Vague

We're lacking presence on the internet at the moment. This is as existential as we get : Vague's last fm page

The idea of promoting your own band always seem weird to me. Is it? or Is it not? But since no one knows who Vague is, nor do people read this blog, I find it perfectly justifiable to do a little write-up about Vague, the band I'm in.

Vague started sometime in August 2010, when Adit who is also the bass player for Obsesif Kompulsif (and tons of hardcore bands in the past) joined us. Before that, It was just I and Jan, who also sing for the hardcore band Raincoat, jamming around by ourselves and having fun. When Adit joined us, i started to write songs. I only had been playing guitar properly for about 6 months by then, and i had never written a song in my life. I found the process of songwriting to be challenging and somewhat frustrating. It would take me hours to write a simple riff. Don't even get me started on writing lyrics, which i found to be equally hard.

Combination of my inability to write songs quickly, our limited skill at music instrument (none of us are proper musicians, except maybe Adit) and a lot of other things caused the band to go at a really slow pace. We had our first gig in February 2011 when i was organizing Bekasi show for punk outfits Circuits (Melbourne) and Daighila (Kuala Lumpur). The show went well, but our performance was a mess. My guitar was way too quiet, lyrics were forgotten, my left leg was shaking uncontrollably, and i somehow managed to pull out the cord while playing not once, but three times. It was really bad.

Fast forward a few months, Vague has just put out our demo. It's far from perfect, and there are lot of things that i wish i knew back when we were recording, but what done is done. I'm sure the next recording will be a lot better. We've been a band for about a year now, but we've only played three shows. We're definitely lacking in this department and i hope that will change soon.

Vague started because of our mutual love for music, especially for bands within the punk/rock umbrella. We love Revolution Summer bands, 80's hardcore punk, as well as more traditional rock bands such as Dinosaur Jr. Those are our main influences although we never limit ourselves to certain styles.

I'm happy that the feelings i had when I started writing for Vague is still there. And i hope they will stay for a long time.

Vague Demo :
1. 23
2. The Road
3. Endless Summer

Download Here

Holiday

Ever since i came back from Brisbane to Jakarta in 2009, i had not had a proper vacation. There were times when i would drive with friends to neighbor towns to see bands, but that's about it. I had been working a dead-end accounting job at the same place for about twenty months. Playing music was the only thing that got me through the days. I was dying from the daily routines.

Thankfully, I and a friend managed to score cheap Air Asia tickets back in late 2010 for August 2011 flight to Kuala Lumpur. The plan was to spend time in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore within just 6 days. I had been really excited about the trip and i felt that holiday was exactly something that i need to shake things up a bit.

I won't go into details about all the things that i did, places i went to, and things i bought during the trip because they're all really predictable and not that all interesting. They're all are normal tourist-y stuff. I, however will share my thoughts and feelings regarding the trip now that i've had some time to think about them.

Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur was an interesting one. It was going to be my first time in Malaysia. And as an Indonesian coming to Malaysia, i had had preconceptions of what Malaysia was going to be like. For those of you non South East Asianers out there, Malaysia and Indonesia share a lot of similar qualities. Both countries speak Malay as the main language, albeit with differences in vocabularies and tone. Most of the people look alike, the cultures are similar, etc etc.

However, it needs to be said that there have been quite a few confrontations between Indonesia and Malaysia in the past. There have been territorial issues, immigrant issues, and so on. I think tensions are bound to happen between two neighbor countries, especially ones with such similar social and cultural environment. There has been a resentment towards Malaysia and its people from Indonesians side. To be honest, the lack of neutrality that Indonesia's media has shown in their reports didn't really help either. I think it all just come down to lack of communication between the two countries. And some Indonesians really need to cool it down with their over the top patriotic attitudes.

The first thing that i noticed about Kuala Lumpur was their city infrastructure. It was head and shoulders above Jakarta's infrastructure. The public transportation was actually reliable and it was quite easy to get to places using Light Rail Transit (LRT). There was one instance where i was taking the LRT and i forgot to grab the LRT card back out of the machine and thus leaving me with no choice but to explain my situation to one of the officers at the station. He actually let me go shortly after. I thought "If this was Indonesia, i would've had to bribe the officer for sure".



Aside from spending time in the City, Pasar Seni, China Town and obligatory visit to Rice Cooker and Batu Caves, we mostly spent our time hanging out with the locals. After all, what better way is there to learn about other culture other than to spend some time with people who grew up with it? I also need to point out that we came during the fasting month, which was rather unfortunate because there weren't much anything going on.

I did go to a show there, however. It was at this quite fancy bar in a mall complex. The first band was a bunch of normal-dressed Chinese dudes playing black metal with mandarin lyrics. I shit you not. It was as entertaining as you thought it would. Second band was trying too hard to be Godspeed You Black Emperor. They were okay. The last band of the night went by the name Nao, and it was one of the best live performances i had seen in a while. They were a three-piece playing instrumental music. They were quite technical, and yet never gotten to the point of being too self-indulgent, and they were actually fun!

Singapore
I had been to Singapore before the trip. But it was a family vacation and i was like 17 or something. I didn't remember much really. But i remembered Singapore being really developed and sophisticated and all that. Well, they were still pretty much the same. Singapore is without a doubt the best South East Asian country, objectively speaking.







There was nothing much to be said about Singapore that hasn't been said before really. It's pretty much the perfect country to visit if you're looking for either of these things : food and shopping. I did those alright. Music wise, there wasn't much to report. Apparently things had been pretty slow in Singapore with venues like Black Hole being shut down and bands breaking up.

Upon hanging out with a few local friends, someone mentioned an interesting point on how he thought Singapore was too "safe" compared to less developed countries like Indonesia or Malaysia and how easy it was for things to become too sterile and predictable. It's always good to hear opinions from the other side of the fence. It's funny how the grass is always greener on the other side too.

Overall, it was a good trip. Kuala Lumpur was more exciting, alive, and unpredictable but Singapore gave us a chance to catch our breath and relax a bit.

Kudos to friends in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Maybe Indonesia will catch up one day.

A little update...

I'm very well aware that i haven't posted anything in almost three months now. Aside from the usual of me being lazy bum, to tell you the truth i haven't been to many music shows in the past two months or so. I've also found myself listening to less new music, and that I'd rather put something i'm already familiar with. I still play and write music a lot, probably more than i ever have, but i don't find myself getting excited to explore my musical horizon like i used to be. I guess I'm getting old or something (I'm turning 25 at the end of the year)

I feel that changes are needed in order for me to keep being motivated to write. So, I've decided that from now on i will write about anything that i feel is good enough to be written, without limiting it to just music. Don't worry, i won't turn this into a freakin' diary or anything like that. I am just branching out a bit. Until the next post then!

Jirapah

Jirapah myspace
Jirapah facebook
Jirapah website/blog

Lack of inspiration can be quite a problem for an artist, including musicians. Inspiration often comes in the most subtle way and sometimes they come from the most unexpected places or sources. But most of the times a hint of it is enough to push an artist to craft their art. Good musicians always look for new inspirations and conversely letting themselves to be influenced by people, things and places around them. I believe that musicians (or any artist for that matter) are products of their environments. It's fascinating how sometimes we can have a better understanding of a piece of art by understanding the kind of environment the artist was/is in.

Jirapah (a play on Indonesian word "Jerapah" which translates to giraffe) is a musical project started by Ken Jenie, an Indonesian who grew up and spend most of his life in Brooklyn, New York. Ken started playing guitar in his high school days and he had been in various bands before he started Jirapah. I know nothing of these previous projects except that a few of them were hardcore punk bands.

Jirapah didn't come about until Ken was 27 when he started recording his own songs. Jirapah is essentially a one man band with all songs, instruments and vocals written and performed by Ken himself on records. During live performances, Ken would be accompanied by Mar Galo on bass, drum and occasionally another guitar. There are quite a few videos of Jirapah playing as a three piece in New York on youtube.

Unfortunately, visa problems forced Ken to leave The States and come back to Jakarta, roughly three years after Jirapah started. Things didn't stop there however as Ken would start performing Jirapah songs by himself. Jirapah also continued on putting out digital releases and landed a single on Yogjakarta's excellent and diverse label, Yes No Wave.

I saw Jirapah for the first time at Whiteboard Journal's event, Cliff Notes at Potatohead. It was just Ken, his guitar and a bunch of pedals. It was a rather intimate set (about as intimate as it gets at a place like Potatohead anyway) and it certainly won me over. I've been a fan ever since.

I would describe Jirapah's music in a nutshell as "bedroom ambient pop music". It's obvious that there are a lot of different influences involved in Jirapah's music, although the pop songwriting is always there. Thank You, Max EP has a post-punk vibe to it at times, especially on song like "Telephone" with its moody and darker feel. Jirapah also shows its more adventurous side sonically with "First Wave", a six minute ambient piece. Ken would later incorporate these ambient passages into songs like "27". Jirapah's later releases sees the band moving into a few different directions. "Clouds" is a moody bluesy track, "Foxes" has a very Velvet Underground-esque fuzzy guitar solos and "Saturdays" is about as dream pop as Jirapah ever gotten. The core elements of Jirapah's music are still there, however : the lo-fi minimalist approach, the heavy usage of reverb, and the multi-layered guitars.

So what's news with Jirapah in 2011? I'm guessing more digital releases and shows. Jirapah just recently got picked by Nylon magazine as one of the "top 10 most promising local acts", giving them an opportunity to share a big stage with Hurts, a synth-pop band from the UK. Honestly, i couldn't care less about some lifestyle fashion magazine's opinions on music, but it's nice that Jirapah is getting more recognition and exposure. They've earned it. Expect bigger things from Jirapah.

Here are all Jirapah releases. Click to download. Knock yourself out.

Thank You, Max Ep (December 2009)
Digital 7" Vol.01 (April 2010)
Digital 7" Vol.02 (May 2010)
Single on Tsefula/Tsefuelha Records / Yes No Wave (October 2010)
Digital 7" Vol.03 (February 2011)
Digital 7" Vol.04 (April 2011)

Jimmy Eat World @ Balai Kartini, Jakarta (03/04/2011)

My first introduction to Jimmy Eat World was that massive top-40 hit, "The Middle" which apparently reached #5 on the Billboard Top 100 at some point. The video of the song was being played at least 5 times a day on MTV when i was 15-16 that it's hard to miss it. It's the one where people having pool party in their underwear, just in case your memory failed you.

Looking back at it, It's funny to think that Jimmy Eat World who wrote countless numbers of singles, have won awards from the music industry and have toured with every single "big" rock act out there (Foo Fighters, Green Day, etc etc, you get the picture) is the same band who put out splits with Christie Front Drive, Jejune and Mineral and probably did countless basement shows back in the day.

Jimmy Eat World started by putting out a slew of demos and EPs dated back to 1993 and 1994. Their sound is still very much straight forward punk-rock at this point, albeit leaning towards more the melodic side of the spectrum. The production is rough and the music isn't anywhere as interesting as their later stuff, but the catchiness and the melodies are there. Soon after, they got picked up by Capitol Records where they put out their first major label offering Static Prevails in 1996.

Static Prevails is considered to be the start of good things for Jimmy Eat World. Along with all advantages that comes with being on major label, the band's songwriting has improved ten folds at this point. The band's style of mid tempo punk-rock with huge anthemic choruses and soft-loud dynamics is starting to take shape here. The album also exposes the band's ability to write softer, poppier songs such as "Claire" and "Caveman" which undoubtfuly influenced by bands like Mineral, Sunny Day Real Estate, etc.

Their follow up album, Clarity is what i would consider to be Jimmy Eat World's magnum opus, the "holy grail" of their discography. The band went for a "cleaner" route on this album, resulting in a more polished alternative-rock sound with hooks bigger than the entire state of Texas. Clarity also marks the start of Jim Adkins as the band's main singer with Tom providing backing vocals instead of the other way around like it had been previous to the album. And to be honest, Jim does have stronger vocals than Tom's. Jim's voice has more range and therefore works better with the direction the band has taken, musically.

Lyrically, Clarity is also worth mentioning. The simplicity and yet brutally-honest look on (presumably) male adolescence problems without being too angsty or whiny is their main recipe, and oh they used it so well. It's hard not to revisit those adolescence struggles and feelings that Clarity manage to evoke intensely every time it's on . It's almost as if every feeling is distorted and being put into words, turning Clarity into an emotional roller coaster ride for those who like to hold on to their youth memories.

Clarity also sees the band usage of various instruments to compliment their song arrangements, such as synths, drum machines, violins, cellos and a few others. The last track on the album "Goodbye Sky Harbor" clocks at 16 minutes and sees them on their more adventurous side. The song twist and turns itself into a repetitive drum machined, guitars and vocals layered passages and it's certainly quite a treat to see them play this song live (see videos below).

Next up, is what i believe their most selling album up-to-date, titled Bleed American in which sees them signed with Dreamworks. The singles from this album such as "The Middle", "A Praise Chorus" and "Sweetness" enjoyed a quite significant amount of airplay on MTV and radio stations. These songs are among fans' favorite due their sing-along-able qualities. Although they are good songs, i feel like the lyrics on Bleed American for the most part aren't up to par with their previous efforts. The album is also somewhat overproduced and the singles were definitely overplayed. It's a step on the wrong direction for me, personally.

Thankfully, Futures released in 2004, revitalized my faith in the band. It's somewhat a combination of Clarity songwriting and Bleed American style of heavier songs and production. The music and lyrics are also more mature and "darker" which i find to be really endearing. As far as their more commercial output goes, Futures is better than Bleed American as an album. It has more variety, it's less cheesy and the lyrics are definitely a huge step up in quality. "Kill" and "23" are some of the best songs they've written.

It pains me to say, however that Futures is actually the last Jimmy Eat World record worth listening to, in my opinion. I gave Chase This Light and Invented a fair chance, but they just didn't do it for me. You can tell it's still the same band, but the songs are just dull and sounds uninspired. At this point, they're just another top 40 pop-rock band to me.

Following up a highly successful sold out Clarity tour, in which the band play Clarity in its entirety, they finally decided to hit up Indonesia as part of their SEA conquest. Well, i went and i can definitely say it was worth spending money just for witnessing "Goodbye Sky Harbour" alone. It was one of the best shows i've been to (and i've been to tons of shows). The performance was flawless, the sound was crystal clear, everything was on point. The only complaint i have would be the number of new songs they played and that there weren't enough Clarity material and not a single song off of Static Prevails. Oh well. They did, however play almost every single of their more popular songs and it was great night overall.

Yup, i took videos.

Iron Lung live @ Rossi Musik, Jakarta, Indonesia (10/03/2011)

So, last month South East Asia were graced by Iron Lung first-ever tour to this region. Drummer Jensen Ward however, mentioned that apparently it wasn't his first time. He had played Thailand a few years ago with his previous band, Artimus Pyle. Massive props for the guys and girls at 7x0x7 for bringing them over and organizing the tour. South East Asia DIY music scenes are infinitely growing, and having international bands touring definitely help keeping the scenes alive and fresh.

Iron Lung is a two-piece act, hailing from Seattle. They play a unique take on powerviolence/grindcore influenced hardcore punk, with start-stop rhythm and soaring feedback. I don't listen to much of these stuff, but Iron Lung manages to keep things interesting. The songs are short and fast and in your face like most stuff in the genre, but they are somehow able to incorporate memorable riffs or drum fills in almost every song. Having only a drummer and a guitar also gives them the freedom to play with unusual song structures and tempos. Other band who is kinda similar in the approach is Agents Of Abhorrence whom they did split and tour with.

Iron Lung first show in Indonesia was to be held at Rossi Musik, Jakarta. It was an exciting night, with Jakarta pulling all the big guns across the spectrum of hardcore/punk/metal (see flyer above). The biggest surprise for me was Wicked Suffer from Jogjakarta whom i had never seen before. They were good, fast, and most importantly, tight. I have no shame in admitting that they put on the second best performance on Jakarta show after Iron Lung.

It was late at night, and the room was packed. People were trying to get a good spot for Iron Lung. I was on the stage, standing about a feet away behind the drum kit. Let me just say that i wished i had brought my earplugs with me that night. The first snare hit Jensen did during their set-up almost made my ears bleed. It was so so so loud. It was just a taste of whats about to come.

Iron Lung played a relatively short-set. It went for about 15-20 minutes. But goddamn it was intense. During song breaks, Jon would let his guitar squealing feedbacks like crazy. There wasn't any moment to catch a breath. Every song hits harder, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. There were quite a few moshing and stage-diving actions happening during the set which really says it all.


Pictures were taken by Saiful Haq. All credit goes to him.

Here's Iron Lung full set, divided into 5 parts. I missed the very last song they played, which happened after the crowd practically beg them to play more after they finished their set. I was already chillin' outside the room by then. Oh well, enjoy the videos!

Asobi Seksu live @ Smesco Center, Jakarta (26-11-2010)

Yes I realise this post is about two months late, making it the worst piece of "journalism" ever. I don't care.

I remember hearing Asobi Seksu for the first time back in 2007 or 2008. I was instantly hooked by their pop sensibilities. I still think of them as a pop band. They have shoegaze/dream pop qualities in their music for sure, but instead of trying to replicate the early 90's British sounds like so many newer shoegaze bands do, they simply put those elements to compliment their music perfectly. It's hard not to be reminded of Kevin Shields' guitar work by songs like Sooner or Pink Cloud Tracing Paper. At the same time, i find it hard to compare their sound as a whole to other band(s). They definitely have their own thing going on.

One of Asobi's unique qualities is the singer Yuki's high-pitched vocals, mixed with tons of reverb to give them that lush effect. Some of their lyrics are written in English and some in Japanese. The English songs are sung with a hint of Japanese accent, giving them a certain charm on its own. Guitarist James Hanna also steps up to vocal duties on a few songs, and he does them fairly well. Ultimately, it's Yuki's vocals that makes Asobi Seksu stand out.

The show was held on Friday night, so i rushed straight from the office after work to the venue in fear of getting caught by the deadly Friday traffic. It turns out i got there way too early, like by a few hours. The door should've been opened by 8 o'clock, but the show didn't start until like 9.30. Bollocks.

The show was held in Smesco Centre, a massive convention hall with an equally massive stage up front. The entire floor was covered in carpet and the ceiling was at least 20-30 feet up high. It's certainly more than an adequate venue for a music show. Unfortunately, this is also why the show "fails" that night. The venue was simply way too big for a middle-sized band like Asobi Seksu. They were less than 300 people in the room. It wasn't even one-quarter filled. If only the promoter would've been more careful in choosing a more proper venue (read : smaller), they they could've cut down the overpriced ticket, which i'm sure would've lead to more people coming out.

Sajama Cut was the only local opening band that night. I used to listen to them a few years ago so i'm somewhat familiar with their music. I think they are better-suited to smaller gigs with more intimate crowd. It seemed that they've re-arranged their old songs to give it a more arena-rock feel in order to make them work in bigger stage. I personally don't think it works, and their performance leaves a lot to be desired. Sajama Cut shouldn't have been the opening band for the show.

After much anticipation, Asobi Seksu finally hit the stage and opened their set with Strawberries. I have to say they sounded way noisier and fuller than they are on records, which is always a good thing. The vocals were on point, and all the instruments cut through the mix quite nicely. They seemed to have done their homework for this tour by filling most of their set with songs off of "Citrus", arguably their best album to date and not coincidentally, fans favorite. They also played a few songs off of their self-titled, their latest offering "Hush" and even two new songs which will be on their new album, out in 2011. Their cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain Never Understand was the final icing on the cake, putting their performance that night as one of my favorites of 2010.

Of course i have videos