Choosing between design and music is something that this Chemistry
co-founder has always refused to do. The latest result in his multi-disciplinary approach to creativity is ‘Residue’, his first solo album as a singer/songwriter.

“After releasing a few band albums [with Blindspot] and an ambient album
[with Hutspot Masala] I felt it was time to reveal the more vulnerable, quiet
and direct side of myself,” Marcel says. “On Residue, the voice takes
centre stage and the instrumentation takes a on more supportive role”.

Much of the album’s lyrical sentiment revolves around realisations
triggered by loss. “Losing my beloved grandmother and dad in a very
short space of time brought sadness, of course, but experiences like
these also enrich your life at a profound level,” explains Marcel. “If there’s
an underlying theme for the album it would be the beauty of
impermanence”.

This theme is also carried through in the design of the album cover.
Marcel’s current efforts in developing a series of visual art clearly gelled
with the overall theme of the album.

His images of urban scenes reflected into weathering walls are an
appropriate companion to the songs both emotionally and philosophically.
He adds, “At a very basic level, as human beings, we seem to reject the
idea of impermanence and have been conditioned to buy into the illusion
that everything should stay the same. With these artworks, I aim to show
the change and renewal process that goes on constantly, and to reveal
the beauty in that”.

The album cover is constructed out of one singular piece of printed
cardboard – no plastic has been used – and is available at all
Gramophone stores in Singapore. It’s also available for downloading from
CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon.

Marcel's visual art for the album cover resulted in two exhibitions so far
this year. One was a solo show – simply titled 'Residue' – that was part of
the annual Month of Photography Festival and the other was part of a
group exhibition at Objectifs.