Cerebral rock<\/p>\n
Artist : Sajama Cut<\/p>\n
Album : The Osaka Journals<\/p>\n
Label : Universal Music Indonesia<\/p>\n
Rating : *** 1\/2 out of *****<\/p>\n
Standout tracks : Fallen Japanese, Lagu Tema, Alibi<\/p>\n
There's been many times in the history of rock music when a
\ngroundbreaking act pops out of a vacuum -- a band or performer
\nbursts out of nowhere, owing nothing to their predecessors or the
\nmusic scene around them.<\/p>\n
Take Detroit punk progenitor The Stooges or punk's pioneer
\nromantics Television, for example. Both created fresh new sounds
\nthat went against the grain of their contemporaries. The Stooges
\nintroduced punk when the world was immersed in acid rock, while
\nTelevision played cerebral rock when punk's minimalism had
\nreached a zero-crescendo in the mid-1970s.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's quintet Sajama Cut takes the road once traversed by
\nthose rock greats.<\/p>\n
Sajama Cut is part of the blossoming indie-music scene
\ninhabited by bands such as The Brandals, Sore and The Upstairs.
\nThey cut 11 tracks for this impressive debut in January 2005 and
\nthe album's release has coincided with the growing popularity of
\nlocal bands.<\/p>\n
The band's country sound in the debut album The Osaka Journals
\nhas little connection with the less-than-interesting mainstream
\nmusic scene in the country.<\/p>\n
If only more local bands honed their songwriting craft to
\nconceive polished, radio-friendly songs, Peterpan and Dewa for
\nexample -- Sajama Cut's music has a wonderfully loose charm, out-
\nof-tune vocals and undecipherable image-rich lyrics, mostly in
\nEnglish.<\/p>\n
The band's signature is the warm sound of jangling guitar,
\nreminiscent of Peter Buck's sound in R.E.M's early days. Another
\nstrong point is the eerie vocals of singer Marcel Thee, which are
\nat times muffled deep in the mix. Aside from R.E.M, the band
\nadmitted that indie pop heroes Bright Eyes, The Fall and Guided
\nBy Voices were their biggest sources of inspiration.<\/p>\n
A combination of the two elements was best captured in the
\nfirst single Fallen Japanese, which has a happy-sad melody that
\nwill not wear thin after repeated listens. Ornamented by lush
\nchoral harmonies from band members, the song is the album's
\ncrowning glory.<\/p>\n
In spite of Sajama Cut's indie inclination, The Osaka Journals
\nbears traces of tunes from mainstream rock radio. Alibi borrows
\nthe riff from Coldplay's Yellow whilst Less Afraid could easily
\nbe mistaken for an outtake from The Strokes' album.<\/p>\n
In the ocean of fake performers with rock-star attitude,
\nSajama Cut is a much-needed breath of fresh air. -- M.
\nTaufiqurrahman<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cerebral-rock-1447899208",
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