Local Wednesday: Record Store Day

I never had the privilege to nurture my love for music in the era of vinyl records. By the time I was old enough to get into music seriously, the common medium for music has switched to cassette tapes. I nursed my growing cravings buying a tape almost every week, and sitting in front of the beat up stereo with my finger on the record button, waiting for the DJ to finish talking at the right moment before the first verse of One Headlight flooded my room. I was a generation that reveled in mixed tapes without intro chords, and despised DJs who spoke a little too much into the verses, and came back from his cigarette break a little too soon before the song ended.

Before long, I found myself doing the subtle yet natural transition into CDs, as I grew up from high school to college. It was then that I remember hanging out at my friend’s place after school to see her abundant playlist she downloaded from Napster. There was a record store I frequent too, where I thought sold a fairly good collection of CDs (and vinyls) that the commercial record stores back then would purposely overlook. Disc & Dat was the first place I got my first real CD. All For You by Our Lady Peace was blasting through the speakers, and my dad gave me a very inquisitorial look.

I would still do my occasional trips into Rock Corner to see if they have albums I have heard of, loved it, and would like to add to my growing CD collection. But I realised it had been a while since I stop by, when the other day, I found myself staring at Jonsi’s Go album in my hand, contemplating hard on two things: 1. Have I purchased that CD already? And 2. Should I for more than RM40 a pop?

There was a time when #2 was not a question at all. I would just buy it without thinking twice. Right now, I suppose I am spoiled with online downloads. There is a bigger accessibility to more albums rarely found at this side of the world, and it is more convenient to carry around, storing them all in my old iPod. I believe that the moment we realised we are spoiled is when the age old question “top 5 albums for when you’re stuck on an island” is answered with “I’d just bring my iPod along”. *

Whilst media formats may have changed from something of substance to something of convenience, and the industry makers continue their everlasting debate on illegal downloads, there is one thing that still remains the same – music. No matter what arguments were put out into the world, when it all boils down to it, we are just fighting to keep something we love alive, and besides music capitals trying to stake claims, I don’t ever think it is something that will die. Ever.

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This Saturday, the world celebrates Record Store Day, to pay tribute to our once upon a time record stores and vinyl collections, to salute the current talents keeping the lifeline beating, and to look forward to what is to come for the world of music in its entirety. The day may be more widely celebrated on the other side of the world, there is no harm in putting together something of our own over here. This is why yours truly has decided to put together a good ol’ fashioned music gig, featuring 14 local artistes from Malaysia, who have either released an album of their own last year, or will be within this year. A chance for you to catch your beloved numbers performed live, and also get a sneak on what to expect in the near future. Not to mention, their albums sold at a discounted price, available only on Record Store Day.

So, swing by Doppel Kafe at Central Market this Saturday from 2PM onwards. Enjoy a little bit of electro from bands like Tenderfist and Darren Ashley Band, lovable acoustics from Narmi, Rendra Zawawi and Liyana Fizi, good-natured pop rock from An Honest Mistake, Pesawat, Paperplane Pursuit and Busco, vocal driven rock from Rosevelt and Once Upon a Time There was a Sausage Named Bob, and everything in between from Lab the Rat, Ferns and Rollin’ Sixers.

16 acts at the price of RM15, just for you lovely music fans – all because it’s Record Store Day!

To read up more on Record Store Day, click here.

* And yes, I did ended up buying the album in the end. Because hey, it’s Jonsi.

Friday Five: 5 international singers/songwriters to check out

5 international singers/songwriters to check out

#1: Lisa Hannigan

W: LisaHannigan.ie
T: @LisaHBand

#2: Nerina Pallot

W: NerinaPallot.com
T: @LadyChatterley

#3: James Vincent McMorrow

W: JamesVMcMorrow.com
T: @JamesVMcMorrow

#4: Jamie Woon

W: JamieWoon.com
T: @JamieWoon

#5: Marketa Irglova

W: MarketaIrglovaMusic.com
T: @MarketaIrglova

Friday Five: 5 local singers/songwriters to check out

Long time local musician and member of Car Crash Hearts Alda Tan was admitted to the hospital two nights ago after suffering from a sudden stroke attack due to a burst capillary in his brain. Surgery went well yesterday, but he has yet to regain consciousness. Do keep him in your prayers.

Look out for the upcoming MASH gig tomorrow and Moonshine gig on April 19, where they will be raising funds to help with Alda’s astronomical medical bill. Or you may also donate to Alda’s family here.

5 local singers/songwriters to check out

#1: Diandra Arjunaidi

W: Facebook.com/DiandraArjunaidi
T: @iamdiandra

#2: Rendra Zawawi

W: MySpace.com/RendraZawawi
T: @rendrazawawi

#3: Narmi

W: Facebook.com/NarmiAdventures
T: @narmi_i

#4: Halfway Kings

W: Facebook.com/HalfwayKings

#5: The Impatient Sisters

W: Facebook.com/TheImpatientSisters
T: @theimpsis

Friday Five: 5 bands named after body parts you would be interested in

5 bands named after body parts you would be interested in

#1: The Head and The Heart

W: TheHeadAndTheHeart.com
T: @HeadandTheHeart

#2: Pains of Being Pure at Heart

W: ThePainsofBeingPureatHeart.com
T: @thepainsofbeing

#3: Elbow

W: Elbow.co.uk
T: @elbowofficial

#4: The Shins

W: TheShins.com
T: @TheShins

#5: toe

W: Toe.st
T: @MINO_TAKAAKI / @Satoshiyamane / @shuumaibentoe

toe will be performing at the Bentley Music Auditorium, Malaysia next Wednesday (March 14 – RM88 @ Soundscape-Records.com), and at Esplanade Theatre Studio, Singapore next Thursday and Friday (March 15 and 16 – SGD40 @ Sistic.com.sg) in conjunction with the Mosaic Music Festival. Also performing at Mosaic is Elbow at the Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore next Sunday (March 18 – From SGD40 @ Sistic.com.sg).

Local Wednesday: DFP Spotlight Series presents Reza Salleh

Event: DFP Spotlight Series presents Reza Salleh
Date: June 27, 2011 (Monday)
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS, KLCC

The beginning of the week marked, what I think is, a great milestone for the local indie music community. Half of the community was up late on a Sunday night ironing out clothes they would not usually wear on a normal day.

But that’s not it. It is why the community is dressing up for a Monday night that is the milestone. We were all dressed up to see the making of local music history. Because local singer/songwriter Reza Salleh would be one of the first local indie musicians to be granted the golden opportunity to have a concert – and when I say a concert, I really mean, a concert – in the great hall of Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS.

Appearing onstage with his defacto band members, Nor Hanafi Noor Hadi on lead guitar, Melina William on bass, Stephanie Chan on drums and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) string quartet, inclusive of Savy Ho on violin and Florian Andre Cyrille Antier on cello, Reza opened his most important showcase yet with 50 Down the Way, upbeat and quick to capture the attention, in front of a sold out crowd of 885.

Reza was like our very own Jason Mraz, with a humorous character that seeps into his music, much obliged in the consecutive song on the list, What the Hell Just Happened I’m Not Really Sure and a handful of his other tracks, such as the new material, Putera Jaya, with surprise guest performer, fellow singer/songwriter Zalila Lee.

In between his songs, he would entertain the crowd with his lightheartedness, even attempted a lame mushroom joke (Why was the mushroom invited to the party? Because he’s a FUNGI!) that got the entire crowd in an uproar of laughter. (Don’t mind me, I like lame jokes like that. Heh). Despite the grandeur of DFP, Reza kept the atmosphere carefree with his natural funny, making everyone feel like they are watching him at any normal small-stage gig like the ones he frequent before this big one.

He performed most of the songs from his debut album, Realize, released just some six months ago. Languid numbers like Sunsets with You, Angan-angan Permata and For Her, which featured the finger lickin’ good guitarist Az Samad, who flew all the way back from San Francisco just in time for this showcase.

Beloveds like his latest single Kasih, Stracciatella and another new song, Something Tells Me with guest, Liyana Fizi, who was all prettied up and dressed to the nine, hitting back a duet with Reza with such chemistry like they were meant to be as sung in the song.

And jazzy dance tunes like What the Hell Just Happened I’m Not Really Sure, Soultune and the encore, Smoke City, almost had the crowd up on their feet and dancing along. Almost, because we might risk being escorted out from the prim and proper hall if we did. Heh.

Reza also did a cover of the popular ballad, I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Rait, which had him setting down the guitar he is always attached to onstage, and belching out his heartiest to one of his favourite songs.

At times, it did feel like the stage might be a tad too big for a singer/songwriter like him, even with the band and string quartet. But I was quickly rectified when Reza invited his surprise guests #4 to #34, the Choir of the Philharmonic Society of Selangor, for the finale of A Relic is What I Live in and Battery. Granted, Reza’s voice was crystal clear and impeccable by nature and nurture (Yes, you did well, Mama Salleh!), but to add the 30 backup vocals and slide in the strings – it was perfection. It was a climatic end that just filled up the entire room.

There was a quick moment during the concert, I noticed, when Reza had just finished a song. His fingers still holding onto the last note on the frets, allowing it to bounce off the immaculate sound system. His eyes, closed, as he took in the exploding applause that followed. His face, burst into a smile. It hit me then how much it means to him to be up on that huge stage, playing the songs he had worked hard on for years.

That concert was pretty much, what I think, akin to any international acts I have seen performing in concert halls like DFP. Normally, it would be Rachael Yamagata, Damien Rice or Sara Bareilles up there, but that night, it was Reza Salleh, a local musician. The divide has been breached, and Reza was the first to cross the finish line.

We offer our heartiest congratulation to you, Reza Salleh. We in the crowd, who stood up for a standing ovation at the end of it all and applauded for you. We are proud of what you have achieved. You have definitely, in your own way, set the bar up to a whole new level for the local music industry. Here’s to more accolades like such to accomplish in years to come. Well done!

W: RezaSalleh.net
T: @rezasalleh 

Local Wednesday: A pint or two with Rollin’ Sixers

A public announcement: Enough with the reposts of the Japan tsunami’s ‘awesome footage’, sympathetic FB statuses and radioactive rain. Be the answer to your own prayers and take action. Make this the easiest and most worthwhile RM3 you’ll ever spend today!
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The first time I saw Rollin’ Sixers live was during a small gig at Artista Bar & Restaurant in Tropicana City Mall. They were the last to perform out of the four-band line-up, and the crowd went bonkers the moment they stepped onstage. It was like welcoming a hometown glory.

Eddy Lim shredded away on his blues harmonica complementing his roughed up vocals, Khai Bahar and Henry Tan ran their swift fingers across the fret strings on their guitars chasing the blues, Jay Kughan depicted the most languid yet groovy bass that earned a kiss on his guitar headstock from an avid fan, and Ian Stewart banged away at the back with beats that had the entire crowd cheering for more.

Rollin’ Sixers just finished recording their first album, and their debut single, Hard Love, is already jamming up the radio airwaves nationwide. While they take their own sweet time in releasing singles off the album as teasers leading up to the album’s release later this year, I spent one laidback Sunday afternoon with them at their favourite pub, Sid’s in TTDI. As they wolfed down their late lunch, which is basically just pints and pints of Guinness, we talked about life as the Sixers, past, present and future.

All good stories start from the beginning, and their story started some seven years ago, when Khai was with another band, Y2K (yes, that unexpected masked band that opened for Paramore last year). He was on a roll laying down tracks, and had an idea to start a new band.

“I called up Jay, and asked if he knew any drummers we could recruit,” Khai says. “Eddy was enrolled, and hence, the birth of the original band – Triple 6 Posers, a three piece with me on vocals.”

Everything went on fine and dandy for Triple 6 Posers until one day, Jay and Khai heard Eddy burning up the microphone with Stone Temple Pilot’s Plush at a talent competition.

“When we heard him sing, and we were like, ‘Why is he behind the drums? Bring him up front!’” Khai says.

Their rigid search for a replacement drummer thereafter opened doors to Ian, whom they knew through mutual friends. The final recruitment was no rocket science. Henry was previously in a band called Mojo Pin with Eddy, and he has been playing on and off with the gang all along. It was only natural for him to hop on this bandwagon.

“By then, it wasn’t Triple 6 Posers anymore. It was a whole new band with a different sound,” Eddy says, in regards to naming the band what it is now. “Back when we were called Triple 6 Posers, people were calling us Sixers anyway, so we just added in the ‘Rollin’’.”

Things started off quite rock ‘n’ roll for these boys – or men, seeping influences from old timers like AC/DC, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Robert Johnson. It wasn’t a conscious decision to get into blues music, but rather a natural progression.

“It’s like the older we get, the more we have the blues,” Eddy laughs.

“The thing with the blues is that it’s very personal,” Khai says. “When you play a Clapton song, and if you play it from the heart, it’s not going to sound like Clapton. The same way when Clapton covered Robert Johnson’s Crossroads, he doesn’t sound like Robert Johnson.”

As Triple 6 Posers and Rollin’ Sixers, the gang has been in the local music scene for about seven years. That’s enough time to see the industry flip, turn and change overtime.

“The music scene here is good and it’s healthy, and the bands are great,” Eddy says. “But the biggest problem is that we don’t have enough venues. With more venues, these bands can go around and play more shows.”

“The sad fact of the matter is, not a lot of venues last more than a couple of years,” Khai adds. “When you get comfortable with a place, there’s no guarantee that it’s going to be around.”

When asked about their favourite gig spot of all time, their unanimous agreement is Jam Asia, a defunct gigging joint once located at Plaza Crystalville in Sri Hartamas.

“Jam Asia was the only place that charged RM5 for tequila shots every time Rollin’ Sixers play!” Eddy recalls.

“In fact, one of our best gigs was Khai’s birthday at Jam Asia,” Jay says. “We got together with a couple of other bands, who are friends and just went crazy.”

“I only remember half of it though!” Khai jumps in.

“And then they closed down about a week later,” Henry jokes.

Another one of their best gigs that brings back fond memories was a music series Laundry Bar at The Curve used to host on every first Thursday of the month called Juke Joint Jupiter.

“At the very first instalment, we played with The Blues Gang and Ahmad Izam Mohammad,” Eddy says. “It was packed to the brim, and I think Laundry made about RM100k that night!”

Does it feel pressuring though, to play in front of a crowd that may or may not be into blues music?

“If it’s the masses, not so much,” Eddy says. “But when we play in front of the old cats, like The Blues Gang guys, definitely!”

“When we’re meeting our peers, we can’t make stuff up anymore, because these guys know how it’s done!” Khai adds.

Despite RM5 tequila shots and packed venues, dirty blues is quite an unusual genre to get into, especially in this era when rock, pop, hip hop and even dubstep music is growing rampant. Moreover, in the Malaysian music scene, where bands are already struggling as it is, it seems to be a double whammy for Rollin’ Sixers. Or is it?

“Not really. You just have to find the scene for blues music,” Eddy says. “It’s niche and small here, but it’s been really supportive.”

“Besides, a lot of rock music in general, is influenced by the blues,” Khai says. “Everybody can dig the blues. Whenever you listen to it, you’d know it.”

“I guess it’s because we’ve been playing for 7 years, it doesn’t really bother us anymore,” Eddy adds. “We just see it as another opportunity to jam.”

Another round of Guinness was called, and the energy was as lively as the first pint. It felt more like a hangout session, instead of just another mundane interview. And it makes me wonder: a 7-year relationship is already hard enough to maintain, let alone a band. How does Rollin’ Sixers keep it up after all these years?

“Drink together!” Eddy laughs.

“To me, we have to be more than band members to keep the band’s chemistry alive. If not, it’ll eventually become like a job,” Khai says. “It works for some people, that’s great, but personally, I like the fact that we’re buddies too.”

“For a lot of us, music is our release,” Jay adds. “We play music to keep the shit out of our heads. It’s something we look forward to.”

“I think being in this band is one of the greatest blessings in life,” Eddy says, in which his band mates agree in unison, before they raise their pints of Guinness and clinks for a cheer.

W: MySpace.com/RollinSixers
T: @666ers

Enough with the reposts of the Japan tsunami’s ‘awesome footage’, sympathetic FB statuses and radioactive rain. Be the answer to your own prayers and take action. The easiest and most worthwhile RM3 you’ll ever spend today!

Local Wednesday: Hard Rock Calling Finalists – KL Heat

… In other words, what I think of them individually as the finalists.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, these bands are living on a prayer – oh the puns! – to be called up as the winner for the Hard Rock Calling Battle of the Bands this Sunday.

Two weeks ago, Hard Rock Cafe in Kuala Lumpur was all abuzz as 10 qualifying bands stepped up onstage to have a go on the four finalist spots, and one step closer to perform at the Hard Rock Calling Festival all the way at Hyde Park in London. Not to mention, the cherry on top of the icing: to open for headliner Bon Jovi!

Nails were bitten, fingers were crossed, and finally, the judges have spoken. It was a tight competition, indeed, and it’s just going to get tighter from here on out.

Here are the final four, in alphabetical order:

#1: The Azenders

The hybirdisation of older bands in Malaysia like Bunkface, One Buck Short, Dichi Michi and Robot Asmara, they sound like an existing dance pop band out there, which I just cannot put my finger on for the life of me. (I wanted to say Jack’s Mannequin, but not really). Quite a different sound from the mother bands, and lead vocalist Sam (from Bunkface) is quite an animated character onstage that fits well to the band’s genre too. And I must admit, whilst coming out as show off-ey, he was rather entertaining, and I did enjoy his showmanship.

So, yes, I do think The Azenders would put on a stellar show if they were chosen, what with their experienced background and all. But are they hard enough for Hard Rock Calling? (OK, that was the last pun, I promise).

W: Facebook.com/TheAzenders
T: @TheAzenders

#2: Dead Mushroom

The oldest band of the four and the strongest accolade backings, these guys have been around since I was still in high school, which seems like another lifetime ago. They offered up to the platter old skool grunge rock that goes well with the golden days of Bon Jovi, I would say.

So, I suppose, out of the four bands, they did stand out in their own way, being ‘stuck in the past’ and all. Not that it’s a bad thing, mind you. The question really lies on whether the Brits are still nostalgic for some old grunge. It’s a two-edged sword them, as things could easily fall flat in their face.

W: Myspace.com/DeadMushroomRock

#3: Kyoto Protocol

I will try to sound as unbiased as I can when it comes to them. But I thought Kyoto Protocol nailed their songs like a clean hit into the plank. Their fans, shamelessly known as the KPeeps, were probably the most responsive that day, singing along to the well-versed Pussycat and Gimme Nothing. Spot on as an “alternative rock” group. Loud riffs and addictive beats, I believe they would show the Londoners a good time when it comes to rock.

… OK, that was still quite bias, wasn’t it? I do apologise. But hey, I could be right. We’ll find out this Sunday.

W: Facebook.com/KyotoProtocol
T: @KyotoBand

#4: Tashya’s Ink

After a wonky start up as a band, Tashya’s Ink emerged on the other side in 2010 triumphant, when they were chosen to represent Malaysia in the Maldives Breakout Festival. And here they are again, not backing down for another opportunity to represent their beloved country for the second time in London. Is second time a charm for them?

The stakes are indeed different this time around; the destination isn’t for a bunch of up and coming acts anymore, but to warm up the stage for well-known bands, in particularly a 28-year-old hard rock band. With a rocksteady female vocalist as a lead, and a firm band backing her up, Tashya’s Ink could probably be the one to add some new colours to the Festival.

W: TashyasInk.Blogspot.com
T: @TashyasInk

Do comment on who you think should win on Sunday.

And don’t forget to head down to Hard Rock Cafe, Kuala Lumpur this Sunday, March 6, at 3PM to hear the final say on which of these four bands will make it all the way. There will be a cover charge of RM20, inclusive of a soft drink.

Music Monday: Holy F@#k

The question is often as such: why is it music and not noise, and noise but not music. And for the industrial electronica Canadians, Holy F@#k, they thread a fine line between these polar opposites, at times easily falling to either sides of the fence.

Holy F@#k are Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh on keys and effects, Matt McQuaid a.k.a Punchy on bass and Matt Schulz on drums. Since their formation in 2004, they have been notable for their live sets at music festivals, such as SXSW Music Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Lollapalooza and many, many more. And most recently, the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival down under and most fortunate for us Asians, Singapore.

I was pretty much blown away when I caught them live last month.They were, hands down, the best live act for me at the festival. Borcherdt and Walsh shedding sweat along with their timed and constant screaming, film synchronising, electronics and programmed backings. If not for Schluz and Punchy, they could have easily been dismissed and sheer noise. The way the bass and drums held the pollutions together in such accord – it was strangely addictive.

Holy F@#k have three studio albums under their sleeves – Holy Fuck, LP and Latin. And I thought their most craziest track – thus far – would have to be Tonebank Computer from their 2005′s debut album. The album started off mellow, like most debut albums would, leaving first time listeners to wonder: “Where is this all going?” and “Is that it?” Then, 7 minutes of sheer random noises your computer would make strung together by the steady beat of the drums, before the percussion took center stage with bouts hearty riffs that may actually leave you breathless.

Not to say that’s the only song Holy F@#k was good at. They have kept each album interesting with highlights such as Super Inuit and Royal Gregory in 2007′s LP, and this one from their latest, Latin:

And just in case you don’t know what I was babbling on about earlier, for a limited time only, you can download Tonebank Computer HERE.

Who says you cannot make great music with mere feedbacks and statics? Holy F@#k picks up your rejects and turns them into something you could never have done.

The story of two kings, conveniently.

Hmm, things have been rather quiet around here, have they not? So, conveniently, I decided to write something regarding two Kings – Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe – or better known as Kings of Convenience, to start things off again nice and easy.

A while back, on a not so special day, a few friends and I found ourselves shuffling through rough sands by a beach at two in the morning, and decided to plop down on them because we ran out of places to go. The hotel behind us was close, everything was close, and all around us pitch black save the dimly lit hotel. The waves were crashing – high tide, and the stars were out – two fell.

We sat there talking about recessing world economy while switching sitting positions when the legs had pins and needles. Half of the time, I thought to myself – we could definitely used some beer (which we eventually set out to get, really) and greens (it’s the beach, I think things like that) in a place like this. A friend played bad, bad, bad 80s music that did not fit the bill, and I thought of Kings of Convenience.

My point being: for me, it is hard not to associate Kings of Convenience with a beach setting. In fact, cashiers at CD stores should inform us, conveniently, after our purchase of Declaration of Dependence: “Here’s a complimentary beach to go with your CD. Enjoy.”

Unlike Jack Johnson, Kings of Convenience are quieter with their delicate string instruments that seem to be tiptoeing into the bedroom at three in the morning not to wake your parents, and their solemn voices like lullabies. They are a picture of a beach at night time, when insomniacs would stroll down, instead of a sunshine-y one with sands that burn and a perkily pecked surfer bouncing, bouncing, bouncing by.

Quiet is the New Loud paved the roads right for them as a necessary introduction to their music career and sound they are aiming to go for. Although things got a little complicated in Riot on an Empty Street – with additions of pianos and more complex guitar melodies and a queen named Feist, things pan out alright again in Declaration of Dependence with a slightly darker motif – a proper growth, I think.

Yet, after three albums, individualism is still capable of being instilled into every song. You cannot really find one song too similar to the other. I mean, yes, they are in the same languid mood and delicate tone, but you know – a convenient cliché-like metaphor coming up – kind of like crashing waves, or stars, or snowflakes. They still crash against the shores like they are supposed to, and they still fall on your noses (not the stars), like they are supposed to. But, no two waves or stars or snowflakes, under close observations, are ever the same.

Once upon a time, there were two Kings. Conveniently, they kept it simple, ruled a nation of songs with mere acoustic guitars and cellos as weapons of choice. Some songs were happy and some were rather sad. But the Kings held them all together well, like beaches with waves, nights with stars, and winter with snowflakes.

Conveniently, the two Kings will be dropping by Malaysia this Sunday (March 21, 2010) to have a concert, which I believe will be intimate, at the Bentley Music Auditorium. Unfortunately, tickets have sold out. But here, is Cayman Islands from their second album, Riot on an Empty Street, which you can download. Conveniently.

Doing pilates.

Pilate was one of the bands that rotated on my Pandora playlist (back when they were still available to listeners across the globe), which I had marked as a favourite. I just loved the way Todd Clark, the lead, carried the vocals at the bridge like a fragile glass: “Please don’t you ask / Please don’t you ask me how it feels / She was the last / To light up my night and make me sing”. And then floated over so seamlessly to Chris Greenough’s guitar solo that was not too heavy nor too little for a climatic peak of the song.

It was a perfect moment in the song to close your eyes, have your emotions drink in the feel of the music and come undone with the solo, like a box of confetti bursting in the middle of a clean white room.

Upon listening to their debut album Caught by the Window, I learned to get used to the lightness of the band. They sauntered across their album quite alike to a bunch of lazy bums: Keeley’s lazy strokes on the snare, Clark’s vocal slurs that drag, Greenough and Bumrah’s riffs that, try as they may, could not really hit it properly when they do fast tracks like Perfect Thrill, Into Your Hideout and Overrated.

With this, it contributed a lot to making their ballads shine and choked with emotions, especially the abovementioned song, Alright and The Travel Song. Also the fact that they had the album perfectly wrapped with Endgame and A Reprise; from a meticulous wrapping with scotch tapes, and a carefully selected ribbon of the right length securing the package.

Pilate has since changed their band name to Pilot Speed and adapted a heavier outlook for their music in Self Control for Life’s Speed and Wooden Bones. I still prefer how they started off.