Blog

I've just come back from my first short stay in Indonesia. Spent most of my time in Jakarta and Bandung, and while I only got to see the one band, I managed to pick up some great cds.

I met a few music kids while there, and was given a comprehensive list of "indie" bands to check out, but from what I could gather they didn't play live that often - I think indie is more the sound than the live idea. I did notice bands playing more frequently, but they seemed to be more punk rock, and I didn't actually go see anything, so whether they were of the Eddie Current Suppression Ring variety, the Purple Rainbow variety, or the bland variety is yet to be discovered.

White Shoes & The Couples Company were seemingly the hit of the town, and their new cd Skenario Masa Muda is quite pretty lounge pop that I am enjoying a lot. Their marketing is exquisite - beautiful photos, and cd's well packaged.

Without a doubt there have been two standout cds so far. Tika's Frozen Love Songs, a jazz pop album (of all styles!) - her voice is beautiful and the melodies are wonderful. Fever Fairytale is the standout track. The other album of note was Ape On The Roof's Ape-O-Lution (Abandon All Logic), sweet dance electronica.

Homicide's Illsurrekshun is one that I'm sure I would love if I could speak Indonesian - anarcho-punk hip hop from Bandung, it seemed to have a big following and the chat I had with their lead singer about online media was intelligent and interesting. There does seem to be an obsession with the Beastie Boys (see the title of the cd, plus the insert with a famous photo of the BB's with Marx, Proudhon and Nietzsche's faces super imposed on the BB boy's bodies).

goodnight electric is really really good as well actually, sounding like Stereolab and when singing about being robots (Am I robot?), hanging in the supermarket and psychic girls, along with some great remixes, leads to a great party album. Very easy to put on again. Reminds me of the mellower parts of Robots in Disguise as well.

Homogenic's jazzy trip hop is quite pretty, and they have a great story - two very active and skilled performers across the arts.

Agrikulture's Agrikulture is funky electro/rock. Santamonica's curiouser and curiouser is more straight out vocal electro, again very similar to Stereolab. Polyester Embassy's tragicomedy is quite wonderful shoegazer rock. Sore do ok jazz pop rock, I got their latest album which was a hit but it doesn't do much for me. My workmate Anna picked up their earlier stuff, so I should give that a listen.

Unfortunately, the stack of cd's I bought home was far bigger than I've had time to properly listen to - even those listed above have really only had a spin or two. Other bands I returned with include: The Brandals, The Sigit (aka, The Super Insurgent Group Of Intemperance Talent), Efek Rumah Kaca and Failing Forward. Then there's the artists who I only got as a burnt mp3 disc - Pure Saturday and Boys Are Toys are the most promising, plus other cds from Homogenic and Goodnight Electric. I'm gonna be busy.

So I just threw on the Wolf & Cub album from last year and noticed that teh track Kingdom is a spitter for a song by The Verve. I can't remember exactly which track, I think it might have been No Come Down - it was definitely an early track - I probably heard it on the No Come Down album...anyway, when I finish burning I'll rip and report back.

I've just discovered Black Kids and am loving I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You. then I discovered that their EP was available from theeir website as a free 30Mb download. Awesometown.

On top of that, I'm also falling for Aesop Rock's None Shall Pass and MGMT's Time to Pretend. Things are going well in teh new year of indie pop.

that I really am a U2 tragic in the end. They got me early, I cannot be saved. You can though. Check out Always with you for inspiration. Cheers to Jon Nelson from some-assembly-required.net for that doozy.

Oh, it's been so long since it's happened, but happen it did this morning. Waiting for my girlf to get out of bed, I thought I'd listen to some of my new music...

So I get started on Los Campesinos' Sticking Fingers Into Sockets. Then their version of Pavement's Frontwards comes on. It's beautiful. So Welsh.

OMG!@1!!!!1! it's w00table.

I've got style, miles and miles, so much style that it's wastin'

I just noticed that I'd accidentally hit the "repeat track" button in amarok instead of repeat album...unfortunately that means that my idiocy is not only an embarrassment to me from my flatmates, but also from that whole community. Oh the shame. Blitzen Trapper are very good though. I'm enjoying.

Like a pavement v shins thing. Both of whom I listen to plenty :) I recommend.

I'm happy to say that Last FM user anorakhighst has posted notice that my (our) fave, Ninetynine have just performed live on Melbourne's 3PBS fm and there is a stream available.

Of course, if you hate streaming like I do, you can take comfort that the hard work has been done for us - the rm file is here.

Note that anorakhighst hasn't posted this info to his lastfm page - but instead to his blog, here

Damn, Green Grass of Tunnel is a fantastic track. Just amazing, beautiful, soaring. Damn.