Brandals Are Back From the Studio
Jakarta-based garage rock revivalists The Brandals have always been a band that makes its point succinctly. Never ones to overcomplicate things with experimentation, they have thrived by continually sharpening their brand of Stooges-meets-Chuck-Berry dirt rock, backed with droll assessments of an urbanite existence.
Through three albums, the band made a point of perfecting punk rock’s old adage of “less is more” by essentially sticking to this formula, which finally started to run out of steam by the release of their last record, 2007’s “Brandalisme.”
Which is why the latest album from the newly rechristened BRNDLS is both a surprise and an expected detour. “DGNR8” not only sees two lineup changes in the band, but showcases a hefty turnaround from the usual mix of bluesy guitars and thrashing rhythms. Shades of electro-rock, dance and psychedelica run through the album’s 10 tracks with a blustery comfort that never feels forced.
Though the heavily layered production might be the most audibly apparent change, a new confidence in songwriting and execution is what makes “DGNR8” such a pleasantly boisterous collection to dig through.
Lead singer and lyricist Eka Annash sounds reinvigorated. His trademark yelps are there, but they are delivered in moderation between melodic vocal turns that revel in harmony — mostly sung by guitarist Tony Dwi Setiaji. This is certainly the most vocal-driven record the band has released up to this point, with the melodies rounding out the songs instead of having rowdy instruments swallow Eka’s howls. In a bizarre way, the band has made its most concise record by method of experimentation.
Indeed, Eka has said the record is set to “raise the bar in terms of production output in our local music industry, so that we’d be on the same racetrack to compete with any international band.”
The album opens with a chorus of “woo-hoos” courtesy of the ferociously engaging “Start Bleeding.” Though traditional choruses have never been a staple of Brandals’ songs, the playful chant makes it one of the most memorable choruses the band has ever laid to tape. A proto-clubby garage rocker, the song makes for a perfect entry into the second track, “Dryland.”
Furthering the electro-rock route taken by the opener, “Dryland” is even more of a dance-rock track, alternating between classic disco rhythms and a fast-paced, minimalist section reminiscent of 1980s post-punk groups such as Joy Division in its ominous nuances.
“Love Detox” delivers a driving bassline courtesy of new bassist Radhit Syaharzam Almatsier, hand in hand with pounding, almost drum machine-like percussion. Between heavily processed guitars and distorted vocals, the song never loses its cool, moving forward like an almost industrial track before closing off with a hypnotic chant of “and it’s true the will to live can’t do without love.”
“The Last Laugh” is the track that would be closest to the old Brandals sound if it weren’t for the siren-like guitar loop running through it, akin to a synthesizer loop on a club track. A classic rock drumbeat finds drummer Rully Annash, Eka’s younger brother, channeling his inner John Bonham, while guitarist Mulyadi Natakusumah, a new recruit, hammers down a trebly blues-lick on top of the whole affair.
One of the album’s most commercial-sounding tracks is “Awas Polizei!” a pseudo-funk track that showcases one of the group’s greatest strengths: the urban consciousness of Eka’s lyrics. Sounding wittier and more fed-up than ever, the singer references — in Indonesian — “the moustaches standing on street corners, trying to figure out who’ll be unlucky today,” making it clear why the song is titled as such. It also helps that the track contains a rocking sing-along chorus, no doubt endowing it with instant anthem status for the band’s loyal fan base of disenchanted urbanites.
“Abrasi” is another standout. Hip-hop beats intersect with rough guitar tumbles and a cameo by respected local rapper Morgue Vanguard, who delivers ferocious lines in a way that is far from the usual “pop” rhymes of local rap artists.
While the record’s sonic influences — namely Scottish psychedelic rockers Primal Scream — may be slightly too prominent for some, there is no denying that “DGNR8” is still one of the most exciting records to come out of Jakarta in a long while. It doesn’t scream originality as much as it does pure, unadulterated excitement — a smooth ride through The Brandals’ characteristically rough terrain.
As Eka said, the record feels like an experiment “gone very right.”
“There are a lot of sound experimentations and unexpected reconstructions on these new songs,” he said. “We deliberately threw ourselves out of our familiar comfort zone, just to experience the unknown territory of the recording studio. And it turned out to be quite thrilling and liberating.”
-originally published in The Jakarta Globe
