"And i thought it must be cool. And it is"

Album: OST (500) Days Of Summer

Genre: Pop, Folk, Indie Rock etc
Based in: US
Label: Sire / Wea
Year: 2009
Rate: 8.5/10








Okay okay, i go for this soundtrack or both the movie, because of Zooey Deschanel take a part there. And i thought it must be cool. And it is :D

Ini adalah album soundtrack dari film (500) Days Of Summer, coba lihat sedikit line up pengisi soundtracknya: The Smiths, Wolfmother, Regina Spektor, Simon & Garfunkel, She & Him, Zooey Deschanel herself, Feist, Temper Trap, Doves and many more. Saya pikir pilihan artisnya sudah menjadi sebuah kredit tersendiri, and we'll see the verdict.

Sebuah album soundtrack tidak ubahnya seperti album kompilasi saja, dengan kolektivitas bertema tertentu -dalam hal ini filmnya-. Kebintangan Zooey Deschanel dalam film ini tentu menjadi nilai lebih (Zooey juga bermusik dengan grupnya, She & Him yang debut albumnya rilis pada 2008), ada bagian film dimana Zooey bernyanyi karaoke membawakan lagu Sugar Town dari Nancy Sinatra, dihadirkan sebagai bonus track pada album ini, bersama dengan potongan Here Comes Your Man dari The Pixies yang juga dibawakan oleh Joseph Gordon-Levitt di adegan karaoke tersebut. Here Comes Your Man sendiri ada full tracknya namun versi dari Meaghan Smith. Dari The Smith ada Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, dimana lagu ini muncul dua kali, satu lagi cover version yang dibawakan oleh She & Him. Satu lagu lagi dari The Smith adalah There's a Light That Never Goes Out.

Regina Spektor dengan Us dan Hero juga menjadi cukup notable di album ini, walaupun bersanding dengan Feist dan Carla Bruni dan Zooey Deschanel di barisan penyanyi wanita yang hadir di album ini. Wolfmother berbagi lagu Vagabond yang tidak se heavy biasanya, kali ini ballads-rock yang dibalas dengan tengil oleh Black Lips dengan Black Kids. Modern Indie Rock diwakilkan oleh Doves, The Temper Trap dan Mumm-Ra. Sedangkan Simon & Garfunkel dengan Bookends, membawakan satu-satunya classic folk di album ini, tenang nan menghanyutkan.

Jadi, kalau sudah melihat filmnya, dan suka, jangan lupa untuk mencari album soundtracknya. Worth every track of it :D (Jay)

Tracklist
01. Story Of Boy Meets Girl, A - Mychael Danna & Rob Simonsen
02. Us - Regina Spektor
03. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - Smiths
04. Bad Kids
05. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - Smiths
06. There Goes The Fear - Doves
07. You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oates
08. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
09. Quelqu'un M'a Dit - Carla Bruni
10. Mushaboom - Feist
11. Hero - Regina Spektor
12. Bookends - Simon & Garfunkel
13. Vagabond - Wolfmother
14. She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra
15. Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith
16. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - Smiths

*Review By: Jay

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29/08/2009
Proudly brought to you, a small and simple effort to collecting, sharing and documenting. 

Mellon The Digital Set #1: SEQUEL!

"As, “we'll see the raise of the dead in the sequel of this story”. That's the very common plot!"

cover art

Mellon The Digital Set adalah sebuah usaha kecil dan sederhana untuk mengumpulkan, saling berbagi, dan mendokumentasikan karya-karya menawan yang berserakan disekitar kita, baik berupa lagu, karya grafis maupun lainnya. Kesemuanya terkumpul dalam format digital dan disebarkan secara bebas keseluruh dunia melalui www.mellonzine.com

Dan seri pertama dari Mellon The Digital Set ini berjudul SEQUEL!. Setelah beberapa bulan yang lalu Mellon Zine sempat mengalami kevakuman tak pasti, dan oleh penulisnya (Jay) dideklarasikan secara sinis sebagai telah mati. Maka sang penulis merasa lucu jika mengasosiasikan "mati"nya Mellon Zine kedalam kontekstual horror. Bahwa sesungguhnya penulisnya ingin membangkitkan kembali Mellon Zine, dan konsep-konsep hidup kembali, kebangkitan yang telah mati, zombie atau hantu seringali ditemui dalam konsep horror. Jadi, tendensi "SEQUEL" sebagai bangkitnya sesuatu yang telah mati secara murahan ada pada hal-hal seperti itu.

Tidak ada korelasi khusus antara judul dan konsep "SEQUEL!" dengan karya-karya yang dirangkum dalam MTDS #1 ini. Karena judul "SEQUEL!" hanyalah ego dari penulis saja untuk bagaimana ia mengemas digital set ini.

Dan dengan mudah dalam MTDS #1 bisa ditemukan lagu dari band-band terhebat berikut: Hi Mom! (Surabaya), The Morning After (Malang), Vox (Surabaya), Hairdresser On Fire (Medan), Friday (Surabaya) dan Shorthand Phonetics (Bandung/Jakarta) dan beberapa karya grafis dari Phleg, Kuro, Puru dan titiss. Jadi, mari berbagi dan nikmati digital set ini. Salam cinta dari kematian!

PS. Collect this, share this and document this!
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Listen the streaming here:

Mellon The Digital Set is a small and simple effort to collecting, sharing and documenting artworks, songs, pictorials, photos and many more that scattered around us. It's digitally formatted packed in a single archive file and shared freely across the globe through the internet via www.mellonzine.com

The first serial of Mellon The Digital Set entitled as SEQUEL!. Following the previous Mellon Zine sarcastic dead act. As it had been vacuum for months, and never know how will it becomes in the future. So the author (Jay) literally declare Mellon Zine as dead. As Mellon Zine told as literally dead, the author suddenly found, it might be funny if he contexted its dead into a horror-esque story board. Somehow the author might be want to raise the zine after its dead. We'll easily find a resurrection, raise of the dead, or zombies, ghosts and whatsoever in anything horror. And "Sequel!" is cheapily about those kind of things. As, “we'll see the raise of the dead in the sequel of this story”. That's the very common plot!

Songs, artworks, pics / photos and any others in this digital set has nothing inline with the insight meaning of "Sequel!". The picked theme is only the author's ego in how he packed the digital set. So, let's enjoy and share this digital set. Love from the death!

PS. Collect this, share this and document this!
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DOWNLOAD LINK!

Click here to DOWNLOAD complete release of MTDS #1

MTDS #1 content:
Release Sheets, click here to download

Song tracks:
click to download per track
01. Hi Mom! - Mommy Song
02. The Morning After - Berubahlah!
03. Vox - Pengembara
04. Hairdresser On Fire - Pathetic Life
05. Friday - Chroma
06. Shorthand Phonetics - Shinohara Yumi, Seiyuu Star

Short Description:
Hi Mom! is an alternative rock band from Surabaya, Indonesia. Much influenced by Mew, Radiohead, Bjork, Sigur Ros and many other alternative-rock dark sound like. The Morning After is the finest alternative rock act from Malang, Indonesia. Its sweet tunes yet rawkin is still the hottest from the town. Vox is four-pieces magical band from Surabaya, Indonesia. They tried a new tune for the band as a mexicana folk-rock sound like for their forthcoming album. Hairdresser On Fire is a rawkin girl front-liner band coming from Medan, Indonesia. They sound riotic as a punk, much like Young and Restless, (early) Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Friday si an awesome band coming From Surabaya, Indonesia. Brought a dark ambient sound scape, but hit your ass as powerful rock beat from the drum n bass. Shorthand Phonetics is a fiction solo project by Ababil Ashari, known as a lo-fi rock based genre, but very honest in tunes.

Graphic Arts / Photos:
- Phleg
- Kuro
- Puru
- titiss

Short Description:
Phleg can't even draw, but he did a 4 panels comic for us!
Kuro has an awesome talent in drawing, and see his version of resurrection here!
Puru is an ordinary Lomo-Fish Eye newbie. See her random shoots, shoot for fun!
titiss is a megalomaniac. She captures the story.


*Released by www.mellonzine.com
*The digital set compiled and produced by Jay
*Creative Commons licensed
*Download page powered by the Internet Archive

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"The Best Lyrics Album of 2009 Has Arrived! And That Album is Indonesian!"

TIKA and the Dissidents
Album: "The Headless Songstress"
Genre: Alternative, Jazz, Indie Pop, etc.
Based in: Jakarta, Indonesia
Label: DeMajors
Year: 2009
Rate: 9/10
MySpace






French philospher François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire, has once said "Anything too stupid to be said is sung." This is true of most modern pop music. I mean, just read at these lyrical clunkers you've been singing along to lately:

"Are you human/or are you dancer?" - The Killers ponders.

"My mp3 is out of juice/I wrote a song for you but what's the use" - Third Eye Blind muses.

"Making love in back seat of the car/with the ocean breeze slipping thru your hair/(this is the best part of my life)" - Pee Wee Gaskins confusingly (and recklessly) declares their vocalists disposition.

Ok, I just took the more horrid examples from recent pop and listed them unfairly. But you'd be hard pressed to argue that most of the lyrics broadcast through the airwaves are much better. Certainly the "Anything too stupid to be said is sung" quote lives on to describe pop music today, irony-free.

Enter TIKA.

Who is she? Let me block-quote the offical fiction for you.

"Kartika Jahja, was born in 1980 to a somewhat artistic family. [...] But she ripped out many hearts with her own songs when she released her first critically debut album ‘Frozen Love Songs’ in 2005. [...] The songstress also knows how to rape a microphone, with her expressive stage acts which is a plethora of many heartfelt emotions. TIKA also has a knack for criticism. [...] She often speaks ugly truths about popular culture [...] which naturally corners her into the fringe [...] of [...] culture [...] [subjective assessment of self] [...] TIKA’s new album “the Headless Songstress” is due to be released in July 2009."

That's a pretty daring way to describe yourself, don't you think? But does "The Headless Songstress" lives up to the official fiction?

Why, yes, silly. Yes it does!

As the literate block-quote above implies, TIKA is very much the literate girl. She puts so much wit and passion on the lyrical content of this album, it is hard NOT to ignore the words (unlike the words of the aforementioned The Killers, Third Eye Blind and Pee Wee Gaskins).

To have a sample of TIKA's lyrical prowess, check these insights about "Pol Pot": "It's the celebration of the nation's amnesia/Who's the real bad guy after all". Insights about feminism at a personal level in "Venus Envy": "I blab blab about bla bla for the liberation of my sex/only to realize it's my own self esteem I gotta fight". Insights about the temporal nature of happiness in life in Infidel Castratie: "And once we thought we were in heaven/Now heaven's reserved for the dead".

Every word, every sentiment, every feeling and every snide aside MEANS something. It addresses a phenomenon and analyzes the hell out of it from a uniquely TIKA perspective. There has never been an album, at least in the genre(s) TIKA decided to dabble in for this one, where I actually bothered to check the lyric sheet to know what the artist is talking about in every single track!

She's got a lot to say, she's not afraid to say it, and she deserves to be heard!

What about the music, you ask? Tropey. Not a word? Tropeful. Are you accusing me of making words up? Ok, you got me. The music in this album is full-of-tropes.

Tropes from jazz (that fretless bass intro leading into a jazzy piano chord of "Venus Envy"), from cabaret (from the appropriately titled "Red Red Cabaret"), show-tunes (the verse trading "Ol' Dirty Bastard" which features Anda), etc.

Now don't get me wrong. At times The Dissidents would try and subvert the trope and throw in a few musical curve balls now and again, but for the most part they play it by the book. This is no fault. Because, why would you wanna take the focus from the message? The message that is TIKA and her beatific lyrics. What about that quote I threw in before?

"Anything too stupid to be said is sung?"

Well, sirs and ma'ams...

There's nothing stupid about this one.

(Ababil Ashari)

Track Listing:
01. Tantang Tirani
02. Polpot
03. Venus Envy
04. 20 Hours
05. Uh Ah Lelah
06. Red Red Cabaret
07. Ol’ Dirty Bastard (featuring Anda)
08. Infidel Castratie
09. Waltz Muram
10. Tentang Petang
11. Mayday
12. Clausmophobia

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HIGH with FRIDAY

"You'll Fuckin Regret It Because You've Missed This Magnificent Planetic, Spacey, Atmospheric Show of Friday!"

the digital flyer that bring me to Planetarium, TIM, Jakarta

Antusiasme saya sewaktu menghadiri acara ini sebenarnya lebih pada ingin melihat Friday berpanggung lagi setelah sekian lama. Sudah lama tidak ada kabar dari Friday, dan tiba-tiba ada digital flyer ini menyebar di Facebook. Kebetulan memang lagi liburan ke Jakarta, meluncurlah saya ke Planetarium untuk nonton Friday.

Saya datang telat dari jadwal yang seharusnya pukul 19:00 WIB, saya datang sudah lebih dari pukul 20:00 WIB. Untungnya orang di bagian ticketing bilang “baru mulai kok” ha! Walaupun sepertinya saya melewatkan monolog yang ada diawal dari Komisi Penanggulangan AIDS / KPA (yap, acara ini terselenggara berkat KPA juga, dimana Fiday menjadi salah satu wakil KPA juga sekarang). Saya belum pernah ke Planetarium, dan tidak ada gambaran seperti apa sih Planetarium yang akan digunakan gedung konser malam itu. Seketika ketika kain tirai hitam disibakkan, saya terkesima oleh Planetariumnya! Seakan masuk kedunia lain dengan hamparan langit malam yang luas, gugusan bintang, planet dan benda langit lainnya begitu dekat diatas kepala! Ruangan tertutup itu terasa seperti hamparan ruangan terbuka luas di malam hari yang penuh bintang berkilau beserta tebaran planet-planetnya! Sesaat kemudian antusiasme saya menjadi berlipat-lipat membayangkan Friday akan berpanggung di tempat sehebat ini!

againts high

photo source: HIGH with FRIDAY Faceook Event

Planetarium itu gelap, segelap gedung bioskop film horror. Dengan pendingin ruangan yang memadai, dan tempat duduk yang nyaman dan empuk. Bahkan di depan tempat Friday berpanggung juga tidak dihiasi penerangan. Sekedar agar Friday terlihat jelas. Penerangan hanya dari permainan visual kubah Planetarium dan menghasilkan tampilan siluet dari player-player Friday. Drum set Pit diatur menghadap serong kesamping, sehingga siluet Pit menggebuk drum terlihat dari samping, kemudian ada Komar di bas dengan gerakan-gerakan psychedelicnya, Bram pada vokal tetap dengan gaya cool-nya dan Guntur pada gitar masih dengan tekun menyayat gitarnya. Ditambah permainan Keyboard dari Mbenk yang atraktif di latar belakang. Sapuan proyektor ke kubah Planetarium menampilkan langit malam dengan butiran bintang-bintang, planet, benda langit, rasi bintang dan sesekali berganti setting menjadi langit sore yang memerah atau langit subuh yang membiru……

Dibuka dengan alunan intro yang langsung disusul dengan The Pocket Knife, hentakan iramanya langsung merangsang semangat, yeah sudah lama gak nonton Friday! Haha… Masih seperti biasanya, Friday berturut-turut membawakan lagu demi lagunya (Elses, Sitting on Anything Cold, Nobody Takes As Much As Interest In Their...) tanpa banyak basa-basi terucap dari Bram sang frontliner. What so importance then? Cukup menyenderkan kepala ke sandaran kursi yang nyaman, nikmati music live- Friday dengan ambience khas yang mereka bangun dan atmosfer planetarium yang atmosferik, langit luas angkasa, planet dan gugusan bintang.

Ruangan kubah planetarium memang bukan akustik yang sempurna, sound yang keluar dari panggung juga bukan yang paling prima. Namun hal ini tidak menjadi catatan cacat dari konser ini. Ketika lagu Turn dimainkan, Friday tetap membawa kembali nuansa EP Mind To Get Close beberapa tahun silam (Around 2003? CMIIW). Lalu ada single terbaru mereka Ku Bukan Aku yang mereka tulis lirik absurd-nya dalam Bahasa Indonesia –obsesi yang akhirnya terwujud, diakui oleh Friday dalam sesi interview singkat- sedikit berbeda disini, lebih dramatis dengan dominasi synth/keyboard di layer belakang, juga lebih terasa part-part dan sound alternative 90an, utamanya dibagian melodi diakhir lagu.

choir

photo source: wastedrockers

Puncaknya ada di Sinery. Lagu penutup dan ditutup oleh paduan suara dari SLTP Katolik Le Muel, Jakarta. Sukses membuat merinding bulu kuduk saya, mendengar suara anak-anak SMP ini berpadu ditengah gelapnya Planetarium dan melankolinya melodi lagu Sinery. Oh jangan lupa ada tamu yang ikut naik ke panggung, Tania dari Clover untuk turut bermain Keyboard. Show it’s over, players gather round in the center of the stage, applause, players giving their last honor to the audiences and this is the end of the magnificent planetic, spacey, atmospheric show of Friday! Salute! (Jay)

Songlist on show
01. intro
02. the pocket knife
03. elses
04. sitting on anything cold
05. nobody takes as much as interest in their...
06. turn
07. starts to over
08. ku bukan aku
09. sinery

Review by: Jay
Photo by: Several sources (Facebook, wastedrockers, etc)

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"A Left-Field Creative Commons Licensed
Indie Masterpiece!"

I Come to Shanghai
Album: "I Come to Shanghai"
Genre: Synth Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Experimental Pop
Based in: California, USA
Label: N/A (self-released)
Year: 2009
Rate: 8.5/10
MySpace





I Come to Shanghai's indie-cred doesn't come from the usual sources of the holy trinity of music blogs, (that being a concept I just came up in my noodle), that is made of of Pitchfork, Stereogum and [a web publication of your choice]. It comes from the gaming scene.

For you see, Robert Ashley of Massachusetts', one-half of this dynamic duo, initial claim to fame is a gaming podcast entitled "A Life Well Wasted". The podcast takes a "This American Life" approach to gaming journalism and is worth ALL the time it consumes out of your day.

So, as I listened to "A Life Well Wasted", I noticed that the music used in the podcast we're all, or at least mostly, original. A bit of more click-ta-tude and I found out that the music was from Robert's musical project with Sam Frigard of Texas' Californian outfit I Come to Shanghai.

Long story short, I downloaded this PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT-EVEN-ZERO album a month later and well...

I'm fucking floored.

That lone-snare-drum intro, that soft-synth explosion, that Damon Albarn-ish baritone [...] The genius that is "Pass the Time".

That laid-back guitar riff, that hyperactive background beat, that swirly synth riff [...] The heaven that is "Your Lazy Eye"

Now, the opening one-two punch would be enough hold up any other filler-stuffed indie albums (Yo!, Bombay Bicycle Club, The View! Here's looking at you!), but that's not all.

"Another Sunday Morning" is a blissful run through 3/4 time, "Houses on the Shore" is a reflection of warranted post-hippie irony with the lines "I'm giving it to the rich/Stealing from the poor/And the Devil drives a big rig/Has houses on the shore".

Even the idea-based songs is entertaining. "The Commute" seems like an exercise of spacing, forward-moving songwriting and arrangement. Album closer "Do We Have to Rise Again" through twists and turns blossoms into one of the better Radiohead-inspired tracks in recent memory.

Lyrically strong, musically engaging. Done without the slightest hint of pretension. Devastatingly recommendable!

And now a gushing schoolboy poem to end:

"I Come to Shanghai has given it to us /
this twee masterpiece.
And I Come to Shanghai has given it to us /
lovingly for free."

(Ababil Ashari)

Tracklist
01. Pass the Time
02. Your Lazy Eye
03. I Watch You Sleep
04. Houses on the Shore
05. Another Sunday Morning
06. I Want to Die
07. Salvation Is a Country Club
08. Call Off the Dogs (Right On)
09. The Commute
10. Do We Have to Rise Again

*Review by: Ababil Ashari

P.S. I'd give this album a 11.5 [...] But then my bias will show. T.T

Get/Donate For/Buy the album here: http://icometoshanghai.com

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"Mew Shocks and Awes!!! And Confuses!!!"

Mew
Album: "No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away"
Genre: Space Rock, Atmospheric, Ambient
Based in: Copenhagen, Denmark
Label: Sony BMG (International) / Evil Office (Denmark)
Year: 2009
Rate: 6.5/10
MySpace


Mew's new album "No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away" starts with a track called "New Terrain". It's always a bold statement to name your track 1, side 1 with a title that is suggestive of evolution, progress or change. This really goads my "Oh-rly?!"-sarcastic-bit of my brain, or any critic of music for that matter. The question everybody asks is inevitably: "Is "No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away" really "New Terrain" for Mew?"

"New Terrain", that track is disqualified. So lets skip to the second track (and first single), "Introducing Palace Players"... What can be said about a track which starts with 55-second "groove" with an intentionally difficult rhythm? With said "groove" descending into a more agreeable (still difficult) beat? Well for one, it's cool. For two? It's gimmicky.

Then I listen for a couple of more tracks and I hit "Repeater Beater", another track championed to represent the album. It's more straight forward than "Introducing...", but still gimmicky. An entertaining gimmick, previously exploited by Minus the Bear, but a gimmick nonetheless. Then...

"Cartoons and Macramé Wounds"? Gimmicky!
"Hawaii Dream" and "Hawaii"? Gimmicky!
Even the album title is a gimmick!
It's like they went into a room, and Jonas Bjerre said "Dudes let's make the next album crazy as shit!" and the rest of the band said "That's what I was thinking!"

So: 1. Long Poetic Album Title (Check!), 2. Weird Song Titles (Check), 3. A "Reprise" At The End (Check), etc.

Then I found out the track "New Terrain" becomes "Nervous", when reversed...

I just rolled my eyes.

[...]

That said the less-gimmicky songs from this album I really love. "Beach", "Silas the Magic Car" and "Tricks"? Exquisite. Their previous albums? Very nice! And I think I know why. Each album only has 1 (ONE) gimmick and makes it work.

"Frengers" is a collection of "hit" singles from their early career done in same production standards.
"And the Glass Handed Kites" is one long song divided up into unnoticeable track transition.

I love all of those albums, but ""No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away" is just too much smoke and mirrors for this listener...

So back to the original question. "Is this New Terrain for Mew"?

Well yeah.

If "New Terrain" is defined as more gimmicks.

(Ababil Ashari)

*Review by: Ababil Ashari


Tracklist
01. New Terrain
02. Introducing Palace Players
03. Beach
04. Repeaterbeater
05. Intermezzo 1
06. Silas the Magic Car
07. Cartoons and Macrame Wounds
08. A Dream
09. Hawaii
10. Vaccine
11. Tricks of the Trade
12. Intermezzo 2
13. Sometimes Life Isn't Easy

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"Joy Division Minus Brooding, chatmonchy Minus Pop Structure, The Rapture Minus Bullshit!"

Nisennenmondai  (にせんねんもんだい)
Album: Destination Tokyo
Genre: Post-punk, Japanoise, Noise Rock
Based in: Tokyo, Japan
Label: Bijin Records (jpn), Smalltown Supersound (european)
Year: 2009
Rate: 9/10
MySpace 





Have you ever thought the current down-sliding post-punk revival trend is just pop vocal melodies wedged in to angular guitars and either stoic or frenetic drum work? Have you ever thought that it's all just a bit daft and unimaginative? Well think no more! The saviors of purist post-punk are here! And they're all tiny Japanese girls!

Nisennenmondai, established in 1999, has given us post-punk in it's most literal form (or at least as literal as post-punk can get in the 21st century). Literal in a sense that after 1977 Punk's 2-min or less rave-ups, there can only be Nisennenmondai's 8-min rave-down "Disco". Literal in a sense that after all 1977 Punk's politically retarded lyric vomit, there can only be the 13-minute nihilistic lyric-less drone of "ijeN urusuozuoS".

All of this is made all the more impressive by the fact they are all doing this without synths! That's right ladies and gentlemen of the congregation, they're all just about the guitars, drums and bass!

Fair warning though, know that the 9 I just gave to this thing assumes you are informed of drone music or even a pinch of post-rock and post-punk histories and subtleties between the sub-genres. However, if you're looking for a drone-y, post-punk album to jam out teh stress?

Nisennenmondai is gonna save your day.

And your faith.

Guaranteed.

Oh yeah...

No vocals...

Sorry Ian.

(Ababil Ashari)
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Pernah berpikir kalau tren post-punk revival yang lagi menurun itu hanya melodi-melodi pop vocal yang dimuat-muatkan ke permainan gitar yang tercabik-cabik dan drum yang kalau tidak terdiam, sangat gila? Pernah berpikir kalau semua ini agak membosankan dan tidak imajinatif? Tidak usah berpikir itu lagi! Penyelamat post-punk puris telah datang! Dan mereka semua cewek-cewek Jepang kecil dan imut!

Nissennenmondai, yang memulai bermusik pada tahun 1999, telah memberikan kita post-punk yang paling harfiah. Harfiah dalam arti: setelah lagu 2-min atau kurang Punk angkatan '77 hanya akan ada lagu 8-min "Disco"-nya Nisennenmondai. Harfiah dalam arti: setelah lirik-lirik "political" bodoh punk angkatan '77 hanya akan ada lagu nihilistic "ijeN urusuozuoS"

Semua ini dibuat mencengangkan karena musik ini dibuat tanpa synth! Benar para pembaca, cewek-cewek ini hanya bermodalkan gitar, drum dan bass!

Harus diingatkan! Nilai 9 yang penulis kasih di atas mengassumsikan pembaca tahu dan memberikan apresiasi terhadap music drone atau sedikit mengetahui tentang sejarah dan perbedaan tipis antara sub-genre di post-pundalam k dan post-rock. Tapi, jika pembaca ingin mencari album yang post-punk yang mempunyai nilai-nilai drone untu melepas stress?

Nisennenmondai akan menyelamatkan harimu.

Dan kepercayaanmu.

Dijamin.

Oh iya...

Gak ada vocal...

Ma'af Alfan.

(Ababil Ashari)

Tracklist
01. Souzousuru Neji
02. Disco
03. Miraabouru
04. Mirrorball
05. Destination Tokyo

*Review by: Ababil Ashari
*Translated by: Ababil Ashari

-click readmore for full stories-

Menurut wangsit Siti Jenar bahwa diakhir jaman akan ada kompilasi komik yang akan menggebrak dunia fana, dan benar kiranya ramalan tersebut, seperti pembenaran dari Dewi Sri yang mengatakan akan adanya ratu komik yang menyelamatkan kehidupan manusia. Dipertegas pula oleh eyang Ultraman yang meyakini kompilasi komik itu adalah AREA 031. Nah, kini kompilasi komik itu akan segera lahir ke dunia sebagai kitab panduan untuk merayakan kebangkitan Megamen.

Adapun yang dengan hura-hura terlibat dalam AREA 031 yakni, OGRE, BROKY, DIMAZ, KEYWOOD, DWI, X-GO, AGUNG, JOE, KURO, BAGUS, PANDU, JHON, EKO, ANAM, WAWAN, ABDOEL SEMUTE, IMAM, KHRISNA, BEBE, SHAM, EKA CELENG, MUJADI TANI, IMHAL, TORO ELMAR, ICAN HAREM, PHLEG, sayangnya Panglima Polim nggak ikutan karena dia lupa mengembalikan formulir pendaftaran.

Untuk memiliki salah satu dari 200 kitab yang akan dicetak, kalian bisa memesannya ke

Tinta
anithasilvia@gmail.com
0856 4543 8964
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Refer to the sight of Siti Jenar, that in the end of time there will be a comic compilation that will rock the world, and the sight looks like to be true. Just like a Dewi Sri said that there will be a comic queen who will save human race. Ultraman made it bold as he has faith that the compilation is AREA 031. No, the comic compilation soon to be born on the world as a guidance book of the raise of Megamen.

Happily involved in AREA 031 are OGRE, BROKY, DIMAZ, KEYWOOD, DWI, X-GO, AGUNG, JOE, KURO, BAGUS, PANDU, JHON, EKO, ANAM, WAWAN, ABDOEL SEMUTE, IMAM, KHRISNA, BEBE, SHAM, EKA CELENG, MUJADI TANI, IMHAL, TORO ELMAR, ICAN HAREM, PHLEG, pity that Panglima Polim couldn't make it because he just forgot to bring back his registration form.

To collect one of 200 books that's gonna be printed, you could order to:

Tinta
anithasilvia@gmail.com
0856 4543 8964

"Real Soon Baby! Mellon The Digital Set is Digging Up and Alive!"

This is an early teaser, just wait for the seven dragon balls to be collected together, and spell the words, something deep inside the grave will surely dig up! Taste the preview below!

"The Super-Productive Medical College Boy, Coming Back and Give a Birth to His Brand New Album" 

-The Boy is refer to Ababil Ashari as Shorthand Phonetics-

Shorthand Phonetics
Genre: Lo-fi, Rock, Alternative, Pop Punk, Indie
Based in: Bandung/Jakarta
Label: Yes No Wave
Year: 2009
Rate: 7/10
MySpace







Si mahasiswa kedokteran yang produktif berlagu itu kembali menelurkan sebuah album dibawah panji Shorthand Phonetics. Mengacu pada Ababil Ashari sebagai satu-satunya pemeran dalam Shorthand Phonetics, kali ini album penuh ke 4 dari Shorthand Phonetics dilahirkan lagi dengan mudahnya oleh spesialis lo-fi rock/alternative ini. Dan kembali lagi, sebuah album lo-fi rock/punk/alternative dengan berbagai lirikal, judul dan konsepsi konteks cerita fiksi absurd hasil buah kreatif dari Ababil kembali tersedia untuk (selalu) bisa di download secara cuma-cuma. Yes No Wave lah yang lagi-lagi masih menaungi hasil karya Shorthand Phonetics, click here!

Kali ini Shorthand Phonetics melengkapi paket albumnya dengan sebuah digital booklets sederhana yang mungkin dimaksudkan sebagai direksi interpretasi dari Ababil kepada para pendengarnya. Setidaknya untuk lebih mudah memahami konteks dan konsepsi dari lagu-lagu Shorthand Phonetics. Berbentuk file-file JPEG dengan rangkaian prolog-dialog yang membentuk semacam cerita pendek sporadis, dilengkapi lirik dari setiap lagunya. Shorthand Phonetics kembali bercerita dengan gayanya yang khas, lo-fi noisy rock -kali ini sedikit pop punk- dengan setting lirikal konsisten di dunia fiksinya.

Tidak ada lagu yang benar-benar menonjol di album ini, hamper terasa merata diseluruh bagian album. Dengan sound yang juga masih dalam satu koridor, Shorthand Phonetics tidak terdengar sedang bereksperimen disini. He just wrote the songs naturally as it flows as his daily activities, maybe? Seems so. Selama perangkat rekamannya masih ada disekitarnya, terjadilah lagu-lagu itu, cling! Haha… Harus dikatakan, kali ini sound yang diusung sedikit lebih berat dan padat, entah disengaja entah tidak mengingat Shorthand Phonetics memang selalu lo-fi. Tapi beat pop-punk sedang mendominasi di album ini, dengan lengkingan suara Ababil sesekali muncul di bagian lagu.

Coba tengok ke beberapa lagu yang menggelitik telinga saya. Yr #1 In My Mind, Jenna Fischer Analogue, menggoda dengan layer distorsi diawal yang terseret-seret dengan tebalnya, dengan hentakan berisik di versenya, dilengkapi melodi lagu yang pop-punk dan mudah. Kemudian ada Starring Shinohara Yumi as Unity Telosio in SABER 2RD DESTINY: Unity No Chiryoku, dengan ketukan drum ala indie rock kekinian, driven bass picking, dan petikan senar gitar mengikuti nyanyian, disambar langsung dengan refrain yang kembali kasar dan menghajar. The Hardest Achievement hadir dengan musik yang mudah dan genjrengan gitar yang santai, suara Ababil yang tidak merdu membuat lagu ini semakin menjiwai lo-fi. Hahaha… Masih ada Picture Day yang menghadirkan versi shining sunny pop-punk dari Shorthand Phonetics.

Beberapa lagu lain menghadirkan suasana suram yang masih berisik, seperti To the Girl I Think Might Be Similar..., Don’t Worry You’ll Roll a Twenty Eventually, dan Natalies for Glasses IV. Dan jangan khawatir, judul-judul yang disebutkan diatas dipendekkan agar tidak bingung membacanya, karena seperti biasanya, Shorthand Phonetics masih membuat judul dengan kaimat panjang-panjang, dan hanya ada sedikit lagu dengan judul konvensional. Haha.. Tidak ada salahnya mengunduh rilisan ini, cuma-cuma dpersembahkan melalui Yes No Wave. Silahkan… (Jay)
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The super-productive medical college boy, coming back and give a birth to his brand new album under the name of Shorthand Phonetics. Refer to Ababil Ashari as the only role player on Shorthand Phonetics, this time the 4th album by Shorthand Phonetics produced easily by the lo-fi alternative/rock specialist. And again, an album of lo-fi rock/punk/alternative sounds with its absurd fiction lyrics, song title, and context conception, available to be downloaded for free (as always). Yes No Wave is (again) host this album to be downloaded on their site. Just click here to go there.

On this occasion, Shorthand Phonetics fulfilled its album with a simple digital booklets, it might be purposed as a direction from Ababil on how the listener should interpret his works. At least to make it easier to understand the context and conception he made in Shorthand Phonetics. Formed as JPEG files contain sets of prolog-dialog made it sporadic stories and with lyrics of each song from the album.  Shorthand Phonetics still told stories with its unique style, lo-fi noisy rock –a bit of pop punk this time- with its consistent fiction lyrics.

There are no a single stand up song in this album, who is really catchable at the first time of listening. Mostly even on the entire album. Each songs sound in-line with each other, Shorthand Phonetics was not setting an experiment here. He just wrote the songs naturally as it flows as his daily activities, maybe? Seems so. As long as he had his recording tools around, the songs would just set up, chrink! Haha.. I must say, that the sound brought in this album a bit heavier and dense, intended or not, I can’t predict as Shorthand Phonetics is always lo-fi. But, the pop-punk like beat, is dominating in this album, with Ababil’s screaming suddenly appear in number of parts in this Album.

Let’s take a look at several songs that catch my ear. Yr #1 in My Mind, Jenna Fischer Analogue, seduce me with layers of distortion in the intro, scratchy, thick, and with a jumbo noisy hit beat on the verse, fulfilled with easy pop-punk singing. Then there is Starring Shinohara Yumi as Unity Telosio in SABER 2RD DESTINY: Unity No Chiryoku with its nowadays indie-rock drum fill, driven bass picking, and guitar picking follow its singing, get smashed with a heavy refrain. The Hardest Achievement coming up with an easy guitar jangling, the not-so-in-tune voice by Ababil accomplished the lo-fi novelty for this song. Hahaha.. There is Picture Day who brought shining sunny pop-punk version of Shorthand Phonetics.

Another sets of songs brought up a dark-noisy nuance, as much as To the Girl I Think Might Be Similar..., Don’t Worry You’ll Roll a Twenty Eventually, dan Natalies for Glasses IV. Don’t worry, titles mentioned above were not the full title, so Shorthand Phonetics keeps his history on making a weirdo long (very long) sentences as its song title, only a couples of songs who had a normal-conventional title. Hahaha… You are invited to download this release, free as candy, presented on Yes No Wave. Please come... (Jay)

*Review by: Jay
*Translated by: Jay
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Track List:
01. “Yr #1 In My Mind, Jenna Fischer Analogue”,
02. “Starring Shinohara Yumi as Unity Telosio in SABER 2RD DESTINY: unity no chiryoku”,
03. “The Hardest Achievement”,
04. “Picture Day”,
05. “To the Girl I Think Might be Similar to the Girl Flight of the Conchords Were Thinking About When They Were Writing “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)””,
06. “When I Ask for the Time, I’m Really Asking for Your Voice”,
07. “Fear and Loathing in Jikyoku-to”,
08. “Check Your Logic By the Door (Call Me When You Wanna Be Treated Like the Goddess That You Are, Tsubasa-chan.)”,
09. “Don’t Worry You’ll Roll a Twenty Eventually / A Fourth-Wall Shattering Intervention”,
10. “Natalies for Glasses IV (”Remember when I said, “Yes, joining Castle would be a very bad idea for me but I’m joining anyway,” and followed it up with a string of maniacal laughter while playing Mass Effect and I queued up “橙” by チャットモンチー and “One More Sad Song” by the All-American Rejects for you to hear? Look where it got us…look where it got her. I’m wanted to quit, by the way. But I won’t, I guess. Cause I love you guys! But I dunno…”)” and
11. “”This Might Be the Last Time We Ever Meet, So I Guess Now’s Probably the Perfect Moment to Say I’m Sorry…for Everything.” an A/U Firely fanfic by Hanabishi Hideaki.”

DOWNLOAD ALL TRACKS IN ZIP HERE!

*Hit READMORE for full stories and infos!

"A Documentary of A Grunge/Alternative-Rock 90’s Generation Kid Whose Exploring Everywhere, Bravely, And Still Hold His Religion As: Grunge"

Deu' Galih
Genre: Grunge, Alternative-Rock, 90's
Based in: Bandung, Indonesia
Label: In My Room Records
Year: 2009
Rate: 8/10
MySpace








Dengarkan materi-materi dari Deu’ Galih ini jika kamu adalah seorang pendamba sound khas 90’s mature grunge. Niscaya kamu akan dibawa lari kemana-mana melewati ballads, folk, alternative-rock, (even!) swing dengan penerangan yang redup, udara dingin yang dihangatkan senandung, suasana yang khusyuk layaknya beribadah, semuanya masih dalam agama grunge. Galih, sebagai aktor utama dari sepaket pengalaman yang dia suguhkan melalui Deu’ Galih, adalah seorang vokalis sekaligus gitaris dari sebuah band trio post-grunge/alternative-rock yang underatted asal kota Bandung, bernama Schizophones.

Melalui Schizophones, Galih telah merekam dan merilis beberapa lagu, yang tentu saja masih bernafaskan grunge dan alternatif ala 90’s macam: Soul Asylum, Seven Mary Trees, Live, Screaming Trees, I Mother Earth, Candlebox, Blind Melon, Plastik & Humania. Secara kumulatif, Galih sudah banyak sekali menulis dan merekam lagu. Sekalipun Schizophones vakum pada akhirnya, Galih tetap pada aktivitasnya untuk menulis dan merekam lagu. Dan kali ini kita semua dimungkinkan untuk mencicipi pesona Galih melalui digital box set Deu’ Galih yang merangkum karya-karya beragamakan grunge dengan titel “Wonderful Journey: Discography (1998-2008)”.

Dan seorang Dede yang juga menulis di wastedrockers telah berinisiatif untuk menjadi project coordinator dan mengumpulkan karya-karya Deu’ Galih dalam digital box set yang bisa diunduh secara cuma-cuma melalui In My Room Records. Dapatkan eksplorasi kemana-mana berlandaskan grunge yang mendarah daging di digital box set ini, plus berbagai koleksi rarities, live, b-sides, demo, radio performances sampai remixed track.

Tidak banyak yang bisa saya katakan, sebagai pendengar pemula dari Deu’ Galih, dan langsung disodori 4 CD diskografinya. Setidaknya sebagai perkenalan, ini adalah dokumentasi perjalanan musikal seorang anak generasi grunge/alternative 90 an yang tidak takut menjelajah kemana-mana namun tetap beriman pada agamanya: grunge. Atau apapun kamu ingin menyebutnya. (Jay)
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You must listen to these stuffs by Deu’ Galih if you are a true lover of 90’s mature alternative/grunge sounds. And you will travel around, meet ballads, folk, alternative-rock, (even!) swing, with an overcast lightning, cold and warmed by humming, in a devout as praying, all in a religion called grunge. Galih, as the only actor in this experience packed as Deu’ Galih, is a vocalist-guitarist in an underrated post-grunge/alternative rock trio from Bandung called Schizophones.

From Schizophones, Galih had recorded and released numbers of songs, absolutely breath as grunge and 90’s alternatives as much as: Soul Asylum, Seven Mary Trees, Live, Screaming Trees, I Mother Earth, Candlebox, Blind Melon, Plastik & Humania. Cumulatively, Galih had written and recorded much more songs. As Schizophones had vacuum in the end, Galih still on his track in writing and recording songs. And in this occasions, it’s possible for us to taste the delight of Deu’ Galih from the digital box set, contains tracks in a grunge religion, titled: “Wonderful Journey: Discography (1998-2008)”.

And Dede who also writing on wastedrockers was in his initiate to be the project coordinator to compiled tracks by Deu’ Galih in this free to download digital box set from In My Room Records. Get the everywhere exploration based on grunge in this digital box set, plus many more rarities, live, b-sides, demo, radio performances yet remixed track.

I couldn’t tell much more about this digital box set, as I’m a very newbie on Deu’ Galih and had been given wholly discography contains 4 CDs. At least, as introduction, i could say that, this is a documentary of a grunge/alternative-rock 90’s generation kid whose exploring everywhere, bravely, and still hold his religion as: grunge. Or anything you want to call it. (Jay)
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DOWNLOAD ENTIRE DIGITAL BOX SET HERE!

Hit READMORE for full stories, download links, full tracks, credits and description

Tracks and Credits:
Deu' Galih
Wonderful Journey: Discography (1998-2008)

DISC 1:
01. Alien
02. Negative Schizophrenia
03. Berdua
04. Bulan
05. Feathers Drop
06. Free [Earth]
07. Sekiranya
08. Semoga Damai
09. Semoga Damai #2
10. Shake My Hand
11. Way
12. Wife
13. Wish
Download DISC 1 here!

DISC 2:
14. Journey
15. She’s
16. Step to Rock n Roll (demo)
17. Ayah (demo)
18. Mother / Farmer (demo)
19. I’m a Healthy Murderer
Download DISC 2 here!

DISC 3:
20. Tidur (live)
21. Kau Yang Kusayang / Cinta Yang Tulus (The Rollies cover live)
22. Buat Gadis Rasyid [Chairil Anwar cover] (radio performance)
23. Way (radio performance)
24. Without An Attitude (radio performance)
25. Mantra Jurig (live)
Download DISC 3 here!

DISC 4:
26. Pulang
27. Yang Terhempas dan Terputus / Buat Gadis Rasyid (Chairil Anwar's poetry cover)
28. Di Tanah Negeri / Punggung
29. Bunga Lumpur
30. Ilalang
31. Sore
32. Pulang (remix)
Download DISC 4 here!

Lyrics and songs explanation and interpretation, download here!

Deu' Galih / vocals & guitars
Yadi Cubek / lead guitars & backing-vocals on track 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, & 32.

All songs was written, recorded & performed in Bandung from 1998 until 2008.

* All material from Disc 1 was taken from Deu’ Galih [1999-2002] EP (2007) plus some B-sides singles & outtake recordings from year 1999-2005.
* Track 11 from Disc 1 was taken from Total Feedback vol.5 compilation v/a (2007)
* All material from Disc 2 was taken from rare songs collection & demos from year 2001-2008.
* All material from Disc 3 was taken from live & radio performances from year 2005-2008.
* All material from Disc 4 was taken from Siluet EP (2008) plus a remix bonus-track.

All music and lyrics was written by Deu' Galih except tracks were noted.
Musics on track 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, & 32 was written by Yadi Cubek.
Music on track 14 was written by Joe.
Music and lyrics on track 21 was written by The Rollies.
Track 32 was remixed by Deu’ Galih.
Lyrics on track 13 by Hendra "Ebiet" Saputra.
Lyrics on track 14 was written by Joe & Deu’ Galih.
Lyrics on tracks 22 & 27 was taken from Chairil Anwar's poetry "Yang Terhempas dan Terputus / Buat Gadis Rasyid".
Lyrics on track 28 was taken from Deu' Galih's poetry "Punggung".

Project coordinator: Dede
Compiled by: Dede
Released by: In My Room Records
Cover design by: Dede
Photos by: Ricky Arnold

Contact, booking, & corresspondence:
Phone : 085624533425 (Galih)
E-mail: deugalih@yahoo.com
URL : www.deugalih.multiply.com
www.myspace.com/deugalih


*Review by: Jay
*Translated by: Jay

"When a Bipolar Woman Has The Ability To Write Songs and Has a Million Dollar Voice, The Result: TIKA"

TIKA
Maka ketika seorang wanita bipolar memiliki kemampuan untuk menulis lagu sekaligus suara menakjubkan, pun menjelmalah: TIKA.

Kartika Jahja lahir di tahun 1980 dalam keluarga yang memiliki darah seni. Singer/songwriter asal Indonesia ini telah menempuh aneka jalur musik dimana dia sempat bergabung ke dalam sebuah band punk, band jazz, grup hip hop, bahkan band Top-40 . Dengan satu alasan: Dia senang sekali bernyanyi. TIKA mulai menjalani musik secara serius ketika bergabung dengan band Yoko Phono saat berdomisili di Seattle, AS. Band tersebut bubar saat TIKA kembali ke tanah air. Saat ini, selain keterlibatannya sebagai vocal talent untuk scoring berbagai film layar lebar, TIKA masih sering berkolaborasi dengan berbagai musisi dari bermacam-macam genre. Diantaranya Aksan Sjuman, Jamie Aditya, Agrikulture, dan lain lain.

Namun TIKA mencuri hati banyak orang dengan lagu-lagunya sendiri saat dia mengeluarkan album debut pertamanya ‘Frozen Love Songs’ di tahun 2005. Dikemas ulang sebagai ‘Defrosted Love Songs’ pada tahun 2006. Sang biduanita pun dikenal handal menggagahi mikrofon. Seluruh perasaannya tumpah ruah memecah wajah saat berlaga di atas panggung.
TIKA pun lantang menyuarakan pendapatnya yang tanpa tedeng aling-aling menguak borok budaya populer mulai dari televisi, industri musik, hingga diskriminasi seksual. Hal ini kerap kali menjadikannya terpojok keluar dari industri mainstream nan glamor.

Orang boleh saja menkotakkan musik TIKA sebagai trip hop, jazz, noir pop, dan aneka nama jejadian yang membuat kami mengulum senyum. Beberapa fans pernah mengirimkannya silet berlumur darah bekas menyayat nadi. Para teroris internet mengecamnya terlalu ‘gemerlap’ untuk jadi kiri. Meskipun demikian, TIKA sendiri tak pernah meproklamirkan dirinya sebagai apapun kecuali seorang biduan. Yang dia inginkan hanyalah merasakan ‘hidup’ menggejolak melalui musik, dan berharap para pendengarnya pun dapat mengalami perasaan yang sama. Untuk meninggslkan meja kantormu dan berteriak bila kau mau. Untuk merasa indah meskipun serbuan iklan mengatakan kau harus lebih ramping, lebih putih, dan berambut lebih lurus. Untuk mematikan televisimu dan bercinta… dengan diiringi alunan lagu TIKA, semoga.

The Dissidents
Setelah kelelahan berganti-ganti pasangan di atas panggung dalam setiap penampilannya, TIKA akhirnya memutuskan untuk membentuk band pengiring permanen. Maka berpadulah the Dissidents, pada tahun 2006. Seiring waktu, ketiga lelaki dengan gaya bermusik yang beragam ini, menjadi sangat berpengaruh dalam proses penulisan lagu TIKA.

Susan Agiwitanto sang bassist (ya ia adalah lelaki, dan ya nama aslinya memang Susan), adalah personil dengan koleksi baju hitam terbanyak dalam band ini. Susan membagi waktunya antara sang istri tercinta, TIKA, dan band progressive bernama “In Memoriam”. Saat bergabung dengan TIKA, Susan menggantung bass elektrik lima senarnya dan mulai memainkan contrabass untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan musik TIKA.
Berikutnya, penabuh drum Okky Rahman Oktavian. Pemuda Padang yang di usia 25 tahun, tubuhnya masih terus bertambah tinggi (tidakkah ini sedikit mengkhawatirkan?). Okky berangkat dari band post-rock “godsmustbecrazy”. Selain bermain musik dan bekerja di sebuah perusahaan IT, ia juga seorang pencerca bermulut tajam yang sadistis namun jenaka.

Terakhir adalah si pemikat hati wanita, Luky Annash. Pria sensitif bertutur halus yang piawai memainkan jarinya di piano. Luky telah bermain bersama TIKA sejak sebelum kedua personil di atas bergabung. Hampir setiap waktu ia menjejali telinganya dengan lagu-lagu Tori Amos dari iPod putihnya, hingga tak elak gaya bermusiknya pun tertular. Selain bermain dengan “TIKA & the dissidents” Luky juga seorang penyanyi dan penulis lagu berbakat yang mempunyai proyek solonya sendiri.
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TIKA & the dissidents video teaser: The Headless Songstress

TIKA
When a bipolar woman has the ability to write songs and has a million dollar voice, the result: TIKA.

Kartika Jahja, was born in 1980 to a somewhat artistic family. This Indonesian singer/songwriter have gone through a colorful music journey where she joined punk bands, jazz bands, hip hop acts, even cover bands just for the sake of singing. But she ripped out many hearts with her own songs when she released her first critically debut album ‘Frozen Love Songs’ in 2005. Repackaged as ‘Defrosted Love Songs’ in 2006. The songstress also knows how to rape a microphone, with her expressive stage acts which is a plethora of many heartfelt emotions.

TIKA also has a knack for criticism with the way she often speaks ugly truths about popular culture; television, music industry, sexual discrimination and so on, which naturally corners her into the fringe side of the culture more than the glamourous mainstream industry.

People in the past, have called her music trip hop, jazz, noir pop and every made-up name that made us giggle every time. And despite some fans sending her bloody arm-slashing razor blades, and internet terrorists telling her that she is too glossy to be a lefty, TIKA never proclaimed herself to be anything other than a singer. All she wanted was for herself to be able to feel alive through music, and hopefully for her listeners to feel alive with her. To get out from behind that desk and scream if you want to. To feel beautiful even when the ads say you gotta be thinner, whiter and have smoother hair. To turn off your TV and make love…hopefully, with her songs in the background.


THE DISSIDENTS
The Dissidents came to the rescue in 2006 as TIKA grew exhausted of having multiple partners on stage every time she performs. A permanent back up band was then appointed. The band, later on baptized as the Dissidents, would bring a major influence in TIKA’s more recent songwriting.

Susan Agiwitanto (yes that’s his real name), the one with the most black tshirt collections in the band, came from prog-rock band ‘In Memoriam’. He switched his electric to accoustic upright just for TIKA. We love him for that.

Drummer Okky Rahman Oktavian, a West Sumatran young man who is still growing taller as we speak, also joined the troop at around the same time. Hailing from post-rock band ‘Gods Must Be Crazy’, besides drumming and working a day job as a sales rep in an IT company, he is also a professional bad-mouther. You don’t want to get on his bad side.

The last but not least, is ladies man Luky Annash. Our Mr Sensitive here plays the piano. Luky have played with TIKA long before the other two did. He listens to Tori Amos at almost every waking hour, and her style inevitably rubbed off on him. Luky is also a talented singer on his own time.
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Diskografi
Metrofiction – Yoko Phono (2002) (released in US)
Narcisstika EO – Yoko Phono (2002) (released in US)
Frozen Love Songs – TIKA (rooftopsound-2005)
Defrosted Love Songs – TIKA (aksara records- 2006)
OST Thank You and Goodnight Mother (2006)
Kompilasi Change Yourself (2006)
OST 9 Naga (2006)
Dawai Damai – Agrikulture (aquarius-2007)
OST Berbagi Suami (2007)
OST Kala (2008)
Pintu Terlarang (2009)
The Headless Songstress (released on 24 July 2009)

*Hit readmore for full stories!

"When this interview is popped out, you might be listening to dzeek new album untill you might not so interested to read this interview"

-dzeek-

So, Reno, one of my good friend did this interview with dzeek, supposed to be printed in his own magazine, (was named Oeuvre -sorry if there were misspelling-, but later changed its name, i don't know what it's named now :p). And i asked Reno to post his wonderful interview in this Mellon the Zine, he said yes. So i post this. Haha... So, please feel free to read interview with dzeek who just released its second album on July 1st 2009. Thanks to Reno who done this interview!


1. Perkenalkan diri kalian?
Halo Surabaya! kami dzeek, yg terdiri dari: Aan (drums) Pie (Bass) Amier (Gitar) Isan (Gitar) dan Imam (Vocal, Gitar) piye kabare?

2. Ceritain dong sejarahnya dzeek!
dzeek (sebelumnya dikenal dengan nama d’zeek) adalah sebuah band yang berdiri pada tahun 2003 di Jakarta, atas dasar pertemanan para anggotanya yang tinggal di dalam komplek perumahan yang sama. Pada tahun yang sama dzeek mengeluarkan debut album perdananya yang berjudul “Terang” dibawah Malta Music Indonesia.

Banyak yang menyangka bahwa dzeek sudah bubar karena kekosongan yang ada tanpa album kedua yang menyusul kesuksesan album pertamanya. Pada tahun 2007, dzeek sempat mengeluarkan mini album yang berjudul “The Oslo Report” yang berisi lima materi baru.

Di tahun 2008, Imam bergabung dengan dzeek menggantikan Joe di posisi vokal. Kecocokkan antara Imam dengan keempat personil dzeek membuahkan materi-materi baru untuk album kedua dzeek. Setelah melalui berbagai macam pertimbangan, maka nama d’zeek dirubah menjadi dzeek. Saat ini dzeek yang beranggotakan Aan (drum, perkusi), Pie (bass), Isan (gitar), Amier (gitar) dan Imam (vokal)sedang mempersiapkan dan mematangkan materi untuk album keduanya.

3. Apa itu dzeek?
Nama dzeek itu berasal dari Zeek, sebuah buku Yunani yang artinya adalah semacam jurnal musik, politik dan budaya, kami menambahkan huruf "d" di depannya supaya di toko CD, kami tidak ditaro di paling bawah karena huruf Z adalah huruf terakhir.. Hwehehehe..

4. Ada hubungan dengan Zeke?
Zeke, seorang musisi yg hebat dan sahabat yg baik. Yang pasti, anda akan berbicara dengan orang yang sama ketika menghubungi contact person dzeek dan Zeke and The Popo :)

5. Kalian terdengar sangat2 Radiohead sekali, it's good or not? Tidak takut di anggap another "wannabe" band?
Sangat-sangat Radiohead? Akan mengagumkan sekali apabila benar seperti itu! Thus it's a good thing right? hehe. Untuk "another 'wannabe' band", apabila ada yg bilang seperti itu, sah-sah saja kok, kan mendukung kebebasan beropini, tapi kalo dari kami sendiri:
"wannabe Radiohead" : Not quite
"wannabe successful like Radiohead" : This is more like it!

6. Apa yang membedakan kalian dengan band-band yang lain yang sudah ada? Friday contohnya?
Friday, band yang sangat hebat dengan album yang brilian! Kalau kami tidak sering ketemu dengan Fithor di Jakarta, sudah hampir pasti kami menganggap ini band yang berasal dari luar negeri!dzeek dan Friday jelas sekali berbeda, eksplorasi mereka sangat luas dalam hal soundscape, beat, progresi, dll. Kami mengambil jalur yang berbeda, "lebih pop" mungkin kalimat yg tepat. Atau "jauh lebih pop" mungkin? Tapi apalah artinya sebuah genre...

7. Ceritakan tentang lagu-lagu di album kalian?
Lagu-lagu di album terbaru kami terdiri dari 1 lagu dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan 12 lagu dalam bahasa Inggris,
mungkin sedikit berbeda dengan apa yg pernah band ini lakukan, bagaimana menurut kalian?

8. Kapan rencana keluarnya?
Di saat anda membaca tulisan ini, anda mungkin sedang mendengarkan album terbaru kami sampai anda mungkin tidak terlalu tertarik dengan wawancara ini :)

9. Siapa orang-orang yang membantu kalaian dalam pembuatan album ini? and how does it feels working with those fellas?
Dua nama utama: Yonathan Vanco Nugrahadi (Lull) & Venendar 'Komenk' (sekarang anda mengerti bagaimana kami bisa mencegat Fithor). Mereka berdua adalah orang-orang yang nyaman untuk bekerja sama, banyak masukan dari mereka yang berpengaruh besar dalam pembuatan album ini, dan kami sangat bersyukur telah bertemu dan dapat bekerja sama dengan mereka. Jujur saja, setelah bertemu mereka kami merasa jadi jauh lebih banyak tahu dibandingkan sebelum bertemu mereka. Jauh lebih banyak.

10. Artikan band kalian secara warna? Kalian menganggap band kalian ini mewakili warna apa? Dan kenapa?
Hitam (seketika dapat terdengar tawa dari teman-teman kami yg memainkan musik keras). Ya, hitam. Karena kami cukup bermasalah dengan ke'silau'an. Dan kami melihat lebih jelas dalam kegelapan. Setidaknya mata kami berkata demikian. Atau bisa juga warna pastel, karena dibalik suara distorsi dan hentakan drum yang keras, terdapat jiwa yang "lembut" yang mewakili perasaan dzeek dalam bermusik.

11. Saya melihat perform kalian di youtube yang mengcover "Fake Plastic Tree" and i have to admit it you guy's are fawkin awesome!! haha
We are! Hahahaha! Glad you liked it Sir!

12. Apa yang kalian harapkan dari orang2 yang mendengarkan lagu kalian?
Terinspirasi. Senang. Sedih. Jatuh Cinta. Sekarat. Bersemangat. Marah. Gembira. Gila. Apapun yang terbaik buat mereka sehingga dapat membuat lagu-lagu dzeek menjadi soundtrack sehari-hari di kehidupan mereka.

13. Dan dalam perkembangannya,,apakah kalian juga akan mengalami metamorfosis sound seperti halnya Radiohead dengan "Ok Computer" yang legendaris itu?
Maunya lebih hebat lagi tentunya, semoga kiamat tidak datang terlalu cepat karena setiap band pasti akan mengalami perubahan seiring dengan berjalannya waktu, yang mungkin terjadi karena faktor selera yang cepat berubah, ataupun eksplorasi yang beragam dari masing-masing personilnya.

14. Shout out buat pembaca kita?? Dan orang-orang Surabaya..?
Halo pembaca OEUVRE! Selamat menikmati seluruh isi dari majalah ini, terima kasih atas dukungannya!
Temani kita di Surabaya yah!Ajak jalan-jalan, cari makan, wuenak tenan! Ojo lali yo!
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1. Introduce yourself please?
Halo Surabaya! We are dzeek, Aan (drums), Pie (Bass), Amier (Guitar), and Imam (Vocal, Guitar) how do you do?

2. Could you tell me the history of Dzeek?
dzeek (previously known as d'zeek) is a band formed on 2003 in Jakarta, based on friendship of its member who lived in a same housing complex. At the same year dzeek released a debut album entitled "Terang" under Malta Music Indonesia.

Most peoples guessed that dzeek is gone because its emptyness without any second album following the succession of their first album. On 2007, dzeek had released their mini album titled "The Oslo Report" contains 5 new songs.

On 2008, Imam joined the party replacing Joe on vocal. Fortunately, Imam fit nicely with the other dzeek members, and been produced new things for dzeek second album. After some consideration, the name d'zeek changed to dzeek. Now, dzeek consist of Aan (drum, percussion), Pie (bass), Isan (guitar), Amier (guitar) and Imam (vocal) on its way to prepared and cooking the cakes for its second album.

3. What is dzeek?
The name dzeek was from the word Zeek, a greek book that means as well as music, polotic and cultural journal. We've added the letter "d" on the front in purpose of alphabetical order on music store. So, we will not placed at the last row in the rack because the name started with "Z" instead of "D". Hahaha..

4. Any correlation with Zeke? (Zeke is a gifted musician from Jakarta, formed a band named Zeke and the Popo)
Zeke, a great musician and a great friend. You'll certainly face the same guy when you contacted the contact person for dzeek and Zeke and The Popo :)

5. You sounds so Radiohead, is it good for you? Not afraid whether deemed as wannabe?
So Radiohead? That would be so wonderful if it's so! Thus it's a good thing right? hehe
For the deemed as wannabe, if someone said us like that, that's not a problem, anyone free to say what on its mind, but we think we are:
"wannabe Radiohead" : Not quite
"wannabe successful like Radiohead" : This is more like it!

6. What would separate you guys from the other existing band alike? Friday for example?
Friday, is a wonderful band with a brilliant album! If we're not oftenly met Fithor (Friday's drummer) at Jakarta, we'll most likely guessed that this band is come from abroad, instead of Indonesia! dzeek and Friday absolutely different, Friday widely exploring on soundscape, beat, progression etc. We pick the different track, much likely as "pop" may be. Or dzeek might be "much more pop". But, what's a genre anyway...

7. Tell me about dzeek songs in the new album?
Songs in our upcoming new album contain of 1 song in Bahasa Indonesia and the others 12 songs are in English. It might be a bit different from what we did previously, what do you think guys?

8. When will you guys released it?
When this interview is popped out, you might be listening to dzeek new album untill you might not so interested to read this interview :)

9. Any peoples to be noted, who helped you in the making of this album? And how does it feels working with those fellas?
Two main names: Yonathan Vanco Nugrahadi (Lull) & Venendar 'Komenk' (now you might be understand, why we could met Fithor). Those guys are a very nice to works with. They give us many advices and gives much influences in the making of this album, and we really appreciated to met and work with them. Honestly, we felt more knowledgeable after we met them. Much more knowledgeable.

10. Please tell, what would be dzeek in color! What color is represent dzeek, and why?
Black (suddenly we could hear laughing from our friends who playing a more hard-core music). Yes, it's black. Because we are in trouble enough with dazzling color. And we have clearer view in the dark. At least our eyes-vision proved so. Or it could be pastel colors, because behind the distortion and firm drum beat, there is a soft soul represent dzeek feels on playing music.

11. I saw your appearance on Youtube, that covering "Fake Plastic Tree" from Radiohead, and i have to admit it you guy's are fawkin awesome!! haha
We are! Hahahaha! Glad you liked it Sir!

12. What do you expects from the peoples who listened to dzeek's songs?
Inspired. Happy. Sad. Fall in love. Dying. Enthusiastic. Angry. Cheerful. Crazy. Anything best for them so that could make dzeek songs as their daily soundtrack of their life.

13. And as it grows, would you progressing on your sounds as just Radiohead with its legendary "Ok Computer"?
We eager to do more than that of course, we hope the dooms day wouldn't come early, because any band would changing as the time goes. It might be happen because of change in musical taste, or many kind of exploration from each members of the bands.

14. Shout out for our readers? And Surabaya peers..
Halo Oeuvre readers! Enjoy the magazine contents, thanks for your support! Accompany us in Surabaya will you? Hang out and walk with us, get some food, that'll be great! Don't you forget!

*Interview by: Reno
*Translated by: Jay
*Photo taken from: dzeek MySpace
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dzeek had just released its second album (self-titled) on 1st of July 2009. Get it at your finest local music store!
Find dzeek at:
www.youtube.com/dzeektube
www.myspace.com/dzeekmusic
www.psychomillionare.multiply.com
renggo_adjie@yahoo.com
+62818 12 26 81

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