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Love Begins
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JBB: An Artblog!
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Game of Thrones Daily
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$LAYYYTER

★

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
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@chouls
At Semanggi TJ bus stop
First Hate Drops Chilly, Cinematic New Single ‘Copenhagen’
Denmark's synthpop ambassador, First Hate, hit the airwaves again yesterday with the release of their new single, Copenhagen. An ode to their much-loved hometown, Copenhagen tells about that city nightlife as you listen to Anton sing, "Copenhagen city nights, just go with your girlfriends”. The track combines the thick voice of Anton that would be mistakenly known as one of those 80s crooners, with lovely pop sounds highlighting on the crisp production. Copenhagen drives into the thin layers of synths that soothe us up, giving us images of beautiful promise the city gives that will never goes out as the morning comes. Last year's Holiday might be just an intro to their album coming up in May, called A Prayer for The Unemployed. It seemed like they are keen on creating something based on romantically nostalgic memories, as we know that Holiday talks about their tour life in Asia. If that's not the case, those tapes are still suitable for your loveliest days. Stream Copenhagen and watch Holiday live below.
MUSIC TO REMINISCE ABOUT 2016
2016 has been the year that incorporated all the feelings and thoughts. The loved ones come and go, important yet baffling decisions were made, battles around globe has gotten worse, winners are on top of the world, and near the end of the year we are witnessing the start of an era which the worst is becoming the leader. What a year to reminisce, though. To help me come through this tiring year, I picked music I have never thought I would listen before. The likes of electronic music fascinated me from the day the year has just started until today. These are the names and releases that resonates to me very much throughout the year, in no particular order.
1. Lust for Youth, Compassion.
Two years after International, their first release after coming as trio, Lust for Youth brought out this wonderful piece of synthpop in February. Heavily influenced by Depeche Mode, this is the album that you would put your trust on and either cheers the day or makes you wanted to cry solitarily. Norrvide’s croon crossed between romantically depressed or lazy, incorporated with dance-inducing beats that gets you up even if you do not feel like that. Stardom is the one you would definitely play on your worst day and makes you wonders about the meaning of life, pretty much the same feeling when you heard Sudden Ambitions. Others like Limerence and Tokyo tells about love and discovering place that you know would left a special place inside your heart, meanwhile Better Looking Brother is the ultimate club song ever. That makes Compassion the best among 2016 releases so far, even if they did not get as much attention as they should. They also managed Twitter that talks about sex, love, sadness, or simply self-arrogance that strangely entertained you up. Have a visit and you know you will be addicted.
2. Pet Shop Boys, Super.
Fifty-something lads who sing about twenty-something life. The feel of the entire album is similar to their previous work called Electric, only better and richer. Pop Kids and Happiness, the two first tracks are promised to make your feet moves in rhythm, while Pazzo and Inner Sanctum continues to give your night out a real horrorshow. Contemplates a bit in Twenty-Something and The Dictator Decides, with vocals from Tennant that surely will haunt you up. Undertow is vibrant, New Order-like that sums up the whole dance themed album.
3. First Hate, Holiday.
Much like their Scandinavian counterparts, two young men in First Hate gave us beautiful synthpop music. Ever since their two previous EP, they have failed to disappointed us all as they were keeping up with the single, Holiday. Talks about huge love they felt for the days they spent in Hong Kong and China during the tour, it is nostalgically warm as Falck sings, “Our live was a holiday”. Also check out the video made from footages of the boys and neon lights. Bliss.
4. Norin, Skisser och Ideer från Frankrighuserne.
Norin is the solo vehicle of Hannes Norrvide from Lust for Youth. On this project he did not use his vocal cord at all, as it is a techno-driven work instead. This is the more powerful work than Bakom Planteringen, the previous EP, but did not lose the delicate feeling as we heard in Magnetisk Ljud. The overall touch was all grim and lost, as we all usually found in most techno releases, if not all. Blast through Vi Har Altid Jaguaren for intense stomping beats that morph into chilling screech, and rave on.
5. Grand Prix, Semper Primus/Tandem Mortem.
Bastian Emil is Denmark-based performer behind the name of Grand Prix, which really means Grand Price. The sultry cold persona that lies behind Emil’s look reflects on how deep and dark his voice might sound. Containing four delicate songs that were performed by himself, it is basically divided into two sections which called Semper Primus part I and II; and Tandem Mortem part I and II. While Semper Primus is an artistic beauty, Tandem Mortem blooms itself in gloominess as Emil sings about the lonely hearts. His lyrics heavily speak about beauty and power that cooperates with dark majestic music he made. Watch Tandem Mortem music video of Emil who wanders around in old Renaissance Denmark castle that does not allow sunlight to come through, left us wonder that if he is the Count Dracula. Pale skin, awkward moves, who knows? For more approach, also listen to The Hour Of Victory (The Hour Of Life), another beauty, straightforward chill out music.
6. GKR, GKR.
Iceland’s amazing performance in Euro this year probably make the world expects more music from the cold land that never caught so much attention excepts for Bjork. Perhaps Gaukur Gretuson, under the name GKR, is the answer. After his addictive tunes about breakfast latter last year, Morgunmatur, he finally came back with self-titled album containing 9 impressive hip-hop work. Slæmar Fréttir is the star, alongside with Erfitt which surprisingly ear-friendly; low in rap but high in beautiful tunes. The tall blonde boy sings exclusively in Icelandic, however, that does not limit us to enjoy whatever words come out from him. Music has no boundaries at all, sometimes all we have to do are sit back, listen, and be indulged.
7. YYYY, Serve Two Masters.
Not much we can dig about the identity of the duo that produced somber techno music, all the way from Argentina. Have a look inside their Facebook, all you can grasp on their photo albums are their silhouette without any recognizable faces. The concept was cold and dark tunes combined with pounding beats that creeps up into your bones. Chilling sounds on Vacuum Over Matter is absolute, while Serve Two Masters makes you imagining things; real horrible things as cold whispers came in the middle of the track. Productive is the middle name of the duo that has released several EPs this year, all are unforgettable. Another strong track actually come from Conquer Us EP, called Vespertine. If you are stranger to techno, then YYYY is a good start.
8. Yung Lean, Warlord.
Oh, that Leany shawty. Twenty years old talent with oddly addictive music created by his team that lived by the name of Sad Boys. After successfully grab our attention with previous work like Kyoto, Ginseng Strip 2002, and Yoshi City, he forcefully come back with full length created after last year’s tragedy that affected him in some way. Warlord brings up the highly emotional Miami Ultras, with Lean boy shouting, left us the uneasy feeling. Gaining weight and gaining a lot more tattoos, Lean also gain more focus in terms of the production and layers, bringing up the more serious music to be mixed up with usual Lean lyrics. Afghanistan is one of the most powerful songs he ever brought up, as he sings about kush, obviously from Afghanistan. Also give some attention he deserves on Highway Patrol, as in the end of songs he talks about the luxurious life of being a Lean. Intended to dominate the year, Lean released another mixtape called Frost God earlier this December, with Hennessy Sailor Moon as the main single. It is the song that he does a bit more singing than sad-rapping, really. As the people from Youtube commenting at Lean’s videos says, you always thought Lean songs are a bit weird at the first listen, but second time you heard it you know you become addicted. That, is the conclusion. Never ever doubt what people says on Youtube.
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I personally lived through 2016 by these releases, abusing the replay button on several platforms I prefer. Either in best days or worst days, these picks are among my lengthy list of favourites of the year. Some are the ones I never thought I would like before, but ended up as my most favourite tracks. This is something to learn; that we should never ever judge something before experiencing. Really looking forward to 2017, when some promised to give the best out of them. Shout out to 2016 for being the loveliest yet worst times. Long live everyone on the list.
2016 ALBUM FROM LUST FOR YOUTH
Been listening a lot and excessively in love to this northern European synthpop sensation lately, thanks to accidental Youtube suggestions checking after watching an Iceage video. If you listened to one of current Scandinavian acts you would probably listened to the whole scene, most likely are the ones from Posh Isolation, the Copenhagen based label. Thanks to the massive power of the internet and the www, so everyone could check on everything and everyone in a matter of seconds, which is kind of amusing and somehow mind-blowing at the same time.
Hannes Norrvide, the dapper-looking frontman started the project as a solo act from Sweden in 2009. His two first albums under the name of Lust For Youth are rather gloomy and haunting, with repetitive beats that is actually infectious in some ways. He then moved to Copenhagen to began performing live with Loke Rahbek (of Vår, Sexdrome, and Croatian Amor). As of 2014, the band is in the form of trio, consisting Norrvide, Rahbek, and Malthe Fischer as the principal guitarist. The widely acclaimed 2014 album, International, is drowned in heavy synthpop sounds, highlighting New Boys, Epoetin Alfa, and Running as my favourite tracks. With the addition of the right amount of guitar from Fischer, the album is definitely among the best of today’s synthpop dance music universe. Check out their live performances (often in mediocre sound quality as not many of them is the official live recording), be stunned with Norrvide’s idle dances and the tendency to not giving eye contacts, bringing back the glorious 80s vibes.
On their seriously entertaining Twitter account (where they shared their fascination on MDMA, designer’s clothing, mineral water, and wifi connection), they have just announced that the newest album would be released in March. I am beyond ecstatic to hear this news and cannot wait until the day. They were also give out another track that would be included in the album, titled Stardom, alongside with Better Looking Brother which was coming out earlier last year in September, as a single. Stardom is confusingly sweet and somber at once, while Better Looking Brother is the one you should avoid if you are not keen on instant dance the first second the song hits your ear. I remember listening to Stardom on some live recording in Youtube, wondering what song it is, as I never heard it from them before and suddenly in love with the vocals and guitar. Check both songs straightaway at Sacred Bones’ Soundcloud, be in love.
For the moment, let’s look back on this musical gem. It is a marvelous live version of the song with ever magnificent bass sound from Carlos Dengler.
DEEP SERENITY
A FLOURISHING GARDEN
It’s been a while since my last text post in this Tumblrland, today I bring you a fresh (uhm not so fresh I think, they have been around since 2012) sounds from Orange County, CA, which I have been listening to a lot these days. The Garden, a punk/electronica/whatever package of two young men, twins actually, blow my ears instantly as I discovered them through the net around February earlier this year. Fletcher and Wyatt Shears are my newest favourite men today, as they create some of the simplest sounds you will ever heard but also captivating at the same time. They called the sound by the name vada vada, which I believe the meaning is a secret only known to the twins themselves. Some of my favourite pieces from them are Estamos Aqui, What We Are, Gift, and Crystal Clear. Even when there are only bass and drums and absolutely effortless lyrics (though in some cases, they put synth on the songs, too), these two knows what they are best at.
What makes them even cooler is how they look. Just look at that pristine turtleneck, black leather jacket, crop top, white socks, light-coloured jeans, odd-looking shirt, simply whatever they are wearing. If you ever watched that Dazed video of their daily life, you will know that their closet is full of interesting stuffs and whatnot. Their tall, lean figure is the best mannequin you will get in the world of modern-day bands. Fletcher is one of very few men I have ever saw in drag who can pull it off in a good way, in those frocks and red hot lips. Before this writing will go too far discussing The Garden fashion-wise (yes, they are modelling for Saint Laurent!) I better put myself together as they are coming to Jakarta, next Friday (9/10), performing live on the release day of their newest album called Haha. What can I expect? A badass murderous bass lines from Wyatt or punishing drum blare from Fletcher? A show full of sweat, dance, and untamed crowd as the complement of the twins, that is for sure.
All day long #shopassistants
Blur - There Are Too Many of Us
Blur have just unveiled the second track from the album, There Are Too Many of Us today (20/3). Previously, they have released a single titled Go Out, on the same day as they announced their upcoming album, The Magic Whip, which will be released on April 27. There Are Too Many of Us is a rather gloomy track with marching-like drum playing dominating the first half of the song, then expands into sounds that you never imagine will be produced by Blur. I am not putting so much keenness on this track for the lack of the usual Blur vibes all over it, the sounds that are so Damon and whatnot (I do not listen to any of Damon’s solo works except Gorillaz). In fact, this song is actually will fit in with Gorillaz albums, I believe. The video is a product of low-key art direction, which according to NME, was recorded with phones and tablets from the bands, having the visual of the band playing in what is looked like a practicing room. Despite my disapprovals, I still give it a listen, just because. Tonight they will play the new album in full at a gig in West London, so those lucky ones could hear the album in whole about a month before anyone else. D’oh! And what do I do here? Just counting down the days to April 27.
I do believe that music is the highest form of art. It’s the ultimate condition and the highest form of anything. Music is an absolutely fundamental quality of the universe. Films are not fundamental entities, nor are paintings, or sculptures. They represent things and have functions. Music is actually something…music is omniscient, a quality that echoes across space and time: from the concord and balance of galactic superclusters down to the vibrating ten dimensional filaments of superstring theory. The entire cosmos is a musical situation and all artistic and scientific endeavors tend towards music. All life aspires to the state of music. Music is a mystery, pure abstraction calling from deep to deep. Voices raised in song are louder when you’re in love, when you’re happy, when you’re sad. Music can make hearts beat faster and cause tears to flow. Melody is a universal language. Harmony is the resting place of consciousness. Rhythm hammers the mind into the right shape. Rock stars are the only real deities. We are the music makers. We are the dreamers of dream.
- Alex James, addressing the Oxford Union, without any preparation after a night of drunk-duggery.
A song to fall asleep to. Good night, night crawlers!
A Comeback That No One Could Have Predicted
February 19th 2015 which is today, is the New Year on Chinese calendar, but also become the day when an astonishing picture and captions appeared on my phone as I scrolled through the Instagram: a picture posted by the account blurofficial came with the announcement that the new Blur album (mumbling to myself: …finally…) will be released on April 27th, titled The Magic Whip. No clues or hint whatsoever, they are just announcing this momentous comeback as the world seems to start forgetting Blur these days (NO, I’m joking, they are not worth to be forgotten by any means). I shocked, I burst into happiness. It is just a week ago that we are celebrating 18th birthday of Blur album, which I also wrote about it. Today the boys are back with long awaited album, a 12 years worth to wait, that hopefully will feed our longing ears from the boys that once banging on every 90s kids’ stereo.
Another surprise, it was recorded in Hong Kong which I believe happened in early May of 2013, when they are having their 2013 world tour in Hong Kong, moments before they entertain the Indonesians in that exceptional show. The media wrote about it a lot, but at first I thought that was not going to happened as they only spend such a little time in Hong Kong, only for a week, I believe. But nothing is impossible in the hand of Alex, Damon, Graham, and Dave. They told the media in the press conference today (which was held in a Chinese restaurant in London's Soho Chinatown) that they only spent five days recording The Magic Whip in Hong Kong, and then sent all the materials to Stephen Street to organize it all. Street was best known to work as a producer for The Smiths, Morrissey, and most importantly, producing what is known as Britpop fundamentals, the Britpop trilogy, Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife, and The Great Escape, all from Blur. Hearing Stephen Street back to work A.G.A.I.N with Blur was so relieving, I almost 100% sure that The Magic Whip will become a top album of 2015.
To get a glance at the most anticipated work from Blur this year, they have revealed a song called Go Out which you can immediately get if you pre-order the album on their website. Let’s not worry because you can also listen to all over it, as they have uploaded the song in their official Youtube account. Listening to this song reminds me much to London Loves, their previous work from the album Parklife. All of those London Loves bits are in this song: those usual and almost identical “Oh / oh / oh / oh / oh” by Damon, rather shrieking guitar bits from Graham, loud and similar bass works from Alex, and pleasing drumming from Dave. It contains proper dose of enjoyment, just listen to it and imagine you are living the Britpop age these days! If you are hoping to see Blur boys in the video, then it will let you down. This ace song comes with an unconventional video, which features a step-by-step of making ice cream from a woman of Chinese descent. Why ice cream? It is pretty obvious; the album will come with an artwork of ice cream-figured lamp sign, with Mandarin of Blur (模糊) and The Magic Whip (魔鞭). Such a committed art direction, isn’t it? I believe they are making a homage to Hong Kong, where the album was made, by putting so much East Asian orientation into it; it was announced in the Chinese New Year, in a Chinese restaurant in a Chinatown, artwork is quite obvious, and the video is too. Let’s not forget the bouncing egg yolk in the video, such quite peculiar object to be seen.
Apart from would it be the next Britpop piece or would it revive the Britpop scene, I see The Magic Whip as a comeback from the 12 years without any album release. As I said earlier, I put my expectation high knowing that Stephen Street is involved in this album. The first track revealed is also promising; with so much old Britpop feeling stuffed into it. It is clear that 2015 will be a crowded year for British comebacks: The Libertines, The Vaccines, and finally, Blur. Comes with this rather shocking announcement is the news that Blur will be headlining the British Summer Time at The Hyde Park on June 20th. As everybody knows, every new album will always be followed by the world tour (exception to The Strokes’ Comedown Machine, 2013). A chance to get back to every single country they have been to is not unthinkable. Save some cash as you are going to be skint by buying records and (hopefully) a ticket to see Blur again!
Pictures are from Stephen Street's Twitter account and Blur Instagram.
A Look Back On 1997 and Blur
Visualize 1997. What were you? Where were you? How old were you? You could be anything, but I was just 5 years old kid, still playing see-saw in the kindergarten, spending every afternoon as my nanny always told me to take an afternoon nap (which I extremely hate), and so on. My only companions as a kid were only my neighbor-childhood-friend, my nanny, and my only sister. In 1997, my sister was 14 years old (she was in the middle school at that time), funny young girl who always tease me with whatever I did, but in fact she was a quite caring person. There were times we did not get along; there were times we get along. I thought it was a love-hate relationship (we are still at it nowadays, haha).
She was the person in my nuclear family who watches telly the most. I mean, whenever she went back from school, she always put the telly on, and I loved playing while watching the telly with her. She always watched MTV Indonesia, which back then was a Mecca for every music enthusiast around the country. With witty personalities namely Jamie Aditya and Sarah Sechan, they were also playing best music of the era. Any favourite music of the era. Names like Green Day, Nirvana, Prodigy, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, Spice Girls, TLC, Janet Jackson, Oasis, Suede, are not unusual for me since it was shown everyday in the MTV. If my sister loved it, I would also love it, sing it whenever they were played (despite the fact that I did not understand English that time, so it were all just blah blah blah). One of my favorite piece from the MTV 1997’s overplayed tracks is Blur’s Song 2. As I ever explained, it was the first time I listened to Blur. I remembered the music video was so kooky, wind blown the Blur boys all over the strange, rug-covered wall. It was a loud track and it became a massive hit back then. You heard it anywhere, anytime until you get sick of it! Then my sister bought the self-titled album, Blur, so we played, and played, and played the record for as many times as you can imagine.
Now, let us recollect Blur. Graham once said it was their best album ever made. To me, it was a huge musical shift from something the media always called Britpop into something that was more thoughtful, more personal musical direction. If I look back at their three previous album, the songs was all about biographical stories with London fictional character that Damon made. Colin Zeal, Tracy Jacks, Mr. Robinson’s Quango, Ernold Same, and Dan Abnormal, it were all just about the characters that went into Damon’s mind. You cannot find them in Blur anyway, for as far as I know the band started to let Graham contributing in musical direction, so it was not just about Damon’s creative power. So, what are my highlights of this album?
1. Beetlebum
No one really knows what the word ‘beetlebum’ means, but I believe it was related to something about the song. It is a common knowledge that the song represents how Damon and his then girlfriend, singer Justine Frischmann from Elastica, experiencing heroin. It has a bittersweet feeling with lyrics like “She sucked your thumb / She’ll make you come”. Without a doubt, a very personal song about a relationship of a man and a woman, laced with drugs.
2. Song 2
Superstar of the album, it is. The America knows Blur as a band right after they release this grunge-influenced track (back then, “BLUR WHO?”, asked America). Graham told us that at that time, there were not any influential British guitarist exist that can nourish him to play guitar more creatively so he take muses from American guitarist such as Stephen Malkmus so, this is the result. Complemented with twice-recorded bass line (so it became loud and abrasive) from Alex, this is your perfect party tune.
3. Theme From Retro I simply cannot understand the purpose of this track, but hell, who wants to? It is a beautiful almost-instrumental track (Damon was just talking through megaphone, producing hard-to-comprehend spoken words) which gives me chill when it was played through the PA right before the boys appeared on the stage, at their show in Jakarta. Seriously, I had goosebumps for this song at that night. This is not the song that we expect from them in the Britpop days, but it is a good quality track.
4. You’re So Great If I could pick only one Blur song as the soundtrack of biopic of my life, surely I will consider this greatest piece ever from Graham. It means a lot to me, the lyrics and everything. When most people see this all-composed-and-performed-by-Graham track as a romantic, melancholy song from Blur, well, you better know the fact: it was about Graham’s alcoholic state of mind (or also caffeine-ic state of mind, he once said). He said that, this song could be about anything in this world. He told us in No Distance Left To Run that he was very pissed and very annoyed at everyone at the time he made this song as he encountered a mid-pop life crisis. A life crisis that made him talked to painting and decorators, and even talked to more and more painting and decorators at the pubs as he hated and tired of pop music so much. Maybe this song is all about painting and decorators he talked to? Might be. Everything is possible in the mind of a drunk man.
5. Death of a Party This is one of most underrated tracks from Blur ever (alongside with Inertia, Young and Lovely, Battle, and so forth). I think it deserved to be the top of the list of Blur: Most Forgotten Song. In my opinion, it is all about their tiredness of glamorous days of Britpop that they have been through. As Damon said, right after The Great Escape, they do not really hang out anymore as the boys were having their hard times. Dave at the end of his relationship with his wife, Graham was an alcoholic, Alex was living his glamorous life with celebrity friends in West End, and Damon is in the kind of strange permutation of performance. I think this song sums up what they were feeling, when they felt really tired of what they are presented in the media. People kind of sick seeing them everyday and maybe have thoughts like “that’s enough, Britpop”. That is why the lyrics became so gloom as “The death of the party came as no surprise / Why did we bother? / Should have stayed away.”
6. Chinese Bombs I said earlier that this record contains no biographical materials. Well, almost. If you pay attention to this track, it is all about Bruce Lee, the cult and legendary actor-martial artist originating from Hong Kong. Quite short for a Blur track (1:25), but filled with harsh guitar playing from Graham, influenced by American bands that he listened to. If you listen to Graham’s solo project after departing from Blur, this song has got so much feeling of them. I know nothing about guitar playing, but this fast and loud tracks surely livens my day.
7. Essex Dogs Such a perfect 8 minutes closure for a top album. It is a very experimental song, containing the sound of a motorcycle being started, repeating guitar sounds that potentially makes you dizzy, synthesizer tunes, even the sound from a vacuum cleaner! At the almost end, it came the silence for seconds and continue again with repetition of odd bit from Graham. Never thought that Blur could ever produce this kind of musical piece until I heard this.
Accompanying those highlighted pieces are the songs that also have so much power. The rest like I Am Just A Killer Of Your Love, M.O.R., and On Your Own are having the same worth to be discussed as the first alternative pieces from Blur. As Alex said, this album is a new cycle of Blur after that Britpop age. Blur itself was having its 18th birthday yesterday (10/2) so this writing is a homage to the album that makes me know that this band, this particular band, is exist, even back when I was 5 years old. Blur, embrace your legal age!