Goulding

Storming the charts with her debut single Lights, Ellie Goulding is the new need-to-know in the pop scene. The multi-talented singer-songwriter also plays the guitar, piano and bass−talents she had a chance to showcase at Buckingham Palace when she was invited to perform at the Royal Wedding in 2011. Her debut album, Lights was a huge success, debuting at number one on the UK album charts. Now back with her second album, Halcyon, which quickly opened at number two, Ellie, is fast gaining fans from all over the world. Despite her accomplishments, the singer still has a quirky charm about her. Nevertheless, Ellie delivers impressive tracks with Halcyon. The lead single Anything Could Happen is an upbeat addictive tune while the ballad I Know You Care is lyrically powerful, backed with a simple choir and piano on the background. Great things lie in store for this upstart. Anything could happen, indeed.

IUNO!

Green Day

Punk rock American band Green Day releases the first of a trilogy as part of their ninth studio project. Front man Billie Joe Armstrong delivers the classic sounds of Green Day with decidedly more optimism, taking life as inspiration and perfectly encapsulating the concept of YOLO. You only live once, as the band espouses.

THE 2ND LAW

Muse

British trio Muse is back with their sixth instalment. Introducing new sounds to their already varied repertoire from funk to dubstep, The 2nd Law is nothing if not versatile and energetic. We especially enjoyed Supremacy, Madness and The 2nd Law: Unsustainable.

THE ABBEY ROAD SESSIONS

Kylie Minogue

Fall in love with Kylie Minogue all over again as she celebrates her career’s milestones with this album marking her 25th year in the industry. Keeping things fresh by re-working some of her best hits, sixteen favourites were recorded at the famous London studio with a full orchestra. The
Abbey Road Sessions proves Kylie is still a consummate performer. Fans will lap this up!

Yannick Bovy

“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing” is the motto he lives by. Young and talented, this Belgian singer has been aptly compared to Michael Bublé. At 25, Yannick has a voice that will charm you, and clearly feeling completely at home, it was provident that he was introduced to swing music at a very young age as his grandparents loved listening to Frank Sinatra and Lou Rawls. At age 17, he took part in TV talent search the X-Factor but was quickly eliminated. That didn’t stop him from chasing after his musical dream. Coming a long way since the X-Factor, his debut album Better Man sees a mix of timeless classic including covers of ‘All My Loving’ and ‘Under My Skin’. Better Man holds a total of fifteen tracks including four bonus tracks. If you enjoy swing music, then this is the album for you.

COME OF AGE

The Vaccines

Indie band The Vaccines are back with their second album Come of Age. A deeper sense of maturity can be felt in their song lyrics. Taking on a harder rock feel this time, ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘Lonely World’ are personal favourites.

GOSSAMER

Passion Pit

American electro pop band Passion Pit was first formed in 2007. With front man Michael Angelakos struggling with bipolar disorder, he still manages to deliver twelve gobsmacking tracks for their album Gossamer where standout tracks are ‘Take A Walk’, ‘On My Way’ and ‘Carried Away’.

HELLO

Karmin

If you think Karmin is a one-woman music entity, then you are not alone. Many have mistaken Karmin for a solo artist, when in fact, Karmin is made up of engaged couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Louis Noonan. This American pop duo is best known, for their single ‘Brokenhearted’ and their debut album Hello is highly addictive as it features seven catchy tracks.

Cross Roads

by W. Paul Young

Arrogant, self-made business man Anthony Spencer is at the top of his game when he suffers a cerebral haemorrhage that leaves him in a comatose state. Upon awakening, he finds himself in a world that he never thought to be part off. In this bizarre new world, Anthony finds himself examining his life – wondering if he has the guts to make a vital alteration that will revoke the unfairness he’s caused.

Flight Behavior: A Novel

by Barbara Kingsolver

Set in a small town in Tennessee, Flight Behavior sees a young woman who finds a valley filled with silent red fire. Amazed by this wonder, she tries to share her excitement with people around her. However, her efforts are put to waste as they get her into a disagreement with her family, town and with the world at large.

One Hundred Names

by Cecelia Ahern

Known for her novel P.S. I Love You, Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern returns with A Hundred Names. Taking a different approach from previous works, A Hundred Names tells the story of Kitty Logan, a journalist whose career is going downhill until she stumbles upon a list of one hundred names in a file. She starts to track those people down to write that one story that she’s always wanted to write.

Set Yourself Free

by Yap Ming Hui

Author, television personality, columnist and coach on money optimisation, Yap Ming Hui is back with his latest book Set Yourself Free. As the Managing Director of Whitman Independent Advisors, Yap assesses why middle class Malaysians have trouble achieving financial freedom in this book.

Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware used to be a guest vocalist for London dubstep kings SBTRKT and Joker, before she released her debut album. Having come from a dubstep-tinged background, Jessie has definitely infused some very mild dubstep tints into her tracks. She adds drums and bass with a little bit of electro to her sophisticated smooth sounds and delivers eleven impressive tracks with her album Devotion. With such an incredible voice, Jessie has been compared to powerhouses such as Adele, Sade and Whitney Houston. However, in Devotion, you can hear Jessie refrain from blasting her notes and the results of it turn out to be very moving. Her songs hold meaningful lyrics and she displays perfect control of her voice in each track. Devotion gives out a warm, heartfelt feel that slowly grows onto you. Shy and humble, Jessie Ware has got a bright future in the music industry in front of her. Some favourites from the album include ‘Wildest Moments’, ‘Running’ and ‘Night Light’.

Dance Again The Hits

Jennifer Lopez

Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to put on your dancing shoes as Jenny from the Block is back! Not only is she touring and making a stop in Malaysia this December, she has also released an album with a compilation of all her best dance hits. With tracks remixed and featuring Pitbull, Lil Wayne and Flo Rida, it is impossible to resist dancing along to this album.

Enjoy It While It Last

Spector

The fan base of indie music has definitely increased since Spector’s concert here in Malaysia back in October. Taking indie music back to how it originally was, Spector releases their debut album Enjoy While It Last which consists of twelve tracks. With ‘True Love (For Now)’ as the opening to the album, there is a care free feeling to his songs that never seem trite or tired.

Fortune

Chris Brown

In spite of the drama of Chris Brown’s abusive relationship with Rihanna to his tattooing the image of a beaten girl on his neck to rumours of them getting back together, Chris Brown’s latest album Fortune is surprisingly brilliant. Infused with upbeat techno tunes, Fortune delivers classic Chris Brown tunes with a twist that will keep you feeling pumped and energetic.

The Turn of The Screw

by Henry James

Most have forgotten that this terrifying tale of a governess trying to save her two charges from malevolent forces is set on Christmas eve where the tale is told by a narrator as a Christmas ghost story by the fireplace. Un-put-downable.

Holidays on Ice

by David Sedaris

A collection of six humorous and insightful essays from funnyman David Sedaris with highlights that include his short (though no less eventful) employment as a Christmas elf at Macy’s.

An Idiot Girl’s Christmas: True Tales from the Top of the Naughty List

by Laurie Notaro

Another funny take on the holidays from humour writer Laurie Notaro, you’ll identify the sort of characters (Most unfun Christmas Party Guest, anyone?) and all-too-familiar X’mas situations we tend to throw ourselves into.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

by Agatha Christie

What’s Christmas without everybody’s favourite detective? As per typical Agatha Christie, an assortment of characters assemble at a prominent person’s house, only for said prominent person to be promptly murdered. Whodunnit? Read on and find out!

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror

by Christopher Moore

This most unconventional take on Christmas has flesh-eating zombies, angels and dead Santas thrown into the mix. The novel, in short, is anything but dull.

Grand Pursuit

by Sylvia Nasar

Best known for her biography of John Forbes Nash, A Beautiful Mind, Sylvia Nasar is a German-born American economist turned author who is also a Professor of Business Journalism at Columbia University. Sylvia’s works have garnered critical praise and been published in the New Yorker and Newsweek amongst others. A Beautiful Mind informed the academy award-winning movie and was translated into thirty languages.

Her latest book, Grand Pursuit, is an ambitious work that traces the downward-spiraling path of modern economics to today`s financial mess. Highlighting the people who created modern economics, Sylvia sheds light on how the financial world has come to pass and cleverly brings to life the evolution of modern economics through the richly detailed stories of men and women who have unwittingly changed the lives of every person on the planet.

As a product of the 19^th century, Sylvia reveals that economics was not always associated with bankers and excess or recessions for that matter which only makes Grand Pursuit that much more intriguing.

Telegraph Avenue

by Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon`s long-awaited novel, his first in five years, turns its attentions on the once ubiquitous, now fast-disappearing record store. When a celebrity entrepreneur Gibson Goode announce his plan to build a megastore on Telegraph Avenue, two friends and co-owners of the smaller Brokeland records find more than just their business tested to breaking point. A pop culture epic injected with heart and soul.

Asian Bar Culture Creations 101

by Yann Loh with Benson Wong

Asian cocktail creations have gotten a lot more creative than the standard Singapore Sling. This book is your guide to the most popular Asian cocktails, both classic and new, with recipes and instructions on how to make them by expert mixologists from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. Mixologists in the making can try their hand at exotic concoctions such as Roasted Pineapple Blossom and curiously named Smokey Robot Oil.

Start Something That Matters

by Blake Mycoskie

Blake Mycoskie shares the simple truth that what matters most to you would ultimately bring you more success. He presents six simple ways for creating or changing your own life and business, from uncovering your core story to being creative with your life. In Start Something That Matters, you`ll gain ideas, stories and practical tips that will help get you started in any kind of change you are considering.

Alexandra Burke

Best known for her interpretation of Hallelujah, this British recording artist and songwriter was exposed to music at an early age. She shot to stardom after winning the fifth series of British television series, The X Factor in 2008. After the success of her debut album Overcome, her big and strong voice continues to soar effortlessly in her second album. Heartbreak On Hold holds a different feel as compared to her first album. It gives out a light upbeat feel that is mixed with a hint of rave-style synths. Our favourites are Let It Go, Oh La La and What Money Can’t Buy.

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