POP SHUVIT POP Shuvit has never been a band to shy away from progression and ambition. Japan embraced them last year, when their debut album, Take It And Shuvit, hit the ower Records recommendation lists in Osaka and Nagoya, selling in excess of 10,000 copies. And their second full-length studio album, one to lay hands on this year, should repeat their foreign soil success, as well as earn them a more solid following here in Malaysia. Titled Here & Now, the production has tightened. The album, showcases a Pop Shuvit's - Rudy (drums), J.D (guitar, vocals), A.J (bass) and DJ Uno (turntables) - determination to get off the nu-metal bandwagon, and delve deeper into their own sound. One outstanding track, Journey, has been in the Malaysian Top 10 chart during the past weeks. That's not to say they've left behind their earlier style, but rather, they're fast learning to perfect their art. The five tracks, Side Swipe, Old Skool' Rocker, Ego Trip, Candle Hop and I Got Da' Flow (a collaboration with Zion from US underground hip hop act, Zion I), show the boys' continuing desire to make the hip hop edgier and the rock more powerful, and they are learning how to fuse the genres properly. With a fuller sound, tighter melodies and mastered harmonies, there's an air of confidence in their music now. For more information on Pop Shuvit, visit their official site www.popshuvit.net