Elephant Shell

Tokyo Police Club is no doubt master in producing short yet energetic indie pop tracks, having appeared in the year-end-best lists for two years in a row. For a debut so long on anticipation, Elephant Shell is a tad of a letdown, as it is far from being as great as the previous EPs. Upon listening to the album, the tracks definitely sound slightly milder than their previous works, with less of the garage rock revivalist theme they had been practising previously. Losing the usual catchiness, some of the tracks are pretty much forgettable. Despite that, the album is still a decent follow-up, displaying a sign of the band maturing into a more refined and modernised sound.

Clocking in just 28 minutes with 11 tracks, the familiar sounds in A Lesson In Crime EP that first caught my attention still remained - the jangly post-punk guitar riffs are present, the dancefloor rhythm is in full force, heavy punchy bass lines are grumbling loud, coupled with the trademark handclaps, glockenspiels and group chants.

On speedier tracks, "In A Cave" is just classic TPC, sounding as though it's recycled from the first EP. "Tessellate” is an upbeat, hand-clappy track with more hooks than a fisherman's hat. When it’s time to bring things down a notch, “The Harrowing Adventures of…” is a welcome break, with chilling cello and xylophones crooning down your spine.

The band has no doubt found its sound and become more confident, and hopefully, they are able to keep it interesting for future releases.

Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave
Tokyo Police Club - Tessellate
Tokyo Police Club - The Harrowing Adventures of…

Apocalypso

Triple dollops of vegemite are horrendous, triple doses of Aussie pop are delicious. After Cut Copy and The Dirty Secrets, it is The Presets to please our awfully unhealthy appetite for all things Oz. You must have lived under the rock if you have not heard of this band and their brilliant debut Beams.

Not too long ago, 'My People' dropped like a bolt from the blue, and it easily became one of my favorite songs last year creaming some other indie darlings and brit-rock sensations whose records were released in the earlier quartets of the year. Not too many people may get beyond the anthemic electronic riff, it is actually written on Australia's policy of mandatory detention of illegal immigrants. The video was darn fine too. Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes, both in alien outfits, were cloning in swift as they were striding on a moon-like planet and chanting 'I'm here with all of my people'. Multiple The Presets? I like. 'This Boy’s In Love' is a perfect second single, more melodically accessible than the first one, and the video with milk-wrestling has some stunning cinematography.

Apocalypso is the phenomenal sophomore album after three long excruciating years. Being the best possible opener, 'Kicking and Screaming' follows from where Beams left off, but better and compresses all the best electronic elements of the current scene. 'Yippiyo-ay' and 'Together' are two stand out tracks with their cheesy out-of-this-world sound that makes you want to put on your dancing shoes.

Put on the record and it's dancin' time.

The Presets - Kicking and Screaming
The Presets - Yippiyo-ay
The Presets - Together

-Sim-

Incubus @ Sunburst KL, Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club, 15.3.08 - Us vs Them

We defied the sun and rain, we tolerated the excruciating pain in our ears (and eyes) from seeing the sets of the likes of Joe Flizzow, we starved, we thirsted, we endured the cynical stares of fans when we looked annoyed and zombie-fied during the set of others. We were a barricade away from the stage, we thought that was the closest we could get. In a minute or so before Brandon Boyd and boys hit the stage, we saw THEM with tags printed ‘FREELOADER’ or ‘ROCKSTAR’ in bold hanging around their necks. They stood between the barricade and the stage, alongside the balding overweight security men. I don’t care if they are Tom, Dick, or Harry’s friends, some local ‘so-called’ celebrities, or pimply teenagers with well-off parents. I was disappointed, call me cheap-skate if you want to, I have not just spend RM200 just to see some little elite heads popping up and down, have I? I tilted my head to right, and to left, so I could get a view of the band on stage from their shoulder-to-shoulder’s tiny gap. Then this photographer came right in my eyes, with his lady friend who tagged along with a big green ‘MEDIA’ tag around her neck. Clutching a nice hand bag and sporting some fancy heels, she was one of THEM. Then I saw more of them, exactly like her, dressed up nice and clean, not doing anything what a media would do. Now I know what a photographer friend is for, I shall bang my head for not having one myself.

Despite feeling ripped off, Incubus mended my dissatisfaction straight away with their brilliant performance. One hit after another were belted as we sang along to every word. The band played a mixture of older material with some tracks from their latest album ‘Light Grenades’. Brandon Boyd was charming as ever, he indeed aged well, the girls in the crowd could not take their eyes off him, especially after he went topless under the sweltering heat in this region. DJ Kilmore, almost obscured by the turntable on the stage, occasionally came up a little bit and did some awkward dance moves. Ben Kenney, the bassist was putting his magical touch to songs like Vitamin and Megalomaniac that would sound explicitly mundane if lacking his plodding bass lines. Dress in a sweat shirt, drummer Jose Pasillas sure was ready to put out all he might to add some intense drum beats to those tunes. Mike Einziger was rocking out the hooks of the band’s hits, he also played Pipa in Aqueous Transmission, the closing of a three-song encore.

After the set finished, the feeling of disgruntlement and emptiness surged in again. We applaud the effort to bring us a festival, we despise the way we ticket buyers were treated inferior to those free-riders. This is the reality, I shall get numb to this kind of injustice treatment soon. I can’t complain anywhere, can I? Perhaps here. I think I have just contradicted myself, call me a hypocrite.

-Sim-