"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
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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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"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)

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