It’s that time of the year once again—and no, I don’t mean Christmas.

Organizers have just announced the lineup for Singapore’s (and indeed, Asia’s) premiere indie music event, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, which takes place January 26, 2013.

Playing at the Lion City’s next iconic landmark, The Meadow at Gardens By The Bay, is a good mix of old school favorites and a bunch of newcomers. The official release says, “We are thrilled to present the most forward thinking and eclectic line-up to date. It’s classic Laneway: the new, known and most exciting acts from around the world. Programmed by music-lovers for music fans, the lineup is perennially compelling.”

The artists playing in Laneway Singapore are (in alphabetical order): Alt-J, Bat For Lashes, Cloud Nothings, Divine Fits, Gotye, Ja-pandroids, Kimbra, Kings Of Convenience, Nicolas Jaar, Of Monsters And Men, Polica, Real Estate, Tame Impala, and Yeasayer.

I’m personally looking forward to seeing Gotye and Kimbra, especially after a banner year with their monster hit “Somebody That I Used To Know,” and rock duo Japandroids, who I first saw and instantly fell in love with on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Of course, Kings of Convenience are old favorites, and Manila won’t soon forget their memorable show here back in 2010. I wouldn’t mind seeing them again. The others are new to my ears and I will have to get to know them a little better before the big show.

Tickets are already available via sistic.com.sg and via eventclique.com. for updates be sure to follow @lanewayfestsg on Twitter and like their Facebook page. For more information, visit <lanewayfestival.asia>

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You know how sometimes, you like a song so much you keep pressing repeat on your iPod until you eventually get sick of it? That’s how much I liked The Fray’s “Over My Head (Cable Car)” when I first heard it in 2005. I remember long stretches at the treadmill (back when I still deluded myself into thinking I could get abs at the gym) with this song playing over and over.

I have since moved on to other songs and other bands, but every time I hear “Over My Head,” I can’t help but smile and sing along. When I heard The Fray were coming over to perform in Manila, my only thought was, well it’s about time.

The Fray is an unabashed pop-rock band hailing from Denver, Colorado. Comprised of Isaac Slade, Joe King, Dave Welsh and Ben Wysocki, the band’s biggest hit is arguably “How To Save A Life,” the second single off their debut album with the same name. No doubt the band’s profile was raised some after the song was featured on an episode of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy.

They earned Grammy nominations for both “Over My Head” and “How To Save A life,” as well as two other nominations for their eponymous follow-up album in 2010. They are also perhaps known for their stirring cover of the Kanye West track “Heartless.” They released their third album, Scars and Stories, earlier this year.

All throughout their career, The Fray has pretty much stayed true to its identity as a piano-based pop-rock group. They have written songs that convey so much emotion that there are those that have categorized them as an “emo-band.” Sladeeven has that high-pitched, church-singer-on-speed sound typical of this subsection of music. But the band probably doesn’t care much about genres and labels. They’re just doing their thing and while there are those who don’t care much about what they churn out, I believe there’s a place in the music scene for these guys. So go watch them.

The Fray is set to perform live in Manila on November 10 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. For tickets call Ticketnet at 911-5555

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