Ini adalah volume ketiga dari seri mixtape "Masters of Juxtaposition" yang saya buat sejak tahun 2011. Buat yang baru mendengarkan mixtape ini, pasti akan langsung ngeh bahwa benang merah dari lagu-lagu di dalamnya adalah "nuansa delapan puluhan". Yes. Ini adalah kumpulan lagu dari serombongan musisi yang cenderung 'baru' tapi dengan sound 'lawas'. Dan saya, sebagai #anaklama, mudah leleh mendengarkan bebunyian bernuansa 80-an atau 90-an.

Di edisi kali ini, ada si bintang MySpace (RIP, walaupun masih idup sih sosmed yg satu ini tapi udah lewat masanya. Might as well be dead): Sky Ferreira, lalu ada juga salah satu band baru asal Jerman kesukaan saya: Ballet School, kemudian ada juga dua buah karya dari Kurt Feldman (Ice Choir) yaitu Germans dan Evan Only, dan band/musisi lainnya yang terpengaruh referensi musik dari era di mana synthesizer adalah nyaris sebuah keharusan dan sfx (sound effect) sebisa mungkin dilibatkan dalam proses mixing sebuah lagu.

Tracklist:
01.Sky Ferreira - Everything's Embarrassing
02.Ballet School - Heartbeat Overdrive (Extended Mix)
03.Mirror Kisses - Shut Me Down
04.Technique - Your Face
05.Mitch Murder - Alright
06.Germans - Wonderhow
07.Evan Only - Shadows
08.Alexis Penney - Praying For Rain
09.Touche - Love Is A Trap
10.Body Parts - Please Be A God
11.Stars - Hold On When You Get Love (Com Truise Mix)
12.Pure Bathing Culture - Scotty
13.GEMS - Never Age

Silahkan didengarkan, dan saya sangat maklum kalo setelah memutar mixtape ini, Anda lalu merasa perlu mendengarkan kembali koleksi kaset/CD/LP  Madonna, Depeche Mode, Erasure, 'Til Tuesday, dan B-52's milik kakak, orang tua, atu Anda sendiri.  Download Masters of Juxtaposition 3

Suka dengan mixtape ini? Silahkan dengarkan juga volume 1 dan volume 2 dari Masters of Juxtapostion.   

Tahun 2013 telah memanjakan telinga saya dengan rilisan-rilisan yang beraroma nostalgia. Yeah, selera musik saya memang mudah terprovokasi oleh sound 80an dan 90an. Banyak yang menjadi track favorit tapi berikut ini adalah highlights-nya. Selamat mendengarkan!

ESPRIT FANTASY - LOVE
Salah satu tradisi yang saya lakukan dalam membuat mixtape adalah memilih track pembuka yang berupa lagu yang pendek, dreamy, dan (biasanya) instrumental. Ketika pertama kali mendengar "Love" milik ESPRIT Fantasy asal Singapura ini, langsung terbanyang untuk menjadikannya sebagai pre-lude untuk mixtape yang akan datang. Get more of them here

Among my favorite things of the early nineties, Adorable has been reserved a special part in my memory. They released only two full albums and several singles back then, but the songs are never felt that old, guess this is what they mean by being timeless. Post-Adorable days saw the project  that Pete Fijalkowski started, Polak, and just like Adorable after a couple albums they called it a day. But the musical journey of Pete continues as he’s teamed up with Terry Bickers (House of Love) making sweet miserable music under the moniker Pete Fij / Terry Bickers. They’ve released a song “I Don’t Give A Shit About You” via their website, and it sounds nothing like Adorable nor Polak.

Here’s my Q&A with Pete about his current project and the memories of Adorable:
"I Don't Give A Shit About You" sounds very laid-back and clean, will there be any "noisy" stuff in a sweet-miserable way, from Pete Fij / Terry Bickers?

There is one song with a more aggresive sound and drum machine/ human beatbox on it called "Breaking Up" but the rest of the album has a very 'late night' stripped back feel.

I saw that "sweet miserable music" description, stated on Fij/Bickers blog, any story on how you decided to take this direction in music?

Our sound is more down to the mechanics of what we were doing - After Polak had split up  I had written and recorded an album of material that was very stripped back and bare.I was really pleased with how the last Polak album 'Rubbernecking' but it had been a very intense and time-consuming experience  I had wanted to go into the studio and record songs very simply, keeping in imperfections and not get wrapped up in layer upon layers. It resulted in a very raw sound. When I finished the album for reasons I still don;t understand, although I was really pleased with it Ididn't really play it to anyone or make any serious attempt to get it released. But I was asked to appear at a festival playing in a beautiful church, so asked Terry to join me on some of the songs. The project grew from there as we worked oin the sound,although keeping that naked, stripped back feel.

Could we expect Fij/Bickers album to get released in 2013?

Yes - it is due to be released in late Summer, there will be a single “Betty Ford” released in April

Adorable lyrics are highly poetic, loaded with great & beautiful metaphors, who/what inspired you in writing them?

I'm not really sure who inspired my lyrics. I loved music, but didn't used to pay much attention to lyrics in other people's songs, so these were just written how I thought lyrics should sound. My writing style has changed a lot now and my songwriting is more direct.

What song that you perceive as the most beautiful song ever written, lyrics-wise?

Some of the most perfect lyrical writing is "I'll Never Fall In love Again" written by Burt Bacharach

What Adorable song that you felt to be most satisfying, lyrically?   

I like the simplicity and directness of 'Breathless'

"Against Perfection" and "Fake" how would you personally describe each of them, based on your experience around the time of their release?

Against perfection is full of hope and confidence, Fake is full of self-doubt and vulnerability. It pretty much sums up how I was feeling at the same time.

Most memorable time with Adorable?

There were so very many - playing Glastonbury, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, smashing a guitar in London, the final gig in Brussels and going out drinking all night long after, and actually being able to talk to everyone - the sheer relief of it all being over.

What are your 5 favorite tracks of the early 90s?

I wasn't listening to much in the early 90's - being in band spoiled the pleasure of listening to music. I'm sure there are some great songs there, but my mind has erased them - it's like people who have been in a car crash. they can't remember anything from that moment!

Five favorite tracks of the 80s?

I'm just going to pick the first 5 that come into my mind, so I'll go for:
House of Love - Destroy The Heart

Echo & The Bunnymen – Never Stop

The The - Uncertain Smile

Pet Shop Boys - Rent

Primitives - Crash

Are there any unreleased stuff from Adorable? If so, any chance we might hear 'em someday?

There are a few songs that were demo'd but never recorded fully, because we didn't think they were up to scratch, and I still don't think they were very good. There were 2 instrumentals that we recorded that we started as part of a film soundtrack to a film in my mind, but we split before developing it any further. I don't think nay of these songs are of any worth, so am not bothered about releasing them.

If there were any Adorable songs that could be done as a duet with a female singer, who'd you choose? And what song would it be? If not, who do you want to do a duet with?

For some reason we had really wanted to record a duet with the French actress Beatrice Dalle but couldn't get a message to her. I always loved Hope Sandoval's (Mazzy Star) voice. There is Brighton singer called Jane Bartholomew who I would love to record with. I am going to keep asking her until she says yes!

Had Adorable performed / recorded any cover songs?

Adorable had a policy that we never did covers.

What come across your mind when you remember these:

I'll just give one sentence...
Sunshine Smile - sunshine through thin curtains on a girl I was very in love with
Road Movie - lost single
A to Fade In - Cattle & Cane
Crash Sight - youthful
Vendetta - our attempt at a pop single
Dinosaur#2 - average b-side, not really my thing
Slowdive - quiet, not really my thing
My Bloody Valentine - loud, not really my thing
Nirvana - rocky, not really my thing
Cocteau Twins - my kind of thing

About the 20th Anniversary of "Against Perfection" this year, any special plan for that?

We got together for drinks - the first time all 4 of us had been in a room together for over 15 years

What'd it take to reunite Adorable?

More money than anyone will ever offer

Read about Pete’s track by track analysis of “Against Perfection” here
Pete Fij / Terry Bickers will release the new single “Betty Ford” on 22 April 2013, get it via their website, and catch more updates here.

This Q&A was originally posted on Norrm

Setiap tahun rilisan-rilisan baru selalu membanjiri kapasitas mendengarkan musik. Menyimak satu rilisan ke rilisan lain memang sudah menjadi aktivitas sehari-hari. Namun ketika harus memilih rilisan mana saja yang "stand out" dibanding yang lainnya, aktivitas ini menjadi spesial dan lebih sulit untuk dilakukan dalam rangka menentukan pilihan. Tahun ini saya tidak memilih album favorit yang ter-rotasi tinggi, tapi rilisan (bisa album, EP, single, atau kompilasi) yang "earworming" selama 2012 ini. Sebenarnya saya berharap bisa memasukkan rilisan terbaru dari My Bloody Valentine, yang rasanya sudah di depan pintu, tapi ternyata tak kunjung datang. Jadi, inilah beberapa track yang "mengulati" kuping di sepanjang tahun 2012.

SEBASTIEN TELLIER & CAROLINE POLACHEK - IN THE CREW OF TEA TIME
Pertemuan yang digagas oleh perusahaan penerbangan Perancis, Air France, ini menghasilkan karya duet yang earworming. Apa sih yang Caroline Polachek ngga bisa lakukan? *kagum*.

GEMMA HAYES - JETS
Awalnya lagu ini adalah versi demo dari lagu "There's Only Love", namun karena versi demo ini terdengar cukup istimewa maka Gemma merilisnya dalam kompilasi Velvet Ears di 2012. Gitar, gitar dan gitar dan Gemma dan gitar dan Gemma. Can't get enough of them.

GLASS KITES - MIRROR ME
Band progressive rock asal Vancouver ini memukau telinga lewat EP mereka di awal tahun 2012. Dan lagu ini menjadi salah satu soundtrack tengah malam yang pas untuk meredakan kesusahan dalam sehari.

WILD NOTHING - NOCTURNE
Walaupun terkesan sedikit mengikuti apa yang lebih dahulu dilakukan oleh Devon Williams, lagu ini lama-lama terdengar cukup stand-out di antara lagu lainnya dari album "Nocturne". Aroma guitar-bands 80an begitu menyengat di lagu ini hingga Wild Nothing resmi berkontribusi pada 80s-revival sound yang marak belakangan ini.

CHAIRLIFT - I BELONG IN YOUR ARMS (ED MESSXD ED)
Album "Something" benar-benar menunjukan kematangan Chairlift dalam menulis lagu. Mereka cukup sukses keluar dari perangkap image sebagai "the iPod band".

ARC IN ROUND - SAID ASTRAY
Album noise-pop dari Philadelphia yang layak simak.  Untuk semua kebisingan berlapis yang mereka tampilkan di sini, Untuk semua ramuan pop dan noise yang jadi kompetensi inti mereka.

MARK EITZEL - I LOVE YOU BUT YOU'RE DEAD
Veteran alt-rocker 90-an yang juga frontman dari grup American Music Club  ini kembali dengan album solonya yang ke-16. Masih soulful dan earworming seperti dulu.

ICE CHOIR - EVERYTHING'S SPOILT BY USE (Feat.CAROLINE POLACHEK)
Duet of the year, defo. Lirik dialogis, di mana Kurt Feldman dan Caroline Polachek menjadi dua suara ekspresi berbeda dari sebuah entitas yang sama. Dengan koda panjang a la Propaganda/China Crisis lagu ini menjadi duet favorit pertama saya setelah sekian lama.

VIOLENS - ALL NIGHT LOW
Single yang gagah milik Violens dari album "True". Sekarang, bagaimana caranya head-banging sambil bermimpi? Thrash-gazing anyone?

Honorable mentions:
Munchausen Trillema - If Loving You Is Heartbreaking (single)
Pure Saturday - Grey (album)
Haim - Forever (EP)
2:54 - 2:54 (album)
Santigold - Master of My Make Believe (album)
Tracey Thorn - Tinsel And Lights (album)
Ellie Goulding - Halcyon (album)
Beach House - Bloom (album)
Ben Folds Five - The Sound of The Life of The Mind (album)
Hooverphonic - Hooverphonic with Orchestra (album)
Nite Jewel - One Second of Love (album)
Fucked Up - Year of The Tiger (single)
Chromatics - Kill For Love (album)
Echo Lake - Wild Peace (album)
Light Asylum - Light Asylum (album)

Jumat siang tanggal 4 Desember 2009, di bawah langit musim dingin yang kelabu, saya berada di tengah antrian panjang untuk check-in di Butlins, sebuah kompleks resort di pinggir pantai di Minehead – Inggris. Ribuan orang dari berbagai negara bergantian tiba, mulai dari kelompok mahasiswa sampai orang dewasa usia empat puluh tahunan lengkap beserta keluarganya, semua terlihat excited, karena itu adalah hari pertama dari rangkaian 3 hari All Tomorrow’s Parties weekend yang berjudul Nightmare Before Christmas (ATP NBC). All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP) bisa saja mengingatkan kita pada sebuah judul lagu dari Velvet Underground, namun sejak sepuluh tahun terakhir ada hal lain yang diasosiasikan dengan kata-kata tersebut, yakni sebuah festival musik bergengsi nan beradab. Seperti menikmati versi festival dari mixtape yang dibuat oleh sebuah band, itulah konsep yang ditawarkan ATP; unik dan personal.

Kali ini band yang terpilih sebagai kurator adalah My Bloody Valentine (MBV). Atas pilihan mereka, ada 39 band dari berbagai genre yang menjadi line-up yang akan tampil di sebuah panggung utama dan dua panggung lainnya. Selain My Bloody Valentine, sejumlah band dari era 90-an cukup mendominasi panggung, di antaranya adalah Swervedriver, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, J.Mascis And The Fog, Spectrum, The Pastels, Television Personalities, Th’ Faith Healers, Bob Mould dan Robin Guthrie. Pilihan yang sangat pas mengingat MBV memang besar di era itu. Hip-hop yang diakui menjadi influens bagi MBV juga dipilh menjadi pengisi line up dari era ini, De La Soul dan EPMD menjadi penampilnya. Sedangkan dari era the noughties, MBV memilih band yang relatif muda dan kaya bebunyian seperti The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Horrors, mum, Lightning Bolt, Serena Maneesh, Fucked Up, A Place To Bury Strangers, No Age, Gemma Hayes dan School of Seven Bells. Dan MBV juga menunjukan kekagumannya atas musisi generasi old school yang diwakili oleh Sun Ra Arkestra, Buzzcocks dan The Membranes.

Saking banyaknya band yang saya tonton di 3 hari itu, saya akan menuliskan beberapa saja sebagai highlights dari festival ini.

Penampil pertama yang saya tonton adalah The Wounded Knees. Band yang dimotori oleh ex-personil Rollerskate Skinny, Jimi Shields (adik kandung Kevin Shields dari MBV) dan juga J.Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) memulai pemanasan kuping semua orang yang hadir di Centre Stage. Perpaduan musik folk yang terdistorsi suara feedback dan drone efek gitar menjadi suguhan utama. Terlihat sesekali J.Mascis tampil ke tengah panggung untuk melakukan interaksi aural melalui gitarnya dengan flute yang dimainkan oleh Suzanne Thorpe. Sementara di belakang Mikey Pinaud yang agresif memainkan drumnya, tampak sebuah visual art berupa proyeksi still photos, merespon setiap bagian lagu yang dimainkan.

Selesai The Wounded Knees tampil, penonton tampak mulai bergerak ke luar, tapi sebagian besar tetap diam di dalam Centre Stage, karena di panggung sudah terlihat sesosok laki-laki kurus berambut gondrong dengan wajah yang juga dipenuhi rambut, sedang mempersiapkan alat-alat pelengkap gitarnya. Dia adalah Josh T. Pearson, front-man dari band Lift To Experience asal Texas. Anak pendeta yang terkenal dengan liriknya yang Biblical ini, memulai pertunjukannya dengan sapaan yang kental dengan aksen southern. Hanya ada satu gitar dan satu drum set yang digunakan pada set ini, tapi tidak membuat musik yang dihasilkan terdengar kosong. Bahkan sangat cukup mengisi ruang di antara vokal Josh yang terkadang meracau dan suara gitar yang berpindah-pindah dari suara akustik, pelan mengalun lalu tiba-tiba menghentak sangat keras lewat rekayasa reverb efek gitar, meninggalkan rasa yang luar biasa pada kuping penonton. Josh cukup komunikatif dengan penonton, dan sempat memberikan teaser dengan memainkan part awal dari “Come In Alone” milik MBV lalu bilang “You’ll get the real deal later...” dan disambut tepuk tangan penonton. Nice bloke.

Sementara di panggung yang sama band drone/sludge Witch (yang juga dimotori oleh J.Mascis) akan segera tampil, saya memutuskan untuk keluar mencari atmosfir yang berbeda dan langsung menuju Main Stage. Panggung raksasa dengan kapasitas penonton yang paling besar dan dipenuhi dengan dekorasi ribuan lampu kecil pada backdrop-nya ini nampak mulai dipadati penonton. De La Soul, kelompok psychedelic hip-hop yang melejit lewat album 3 Feet High And Rising di era 90an ini akan memulai penampilannya. Ketika akhirnya suara lembut dari Rhodes organ membahana, riuh suara penonton menyambut irama funk, pop dan soul, dengan sampled beats khas De La Soul. Semua nampak sangat menikmati De La Soul yang tampil dengan hangat, melodius dan humorous. Antusiasme penonton membuat posse yang terdiri dari dua orang MC, satu orang DJ dan sejumlah pemain alat musik ini tampil semakin panas. Lagu demi lagu, termasuk hit single “Eye Know” benar-benar hampir membuat penonton berkeringat karena bergoyang.

Sebelum De La Soul mengakhiri set-nya, saya mampir ke sebuah restoran wara laba yang berjarak hanya beberapa meter dari Main Stage, untuk mengisi perut. Oh ya, semua panggung di area festival ini merupakan in-door stages, lengkap dikelilingi oleh mini market, restoran, bar, arena permainan, dan toilet yang bersih! Benar-benar festival yang memanjakan pengunjungnya. Setelah mengisi energi, muncullah dilemma. Antara kembali ke Centre Stage untuk melihat penampilan Yo La Tengo, atau tetap di Main Stage dan melihat Primal Scream beraksi. Akhirnya saya putuskan untuk melihat Primal Scream terlebih dulu. Bobby Gillespie memang sama sekali tidak terlihat berumur, aksi panggungnya cukup atraktif. Seatraktif lagu-lagu dari album XTRMNTR dan yang dinyanyikannya malam itu. Sempat ada insiden kecil ketika tiba-tiba ada botol air mineral melayang ke atas panggung, entah kenapa, untungnya itu tidak menyurutkan semangat penampilan Bobby yang tentunya sudah terbiasa menangani crowd sebesar itu. Tata lampu panggung Primal Scream menambah suasana di baris depan semakin panas, menyiramkan cahaya pada semua orang larut dalam hentakan bass yang dimainkan oleh Mani yang dulunya tergabung dalam The Stone Roses. Saya menunggu lagu-lagu favorit saya dari album Screamadelica berkumandang dari panggung, atau paling tidak cover version dari “Some Velvet Morning” akan memuaskan penasaran saya. Tapi saat itu tidak kunjung datang.

Primal Scream belum tuntas bermain, tapi saya harus beranjak cepat ke Centre Stage. Sampai di sana, seperti diduga, barisan penonton dengan beer pints di tangan mereka sudah memenuhi sampai ke tengah area Centre Stage. Yo La Tengo sedang membawakan sebuah lagu dari album terakhir mereka Popular Songs, ketika saya akhirnya berhasil merangsek ke samping panggung. Berbeda dengan nuansa rock show di Main Stage sebelumnya, menonton Yo La Tengo seperti berada di area chill out. Penonton terpaku menatap panggung di mana Georgia, Ira dan James meresonansi bunyi-bunyiannya. Beat drums yang lembut, vokal yang terkadang terkesan hampir tanpa power dan suara moog yang lebar itu membentuk harmoni yang sangat nyaman di kuping. Beberapa lagu kemudian, keadaan berbalik. Yo La Tengo menutup set mereka dengan aksi yang cukup terlihat menyakitkan bagi instrumen musik mereka. Sang vokalis mencabik dan menghimpit gitarnya pada amplifier untuk menghasilkan feedback yang liar. Penonton semakin terpukau dan tepuk tangan apresiasi mereka mengantar Yo La Tengo ke balik panggung tanpa sesi encore.

Sebagai kurator, My Bloody Valentine dijadwalkan main setiap malam pada weekend itu. Di malam pertama, penampilan MBV rupanya menyedot penonton yang paling banyak. Saya segera masuk ke antrian yang sudah cukup panjang dan mengamati ekspresi muka orang-orang yang kaget melihat antrian sudah sepanjang itu. Dilihat dari penampilannya, penonton kelompok usia tigapuluhan ke atas sangat mendominasi malam itu. Kemungkinan besar mereka adalah fans MBV sejak tahun 80-an akhir yang terlihat sangat antusias dengan apa yang akan mereka alami lagi malam itu. Ketika melihat beberapa orang membagikan earplugs pada penonton, saya teringat untuk menyiapkan earplugs yang saya bawa sendiri. Penggunaan earplugs pada saat menonton pertunjukan MBV memang sangat dianjurkan untuk kenyamanan dan keamanan kuping, karena MBV terkenal selalu memainkan instrumen mereka pada volume yang sangat keras. Mereka pernah bermain di atas 120 desibel, sebuah volume yang setara dengan suara mesin jet. Karena alasan itu pula, MBV tidak dapat bermain di Main Stage yang lebih ‘terbuka’ dan berhadapan langsung dengan fasilitas umum lainnya seperti mini market, restoran dan bar. Setelah survey earplugs mana yang layak beli, saya membawa earplugs ACS ER20 yang direkomendasikan untuk menikmati penampilan MBV dengan detil suara yang tidak banyak hilang, namun aman. Safety first!

Tidak pernah terlintas dalam pikiran bahwa pengalaman menonton MBV akan menjadi bagian dari hidup saya, dan momen-momen menjelang mereka muncul di atas panggung saya lewati seperti bermimpi. Ketika akhirnya Bilinda Butcher, Kevin Shields, Debbie Googe dan Colm Ó Cíosóig muncul, rasa deg-degan itu memuncak, lebur dengan sambutan penonton yang menggila. This is it! My most beloved aural benders are right in front of me!!!  Lagu pertama, "I Only Said" kontan membuat mata saya berkaca-kaca. Paduan antara bunyi gitar, bass, beat drums, tata cahaya, visual art di belakang panggung dan lautan penonton yang sedang hopping menghasilkan gelombang-gelombang dalam frekwensi suara, dan frekwensi visual yang sinkron. Beberapa orang melakukan stage-diving, beberapa lainnya menari menikmati harmoni, ada yang menangis, dan semuanya tersenyum. Lagu-lagu dari album Isn't Anything, Loveless, dan beberapa single di antara dua album tadi, dibawakan malam itu. "To Here Knows When" membuat penonton terpana, vokal Bilinda Butcher membius semua keinginan untuk bergerak. Sebaliknya, "Soon" seperti menyebar substansi tertentu pada nadi penonton karena mereka serentak berdansa, bergerak dari ujung kaki hingga kepala. Ecstatic! Saya tidak menyangka akan ada momen sing-along pada penampilan MBV, karena vokal mereka jauh terkubur oleh bebunyian instrumen lainnya, tapi saya salah. "Cigarette In Your Bed" menjadi momen itu. Satu lagu yang belum pernah dibawakan di atas panggung semenjak reuni mereka di tahun 2008 adalah "Sometimes", dan pada lagu ini Colm maju memainkan sebuah gitar akustik, Bilinda pindah ke belakang keyboard dan Kevin menyanyikan lagu yang mungkin paling banyak di-kover dari MBV itu. Sekitar 15 Lagu dimainkan pada malam itu, dan seperti biasa "You Made Me Realise" menjadi lagu pamungkas. Saya menunggu lagu ini karena seperti menjadi sebuah tradisi, setiap lagu ini dibawakan akan selalu ada extended part dari lagu ini yang hanya menampilkan bunyi-bunyian semua instrumen dalam volume yang progresif, pure white noise. Mereka menyebutnya sebagai "hollocaust", Sepanjang track record-nya, MBV memainkan part ini dalam durasi yang bermacam-macam, rata-rata sekitar 20 menit. Inilah puncak penampilan mereka, dimana saya bisa merasakan getaran dari panggung begitu jelas di badan saya. Terutama di bagian dimana kord berpindah dan menghasilkan suara seperti pesawat jet yang lepas landas. Beberapa orang menutup kuping karena intensitas suara yang terus meningkat, beberapa lainnya hanya memejamkan mata dan menikmati sonic flood, wall of sounds dan apapun sebutannya itu, membanjiri ruang dan waktu.

Malam itu saya tidur tersenyum, terutama ketika mengingat saya akan mengalami lagi pengalaman ini di malam-malam berikutnya.  

Selain My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins adalah bagian dari top 10 band favorit saya. Sementara menunggu mereka reuni adalah sebuah wishful thinking, maka menonton penampilan solo Robin Guthrie adalah bonus besar dari festival ini. Satu jam menunggu di depan pintu masuk berbuah sebuah spot di barisan paling depan dari set Robin Guthrie malam itu. Tampil hanya dengan beberapa gitar yang dijejerkan dibelakang, sebuah laptop dan beberapa set pedal tidak mengurangi daya sihir Robin. Sebelum main dia sempat bicara ke penonton "Why do you all stand up? You should all just lay down". Setelah dua lagu, saya mengerti apa yang dia maksud. Suara gitar Robin yang penuh efek, dikombinasikan dengan tampilan visual yang diproyeksikan di panggung, memberikan semacam ruang dalam musiknya. Dimensi suara yang lebar dan panjang meresonansi, membawa alam sadar penonton sedikit terdistraksi. Saya mengalami sedikit perjuangan untuk tetap berdiri, melawan buaian alunan gitar yang masyuk. 

Penampilan Gemma Hayes tidak selalu dalam format full-band, tidak juga pada hari itu. Tampil dengan format trio, Gemma Hayes membuka hari ke-3 dengan sempurna. Selain lagu-lagu dari album ketiga The Hollow of Morning, Gemma juga membawakan beberapa lagu dari Oliver EP yang baru dirilis saat itu. Kejutan siang itu adalah sebuah lagu cover dari Kate Bush; "Cloudbusting". Gemma yang selalu terasa emosinya dalam lagu-lagunya tampil cukup komunikatif dengan penonton. Jokes yang kontekstual dengan keadaan siang itu juga sempat dilemparkan oleh singer-songwriter berparas indah itu. Irish girls, what can we say? Gemma is a beautiful voice with a beautiful face.

Salah satu atraksi yang sangat playful di atas panggung utama, adalah penampilan Mum asal Islandia. Entah berapa banyak instrumen yang meraka bawa ke panggung, yang pasti, di setiap lagu tidak terdengar bebunyian yang sama. Didominasi oleh lagu-lagu dari album Sing Along To The Songs You Don't Know, setlist malam itu akan membuat kuping-kuping yang baru pertama kali mendengarkan Mum, jatuh cinta. Permainan vokal dari dua penyanyi perempuan, direspon oleh suara alat musik di sana-sini membentuk melodi yang harmonis. Buat saya, "Green Grass of Tunnel" tetap menjadi lagu yang paling ditunggu.

Ketika saya masuk ke ruangan yang sudah cukup padat dengan penonton, Serena Maneesh sudah memulai set mereka. Tampilan mereka yang bagaikan glam-rockers itu membuat panggung menjadi semakin menarik. Musik yang bising sekaligus indah, agresif sekaligus membuat terlena adalah hiburan yang diramu oleh anak-anak Norwegia ini. "Drain Cosmetics", "Un-Deux", "Sapphire Eyes High", dan beberapa lagu dari album kedua yang saat itu belum dirilis, dimainkan dengan memukau. Sama sekali tidak membosankan.

Tidak hanya musik, pengunjung juga disuguhi hiburan alternatif lainnya. Di luar area panggung berbagai keriaan tidak pernah berhenti. Mulai dari kamar masing-masing pengunjung, sejumlah tayangan televisi pilihan MBV siap dinikmati. Kemudian bioskop mini di sekitar area festival yang memutar sejumlah film layar lebar klasik seperti Godzilla, King Kong, La Haine, Flamenco, Wuthering Heights, dll. semuanya juga atas pilihan MBV. Selain itu, masih ada galeri yang menggelar eksebisi seni karya Tim Biskup yang mendesain logo dan artwork ATP NBC 2009, shooting sesi interview Soft Focus (sebuah acara internet TV), Pop quiz dan Bingo berhadiah cds dan merchandise ATP, serta live DJs pilihan MBV. 

Ketika festival berakhir setelah hari ketiga, rasanya tidak ingin berpisah dengan venue, crowd, dan semua band yang ada. Hari Senin pagi, kami pulang menuju London dalam keadaan lelah tapi puas. Not in a sexual sense, of course. Di sepanjang perjalanan saya tidak berhenti melihat foto-foto hasil jepretan dan selalu tersenyum karena berhasil bertemu, sedikit berbincang dan tentu saja berfoto bersama Kevin Shields.

Begitu banyak yang ingin diceritakan. Bottom line is, it was one of the best concert moments in my life.
If that was a nightmare, I wonder how good a sweet dream would be?

Foto-foto dari festival ini dapat dilihat di sini

Nothing beats the first time. That's what these books are all about. It's always interesting to see emotional experience about the music you love through someone else's eyes. The First Time I Heard series (2012) are a collected essays, written by musicians (Dean Garcia (Curve), Emma Anderson (Lush), Kurt Feldman (Ice Choir) etc.) and writers (among others is Alistair McCartney)  about their personal experience around the intial listening to a particular music. So far, there are Cocteau Twins, David Bowie, Joy Division/New Order, Kate Bush and The Smiths picked as the object of aural affection. Scott Heim, whose novel; Mysterious Skin  had been put on the screen by director Gregg Araki, told us more about his latest books:

How did you come up with the idea of "The First Time I Heard" series?

I've had the idea to do a book series like this for many years.  I've always been intrigued by how people remember the details from that first time they heard the artists who shaped the way they appreciate music.  I decided to approach other musicians about this, because I thought it would be fascinating to hear how certain iconic artists directly affected others, and how these artists ultimately made them pursue their music careers.

Who was the first musician / band that came to mind for the project? (either as the subject or the object)?

I think it was The Smiths, actually.  This wound up not being the first book I finished-- that was the book on Joy Division / New Order, because it got the most submissions in the fastest amount of time-- but yes, The Smiths was the first one that started taking shape in my head.  I might have read a few interviews with Smiths fans somewhere, and these made me remember the idea I'd always had about doing this idea of "the first time I heard."  I certainly had powerful and nostalgic memories about the first time I put the needle on that debut Smiths album, and I was really interested to hear the memories that other people had about those feelings, too.

What about the process? Did you let them write whatever they have to say? Or did you guide them with questions like an interview?

For the most part, I let people do what they wanted.  I told them to be mostly conversational if they wanted; I also said that the essays didn't have to be too long and involved.  Some people went slightly out of the ordinary-- a few poets wrote their essays almost as though they were prose poems; Kurt Feldman (of Ice Choir and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) wrote his Cocteau Twins piece as a kind of erotic fantasy where a specific song became human; Michael McCabe and David Read (of the band Coldharbourstores) wrote their essay in the form of a dialogue between them.  I liked these pieces, because they added variety to the essays I was already receiving.

Was there any obstacle from the musicians, that eventually you have to let them go off your list?

No, not really.  There were a few essays where I acted the part of the editor and asked the writers to expand on their words, or insert a bit more about the emotions involved or other details.  And of course I did all the usual nitpicky line-editing work, some essays more than others.  But in general I was really elated and very pleasantly surprised with how polished the pieces were.  I suppose I wrongly assumed that many of the musicians wouldn't always be stellar essayists, but time and again, I received essays that were complex and meaningful and exciting and fun.

Was there any writing from the musicians that was below your expectation? Maybe because it doesn't sound like there's anything special about their first time experience? Or you'd just take whatever they have to say about it?

I suppose in a few cases, essays dealt with some of the technical, musician-jargon details of songs and albums, rather than the details of time and place or the specifics of the emotion involved; however, I knew I should expect this occasionally, as I was dealing with a lot of musicians whose main business is making music, not writing essays for a book.  Some of the essays that focused more on the specifics of, say, the instrumentation in a Bowie song, or the production details of a Joy Division album, may have been different from other essays that discussed nostalgic emotion, but once again, these wound up providing a nice contrast and variety that I hope make the series more interesting overall.

What book from the series is your most favorite so far? And why?

To be honest, I'm not completely certain!  For a while, I was really partial to the Cocteau Twins book, because I was very proud of some of the musicians and writers I convinced to contribute (for example, the legendary pianist Harold Budd, or the longtime Cocteau collaborator and live guitarist Lincoln Fong); then I grew pretty fond of the David Bowie book because of some of the high-quality pieces that are in that one.  I also love The Smiths book for a lot of reasons, out of the introductions I've written so far for each book, I think I like the one I wrote for The Smiths book the best.

I read about My Bloody Valentine is among the bands for the future "The First Time I Heard" series, who'd you ask to write about it? Any progress on this particular edition?

This one is coming along slowly, but yes, it will be one of the future installments.  For the MBV book, I'd really love to get a mix of musicians who were part of that British music scene at the time and musicians who are in alternative and "shoegaze"-style bands of the present, people who were directly influenced by LOVELESS and will no doubt write passionately about hearing that album.  (I'm also very excited to see what sort of cover design that Joel Westendorf, the designer for all the covers in the series, comes up with for the MBV book.)

Is there any plan to release all of "The First Time I Heard" series in physical format?

Hopefully, eventually, yes.

The First Time I Heard series are available here and get the updates about the series here

POPCIRCLE SESSIONS 2010/2011
ANGSA dan SERIGALA - SHORELINE (BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE)
LA LUNA - COME AS YOU ARE (NIRVANA)
THE TREES and THE WILD - THIS MODERN LOVE (BLOC PARTY)
C.U.T.S. - HEART OF GLASS (BLONDIE)
WHITE SHOES & THE COUPLES COMPANY - SELANGKAH KE SEBERANG (FARIZ RM)
HOLLYWOOD NOBODY - INSIDE AND OUT (BEEGEES via FEIST)
CASCADE - NIGHTINGALES (PREFAB SPROUT)
SARASVATI - KALA SURYA TENGGELAM (CHRISYE)
BABY EATS CRACKERS - SWING LIFE AWAY (RISE AGAINST)
THE MILO - A TO FADE IN (ADORABLE)

BROADCASTERS: SYAUQY LUKMAN, RISA SARASWATI, and LIGAR PANANJUNG
PRODUCER: DIMAS ARIO
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR: ED SANDI

COMPILED BY ED SANDI

Branching out from New York's Beach Fossils family tree, are two bands who just released their debut albums; DIIV (Dive) and Heavenly Beat. While DIIV sounds like Beach Fossils and early Wild Nothing merging, Heavenly Beat is away from flanged and reverberating guitars. It sounds like something you need to have when spending laid-back time in your room, or especially on the beach. Yes, something like Heavenly Beat's "Talent" will fit right in. Chillax beats, Arabesque/Club8-esque acoustic guitars, and dancey synths. Luscious. It's a nod to Swedish pop acts like Air France (RIP), The Tough Alliance, and a bit of Saint Etienne. Here's what John Pena told us about the album:

Heavenly Beat's songs sound very different from Beach Fossils. Did you write them way before Beach Fossils? Can you tell us a bit about the process?

No, most of them were written between Nov. '11 and March '12. I'm writing pretty consistently so if I had turned in the record a month or two before or after I did it would probably have a much different track list.
As for process, I usually just loop a chord progression in Logic 9 and start layering on top of it until I start to hate it. I'll let it sit for a couple days then go back and start stripping away layers till I'm satisfied with what it sounds like. I have the most fun when it comes to arranging. A chord progression with lyrics can be pretty "wutever" sometimes but then become really interesting depending on how you layer other sounds on or around them. Lately I've been trying to approach writing from different angles because everything I've written post TALENT has just sounded like a slightly more refined take on most the songs on that record. I enjoy playing my nylon string so much that it's been hard to move on from making that the starting point.

There's a tinge of Saint Etienne / Air France / Swedish pop sound on your songs. Can you confirm that as your influence? Or maybe you've been listening to other completely different stuff?

I love both those bands and a lot of Swedish pop but I don't think there was ever a point while creating the record when I would say they were a direct influence. I just wanted to make something clean and minimal with a limited palette of sounds while still keeping it interesting for myself. I mean, I was making similar sounding music a couple years before TTA* and Air France blew my mind. If anything the biggest influence to the way I arrange some of my music would have to be two comps that Soul Jazz records put out. First one being Soul Jazz Presents Tropicalia which I bought when I was 19 or so. It completely changed the way I wanted to hear music. I tracked down anything I could find by any of the artists on it. Every pay day I would go to End Of An Ear (record store) in Austin and grab something from the "Brazil" section. Then SJ put out Brazil 70 and it was probably the 2nd album I bought after moving to New York so I spent a lot of time listening to it while trying to figure out how to live in a new city. Now, I mostly just listen to electronic music. Anything Travis Stewart does lately has been changing my world.

*TTA: The Tough Alliance

What themes attract you the most when it comes to writing lyrics?

I think a quick scan of the lyric sheet would answer that better than I could...

"Attractive music for attractive people" that's what Captured Tracks put on your profile. Can you elaborate on that?

Ha, that bio was def written as a joke. Now I guess it's going to haunt me foreverrr

Here's the track list of "Talent", could you put names of (popular) faces that come to your mind whenever you play or listen to them?

Lust: Cheyenne Adrian
Messiah: Barbara Pavin
Faithless: Mariacarla Boscono
Tolerance: Lindsey Wixson
Elite: Abby Lee Kershaw
Talent: Daphne Groeneveld
Hurting: Laura Stone
Tradition: Dree Hemingway
Presence: Cintia Dicker
Influence: Karlie Kloss
Consensual: Ashley Smith

Go figure who is who by scanning the picture under this posting's title.
TALENT is out on Captured Tracks get it here

Teenage Fanclub will always remind me of my youth in the 90s. Discovering that music can be noisey and yet harmonious when I listened to Bandwagonesque was one of them. This band is consistent in what they do best, writing positive-vibe music. Although they might not as aggressive as they used to be, but they still rock their pop songs alright. My personal favorite from the three songwriters of The Fannies is Gerard Love (bass) whose Starsign, Guiding Star, Fear of Flying, Radio, Discolite, So Far Gone, and Going Places are among the songs that will show you what I mean. Now Gerry is back, and this time he finally released his solo debut album Electric Cables under the moniker of Lightships.  Other than the sounds, it’s different because of the fact that Gerry doesn’t play bass in Lightships, he’s taken more control in songwriting by playing guitars instead. To give out more insights about Electric Cables, Teenage Fanclub and his other dreams, Gerry has kindly answered these questions:

How does it feel to finally have Lightships set off to sail?
Yeah, it feels good. The reaction has generally been good. We're currently rehearsing for a couple of shows in May. I'm looking forward to finding out how the songs sounds on the stage.

What did you enjoy the most from the whole process (compared to ones with The Fannies) ? 
It's the first time I've ever been completely responsible for dealing with everything, from talking to lawyers about contracts, dealing with a record label, taking ideas from the demo stage through the recording, the mixing and finally the mastering. It was quite a learning experience.  I now feel slightly more able to deal with these types of things.

Did you end up enjoying guitar more than bass?   
I'm probably more competent on bass but I like the freedom of the guitar. I make lots of mistakes on six strings but hopefully I've improved a little. I really enjoy playing the guitar - it's easier to sing and play than it is with the bass.

Were the songs written from nothing back in 2008? Or were there any from far before the idea of Lightships came up?
All the song ideas started after I was offered the chance to make a record. All the songs were written specifically for the project.

What was Electric Cables derived from?
Originally I had intended the record to be almost acoustic, quite minimalist and soft. As the ideas progressed there was a lot more electricity involved. A lot more effects and a lot more overdubs, so I decided to call the LP "Electric Cables".

What's your most favorite track on the album? and why?
My favourite track is Muddy Rivers, it was the first idea that I developed. It was the gateway to the LP in so far that it suggested the general textural direction of what the project would be. I felt that it suggested that the album would be less about big chords and big choruses and more about arpeggios and riffs. Lyrically, it just felt different to anything I had tried before.

Any outtakes or demos left from Electric Cables that we could anticipate as future surprise?
There were 4 songs left after I compiled the LP. A couple have already been released on iTunes and on the Japanese edition of Electric Cables. A couple of others will be released on a forthcoming EP. There was one backing track which was recorded way back in 2008 which is unfinished - I may try to finish it soon.

Did "All I Have To Do Is Sit and Wait" come from Lightships batch as well? Could you tell us more about the song?
No, "All I have..." was the result of being asked to participate in an urban art project which was being curated by a friend, Nicola Atkinson. For a year, Nicola was artist in residence in a residential area of Dunfemline (Central Scotland) and she asked various artists and musicians to be involved. I was asked to write music for an 18 minute bus journey between Dunfermline town centre and the Abbeyview housing scheme. An extremely long instrumental is not something I had ever attempted before, but I enjoyed the challenge. I recorded it all at home with really basic equipment  then asked Raymond if he would mix it at his place. I didn't know too much about looping or editing at the time and I played it all in real time, therefore it's pretty rough!

Among the three writers in The Fannies, I found your lyrics to be the most poetic. What/who's your influencer when it comes to wordsmithing?
I like Dylan Thomas, Pablo Neruda, Seamus Heaney. I really like The Pastels as lyricists. Elliott Smith and Bill Callahan are great.

Who's your favorite song-writer?
Curtis Mayfield. 

Speaking of lyrics, you seem to use lots of metaphor with space or illuminating objects in your words. Any special reason?
I don't think there's a special conscious reason. I just try to find words that fit the music.

You've succesfully driven the listeners into a dream-state through your songs, especially the ones with long & progressive codas. What's your favorite codas (by other artist)?
Yo La Tengo's "I Heard You Looking".

Highest point of being in Teenage Fanclub?
I really enjoyed our show at Glastonbury in 1993. The Velvet Underground played in the afternoon. We were on as the sun was going down, after kicking lots of footballs from the stage. The few years leading to that moment had been quite an amazing journey for us.

Lowest point of being in Teenage Fanclub?
Moving from Creation to Sony just after we had completed "Howdy". There were some really nice people at Sony but it was the wrong environment for us.

What era of The Fannies do you enjoy the most? and why?
I really enjoyed making Grand Prix. It was a really pleasant experience. We were working with a great engineer, David Bianco, and we felt as if we were starting again. There was a lot of energy in the recordings and the songs were pretty strong. We recorded the album in a luxurious manor in rural Oxfordshire - it was a memorable taste of the good life!

Did you see your self where you are 20 years ago? If not how did you see it back then?
No. I don't really look too far into the future, but I certainly wouldn't have expected to be still doing music in 2012. 

Any accomplishment in music you still pursue both personally and as a group?
I'd like to learn how to play the guitar properly. I'd also like to learn how to read music. I'd like to learn how to play the piano and I'd like to buy an old drum kit.

Electric Cables is out on Domino Records, buy it here

The Bahasa Indonesia version of this Q&A can be found on RollingStone Indonesia, here

Impor terbaru dari Finlandia yang membawa kita bernostalgia ke era di mana The Fresh Prince of Bel Air masih mengudara di televisi. Jika musik dengan beat yang nyantai sekaligus nge-dance bekerja bagai afrodisiac untuk kalian, atau jika familiar dengan musik pop ala Lisa Stansfield, Soul II Soul, PM. Dawn, Candyflip, hingga The Beloved, maka Shine 2009 perlu disimak. Debut EP mereka, Associates (2009) dirilis sebelum full-album Realism akhirnya rampung di 2011. Bernaung di bawah salah satu label berbahaya saat ini, Cascine, Shine 2009 bergabung dengan deretan popster asal Helsinki. Single So Free yang menghadirkan Paula Abdul menjadi favorit beberapa music blog internasional. Mereka adalah Sami Suova & Mikko Pykäri, dan Sami berbaik hati untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut ini...

01.How do you feel about your debut album? Was it exactly how you want it to be?
I actually just listened to it for the first time in six months and was happily surprised how much i still liked it. When we finished it, the album was exactly how we wanted it to be, and that's what counts. Of course there's always things you would do differently after a while, but that's just natural progression. Realism is perfect as it is, however, if we made the album now, it would sound different.

02.Any particular concept behind the album?
No, or at least it wasn't our intention to make a concept album.

03.What's the story behind the songs "New Rules" and "Graduation"?    
They're both rants of some confident young man who knows it better. 

04.Before you found out about Paula Abdul liking your Associates EP, were there any other female vocalists on your roster?
We asked a  few singers, but they were either too busy or it just didn't work out for other reasons. I guess it would be impolite to give out names.

05.Is "So Free" the only track you work with Paula Abdul? 
Yes.

06.What about Astrid Swan? How did you come up to work with her?
We've known Astrid for years and she lives in Helsinki, so it felt like a natural collaboration and also it was the easiest thing in the world to organize. She came over to our studio, recorded vocals for two songs, and we were ready by lunch time. 

07.You seem to take a lot of attention to many aspects of music production, what part of it that absorbs your attention mostly? 
It's nice to hear you can hear that. It's just something that comes naturally from us. Both of us have always been into both the writing and producing aspects of music, and that way we can complement each other when we're producing.

08.What about when it comes to playing live?
At the moment it's just the two of us when we play live – Mikko plays the guitar and keyboards, i sing and play the guitar. However we're planning to get a drummer for our future shows.

09.Aside from Pykäri being in Regina, had you been in another band? What kind of music were you playing/making then?
I have done some solo stuff and played keyboards in a band, but it was nothing major. Most of the solo material ended up never being released, but if you're really interested, you can hear a couple of old remixes (for Regina, naturally) at http://soundcloud.com/schmami. All in all, what i'm doing now is way more interesting.

10.The listeners can't help to feel that Realism sounds so 90s. Any particular artist from the era that you perceive to be great, production-wise?
This is something we could talk for hours. George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice is outstanding, same thing with Madonna's Erotica. The One Dove and Primal Scream albums produced by Andrew Weatherall are great, so is a lot of stuff by Electronic. Hypnotone produced a lot of good songs, too. Aaliyah's Age Ain't Nothing But A Number is also a mutual favorite, and Chapterhouse, Black Grape, Saint Etienne etc. etc. 

11.Any new release plans for 2012?
We have a lot of new songs finished already, but there's no release plans yet. However here's a new track we posted online last week: http://soundcloud.com/shine2009/shine-2009-our-nation

Terima kasih untuk Cascine yang telah membantu dalam proses Q&A ini.