Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Suara Naga


There's a pivotal difference between Suara Naga and the first Malaikat Dan Singa album- Suara Naga doesn't require that you have seen Malaikat Dan Singa to enjoy it's full splendor. I liked the first album, but it was largely because I'd been watching the band perform those songs for half a year before it came out. This album is just as wild, but produced in a way that makes it so much more accessible. That is, as accessible as music sung in Indonesian and incorporates Tuvan throat singing can be.
This album also travels the musical genre map more explicitly, which, while making the album "weirder" in its diversity, also gives listeners a ground on which to start. Retro rock n' roll, pseudo-metal, dub, and even an indie rock/Beat Happening nod- all make it a little easier for people to get down with it. It might mean that it crosses into pure kitsch for some, but I think Mr Dionyso's intentions are on a deeper spiritual plane than the Ford Mustangs or Rock n' Roll McDonalds that some might relegate the songs here to in an attempt to understand them.
For me, this music is pure trance-inducing goodness. It's where I want to be. Some of the more pure dub-influence on here is a little weak in comparison to the rest, but my first reaction to Suara Naga puts it as the finest album Arrington de Dionyso has done to date.
Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa- Aku di Penjara (off Suara Naga)

3 comments:

  1. no? Not on "Perawan Berawan"? That you? That's a damn good Calvin imitation, if so.

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  2. Information has been changed to reflect reality. Thanks for the heads up, Arrington!

    ReplyDelete