Monday, January 21, 2013

Post-Rock Indonesia

This is a map of Indonesia:


Along the lines of the ritual Drone/Ambient scene of Finland and the depressive Black Metal of Iran, we must now add the modern Post-Rock of Indonesia. This post will be part exploration & part map resource, lots of information & links densely packed in - with a minimum of embedded images & videos.

Thanks to Keith Henderson’s list on Aural Innovation's 2012 staff picks, I was lead to the 4 free-download compilations offered by Post Rock Indonesia:
Hope & Dreams [download].
Last Home, Indonesia! [download].
Solitude [download].
and Destination [download].

Henderson specifically mentions the bands Little Space Donkey & Under The Big Bright Yellow Sun, so let's start off with them - and then the primary compilation that he listed. And on & on...



"Anumerta" from Dreamer's Manifesto EP (2011)

I found some info about the Jakarta band Little Space Donkey. The primary result was that most of their songs appear on their latest EP Dreamer's Manifesto, "released in Bandcamp on May 2011." (A free download link located on their Tumblr!) Also that the tune "Eleven Brave Warriors on That Field," was included on Volume 2 of the Beyond The Sky comp released by Invasi Record, a netlabel out of Bandung, Indonesia. Free Invasi releases are still available at The Archive.

Their first EP, Collection of Songs That We Will Never Play Live, Ever (2010, on Probablyworse.org) follows Rule #21 of Black Metal to a tee.
101 Rules of Black Metal

21. Make sure your album goes out of print about 3 years after its release... so it becomes 'cult'.

Anyway, here's a super-new video: "Save Your Youth from the Early Nervous" - which appears to be from an even earlier EP... We're Halfway There (2009???). LSD are also on Facebook and Twitter as well.


Under the big bright yellow sun - time is near by utbbys Postrock

And then there's Under The Big Bright Yellow Sun, from Bandung. You can stream or buy Painting of Life (2012) from Bandcamp.

I also found the earlier "Song Before Sunset" and even earlier live "Journey to Never Ending Road." Here's the H&D comp song played live & recent. Lots more on YouTube, and they're on Facebook and Twitter as well.

In general, a good place to search for some (but definitely not all) of this music is on the official Kanal PostRockIndonesia on YouTube.



Hope & Dreams - V/A (2012)
Information ~ Stream ~ direct Download

So this was the actual (free) compilation album that Henderson listed as one of his tops among 2012. I'm just going straight down the tracklist - links flying everywhere, maybe a video or two for something special. Feel free to listen to the comp, download whatever, and click around!



01. BOW (Burial Of World) – "Welcome"

Hahaha! I honestly didn't intend to start off embedding the first video. I'll try to restrain myself. But the slideshow brings up a point that I wanted to make: the Indonesian archipelago looks beautiful & exotic. So far most everything I've heard from these albums is both much better and much less exotic & distinctly Indonesian than I'd expected. Everyone seems to know the Post-Rock formula(e) and stick to it, to a surprisingly consistent degree. About the only angle I could go with might be that a lot is in the style of Mono, from Japan (whom Burial of World cover), rather than say Tortoise or Maserati - but that feels like a stretch.

Ok, back to BOW - nice tune. They've got a work in progress on Soundcloud, and a 2012 live "Shoki" for free download. Here's a YouTube search for further exploration.


02. Angina (New Dehli, India) - "Come On, Run!"

Already we're beyond the borders! (The comps will get less & less Indonesia-centric as we progress...) Based on all the disconnected links from Indian Bands Hub, they've either renamed or broken up. MySpace is still up, though - looks like we might now be dealing with Anuragi instead. Direct download for Angina's Lost in Reverie mini-album (2010). There's at least one more release, but it all just got too confusing.


03. Sepatu Usang - "Today Is Sunday"

From Malang, East Java - I think the only MLK samples, and a counter-example of Indonesiatic musical influence. Specifically in the live instrumentation on this jam and on that one. Here's a studio "Small Friend," possibly from their free-download album Jumprit Singit (2011)?

[Edit 1/23: Also found downloads at Sepatu Usang Reverbnation!]


04. Cuacamendung – "Realized"

Straight outta Samarinda! They also do a cover (maybe of This Will Destroy You?). Check out their Soundcloud page with a few free songs. Here are a couple of those live: "Laugh Is The New Cry" and "11:11pm."

[Edit 1/23: Same with Cuaca Mendung Reverbnation!]


05. Scenic - "Fakeness Around Us" (and live)

East Jakarta troop - not much out there, but check out Soundcloud with D/L's. Well, someone made a cool video for "Fallen Angel." There are apparently other singles out there... somewhere.


06. My Violainé Morning - "The Downtown Lights"

This band seems to have quite the robust internet presence - including their official website, with its own Downloads section. Plus their own Soundcloud page (also w/ some downloads) and YouTube channel... (and various songs around on YouTube.) Their 2011 album, Next Episode of This World , is even up on Amazon. Nice job!


07. Little Space Donkey - "Anumerta" (live)

08. Watch The Clouds – "Nope"

Any other information on these guys? Nope.


09. Distorsi Alam Timur – "Pray"

Of the two MySpace options, I'm going with this one. And here's a live set at the Backyard Cafe in Kemang, Jakarta.


10. Asphoria - "Living in a World of Atrocity" (demo)

This band from Bogor maintains an extensive Soundcloud, YouTube channel, and their own blog. Looks like an official video for "A Day That I'm No Good At"... I'm starting to suspect this is not actually a post-rock band.


11. Under The Big Bright Yellow Sun - "Time Is Near" [see above]


12. Others - "I Life at the Messy World"

Hey, I've noticed that I like this one - it has stood out from the pack! Here new comers metal band with post-rock influence from surabaya. Looks like valid download links might be the The Sirens Sound. Not very much more, so I'll wrap up this comp (only 3 to go!) with "Intro," "If There's No Tomorrow" (EPIC!), Others' Facebook, and MySpace.



Last Home, Indonesia! - V/A (2012)
Information ~ Stream (SC) ~ Stream (BC) ~ direct Download

Quite a bit shorter tracklist, so I'm going to continue with that approach for now.
<*Band descriptions from id-postrock translated by Google & me!>


01. Heima - "December"
<*The band that I think is oriented with the icelandic music like Sigur ros... it's that cold-coooooold.....!>

Not Icelandic, no - they're from Jakarta. Couple of relevant YouTube channels to scope, if interested: Heima-001 and Heima-002. There's also Facebook and MySpace. Couple of versions of that one song at Soundcloud. Single-song direct download link here.


02. Suara Hati - "Dream in Mine"
<*Solo, besides famous in its rock music scene.. it also stores the genre the band is post-rock/instrumental and one of them is Suara Hati.>


03. My Violainé Morning - "Color of condensed vapour in the sky"
<*Derived from Bandung armed with shoegazing instrumental music rock.Yupss!!! it's My Violaine Morning! I think successful band released the album "The next episode of the world" which was released by the Japanese label called "Happy Prince" who had released God Is An Astronaut's album.>


04. Stupidzero - "Anomalia dan Keyakinan"
<*This is what I say has been driving the music scene. glitchy Instrumental rock / noise from northern Sumatra to be exact. >



"Tiga Kali Lebih Tenang" by Stupidzero, from totalfeedback vol 6

"Sumatra." Just two tracks at Soundcloud. Check out a live cover of "Heart-Shaped Box," which is where I think that video footage comes from. I dig this band's vibe, mang... There's also a Facebook.

Stumbled across GRUNGEE JUMPING! #2: Indonesian Raw and Noise Compilations (2012) during my search. It does appear you can both stream & download from Reverbnation - so check that out too!

[Edit 1/23: Also found Stupidzero Reverbnation with downloads!]


05. Roommate - "Megumi on fire"
<*The band's music embraced alternative / indie but slightly spiced elements of post-rock...>


06. Musikari - "Hujan Tropis"
<*This hails from outside Samarinda. enlivening the Borneo music scene post-rock / instrumental in my Indonesia. So the band has a good following when they see themselves going consistently...>


07. Strangenoisemaker - "Welcome Home"
<*From jogja with music instrumental / electronic / ambient, Strangenoisemaker is an instrumental / electronic unit in jogja which also helped to enliven the indie scene in sana. though it was a vacuum... but, we must wait for the best works of them :) >

From Yogyakarta. I found a random MBV cover, a Blur cover & some others on MySpace.

And that's it for Last Home, Indonesia!



SEA Compilation: Solitude - V/A (2012)
Information ~ Stream ~ direct Download

Here we're going well beyond Indonesia, around into the region & the Philippines... I'm thinking "SEA" actually means "South East Asia," although Indonesia has been part of a few thalassocracies, most notably the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires. In which case, things should start speeding up now.


Solitude tracklist:


01. Hon Narongrit - "Raining in Summer" (Thailand)

Official video to kick this one off! Check out their Bandcamp, Pure Volume and YouTube channel. Someone else (or the same: ช่องของ) has put up "Night Life."


02. Damn Dirty Apes - "E Minor Bells" (Malaysia)

Are those dudes at Rudyard's? These guys had Valve State Dreams (2002), Ape Kill Ape (2004) and appear on the very recent Mull; Debauch to Kuala Lumpor (component three) comp (2012). Albums maybe here. O yeah, and MySpace. You're probably better off just hitting this YouTube search actually.


03. Sound of Silence - "Waiting" (Indonesia)

I think this is the correct S.o.S.: "Jakarta Frustasi." And if so, then Soundcloud! And maybe ever here... If you believe Facebook, looks like new songs are going to Reverbnation.


04. Paint The Sky Red - "Like Flowers In Ultraviolet" (Singapore)

I'm a big fan of having your own Bandcamp - it's almost as good as having free downloads. They've also got a YouTube channel, and here's a couple of live videos. Stil not entirely sure what TVsessions is/are, but it's shown up quite a bit. So good for them!

[Edit 1/23: Finally located their Soundcloud with a downloadable live-set, plus two tracks!]


05. As The City Sleeps - "Out of C" (Philippines)

Soundcloud (multiple downloads)... Facebook... YouTube channel.


06. A Slow in Dance - "Back to The Brightside" (Indonesia)

Not entirely sure how this band name works, but they do have the Bandcamp - with free downloads!! Also check out the earlier album "We Hate This, But We Need To Survive."


07. Slow Shutter - "Empty My Brain" (Thailand)

I'm only seeing 1 track on Bandcamp, but I'll leave the link here for future reference... Also with the YouTube channel: ช่องของ (love Thai writing).


08. Arajua - "Sky" (Singapore)

Thought we might have covered this group already, but not so. Another of the Bandcamp singles, with more tracks at Soundcloud (including some other relevant music). You'll probably find more with this YouTube search than without.


09. Time Keeper - "Walk in Time" (Vietnam)

I've gotten the impression this Saigon duo's big hit was "Get One." They're on both Bandcamp and Soundcloud (the 2 main songs, both downloadable). I think "Medley Album" was some kinda preview-promo-teaser... Here's a translated article & something else.


10. tide/edit - "Status" (Philippines)

I don't know why, but I'm glad there's a Filipino band/artist going by 'time/edit'. They have the official site, the Bandcamp site (w/ free 2011 demo), song "Return," and a bunch of others around YouTube.


11. Away the Ways - "5 o'clock" (Thailand)

Start with the 2-songle Bandcamp, they have some YouTube channel, and here's one more live video.


12. Under The Big Bright Yellow Sun - "Threshold" (Indonesia)

We've already covered these guys, but I don't think I linked to this YouTube search. Hit it!



13. Silent Scenery - "Twilight Pulse" (Malaysia)

Or the comp version? Yeah, they got Soundcloud, and MySpace, and the YouTube channel. Pretty cool - plenty to explore!

[Edit 1/23: Found their Reverbnation page with few downloads...]


14. Angina - "Lost in Reverie" (India)

I got Arajua confused with Angina and Anuraji. Totally different!


15. The Metaphor - "Rebirth" [live] (Malaysia)

"When We Were Once Lost" from their YouTube channel, and there's another related channel. They have Facebook and MySpace and a related Soundcloud.


16. Monochrome - "Gray Sky Manila" [live] (Philippines)

Check out band info on Castpel - first time I've heard of it! Other than YouTube results, results, results... there's always Facebook.

Wait, wait, wait. "Between Tranquility and Impending Death" is billed as: Monochrome x Garapata (vs.?). Which is also posted on their FB, and apparently this Garapata [fictional character]... well, "garapata is a tick."


17. Robot - "Lying on Earth" [live] (Indonesia)

The band's name: Robot. Explore the extensive Soundcloud (with significant D/L's)... Also, Facebook and MySpace still. From FB, "Download our latest EP Between Earth and The Sky (2011): Link"


18. Anechois - "Your Absence Is Permanent" [live] (Singapore)

Lotsa webbing for the last one here - an official URL (Bandcamp) & a bountiful Soundcloud... An official YouTube channel. I wanna check out this Baybeats Festival in Singapore. YouTube poster Nurmaisha Ghani calls this Best song ever! More TVsessions & a general YouTube search.

One final globe-trotting compilation to go!



Destination - V/A (2012)
Information ~ Stream ~ direct Download

We're now heading well beyond Indonesia itself, southeast Asia even, and into The World...


1. Qibe - "Pulau Dewata" (Jakarta)

At lease we're starting in Indonesia. Shorter entries as we finish up... Free songs on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, this official YouTube playlist, from their official YouTube channel.


2. Astralia - "Glacial" (Barcelona, España)

You'd think from Australia, but not even close. Like that one! Free music on Bandcamp, Soundcloud... and some stuff around YouTube search.


3. Master Theory - "Alena And Her Quiet Thoughts" (Prague, Czech Republic)

Some tunes at either Bandcamp or Soundcloud.


4. Eyes Like Mirrors - "Meadows Breathe Beneathe Mountains" (Johannesburg, South Africa)

These guys have a Tumblr! There's a n-y-p EP on Bandcamp, and 1 tune on Soundcloud. I also found "An Untold Introduction" to a mystery Demo (2008). I see they also make music under the name Lemuria sometimes: single's out on their Bandcamp.

Tumblr brings news of another free netlabel comp: Mine All Mine Two Hundred (2011) [D/L @ B/C] from Mine All Mine! Records in Madison, Wisc.



5. 6LA8 - "Our Dog Eat Dog World of Heroic News Reporting" (Karachi, Pakistan)

Quite a bit more synthtastic than usual. Lotsa links, so here they are: Bandcamp, Soundcloud, official YouTube channel or this YouTube playlist, The Sirens Sound and Prog Archives.


6. Helios - "In Everything Was Given" (Portland, Oregon, USA)

I actually own an album by this guy: Eingya (2006) on Type Records. Seems to have been self-releasing since Unleft (2010)?

Here's the official label site wit a Free Music section. There's stuff on Soundcloud, and also YouTube album-playlist. The dude's got an official Vimeo channel, which covers all of his various music projects.


7. Willshare - "Anger of Forsaken" [live] (Bangkok, Thailand)

The same one tune streaming at Bandcamp or Soundcloud - for which there's an official video, from their YouTube channel (along with live stuff). Also a recent video teaser for the comp track's upcoming official video, I guess...


8. A Shelter in the Desert - "It's Raining" (Ciudad de México, Mexico)

Getting closer to my neighborhood here... A 2012 album on Bandcamp (free D/L link), and some more on Soundcloud.


9. Fuentes - "July Wish" (Jakarta)

Originally I could only find that one's A-side on Soundcloud. The song "Mola Mola" (new version) is probably them too. But then a big break came (from last.fm), and I found the Facebook & an apparent YouTube channel.



10. Love From Bombs - "Cracovia" (Poland +Palermo +Chile)

Most info I found on this international project kept leading me back to the Tiny Voices netlabel - on Soundcloud & with blog. So peep that!


11. This Patch of Sky - "With Morning Comes Hope" (Eugene, OR)

U.S.A. They have an official website, a Bandcamp, and a Soundcloud. Here's a general YouTube search.


12. The Allstar Project - "Light for a Thousand Night" (Leiria, Portugal)

Lotsa links, so here they are: official, Soundcloud, MySpace, official YouTube channel, The Sirens Sound and Prog Archives. They're even on Amazon MP3!

Maybe more information than you needed/wanted...

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