Main Stage: GHAUST

Underground Hum: GHAUST: Purveyors of lush dark dreamscapes

Sunday, 11/09/2008 11:03 AM

Hello my lovelies, it's time again for your weekly scheduled musical enlightenment. Yes, I speak of Underground Hum; the weekly indie music column focused on scenes here in Indonesia and across the ASEAN region. Thanks again for the nifty emails you guys have been sending. Keep them coming.

And now, on to this week's delectable dose of MAIN STAGE:

GHAUST

Post-rock, in case you're a neophyte, is a genre of alternative rock defined by the use of common rock instruments for non-rock purposes. Guitars and drums are standard, but the rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions used are not found in the rock tradition.

Basically, your typical post-rock song will consists of long guitar jams that explore layers of sound in order to create a certain mood. It is a genre that requires not only great technical skill, but a strong melodic imagination.

There is quite a considerable number of bands out there in our local scene that dabble in post-rock. Most of them border on only just decent, simply because they lack imagination. There are even fewer bands here that play hardcore post-rock, the darker side of this musical dream-weaving, as this subgenre requires technical mastery and a lucid imagination; which narrows the field of play tremendously.

South Jakarta-based GHAUST is one band, however, that manges to thrive beautifully in this dimly lit alley of post-rock. The nightmares constructed by this collective (comprised of Uri A. Putra (guitar) and M. Edward (drums)) are built with the utmost precision. The layering of instruments, the slow but steady progression of hard chords, the grinding distortions and the calculated drums are dispersed in careful doses that guide the listener through each space of the somber realm of their musical machinations.

After a few online releases, as well as participation in various compilations, this year saw the release of GHAUST's self-titled full length debut LP, available nationwide through Purbaharuan Recordings. This powerhouse of an album is guaranteed to take you to corners of your imagination previously untouched by other bands. This record is truly mind-blowing; as you read, I'm still picking up the pieces of my brain that were scattered across the floor upon my first listen. It immediately gets a place on my list of 2008's Top Five Local Releases.

GHAUST is an experience the listener would never want to, or be able to forget. Their music will seep into the nooks and crannies of your mind and build little grim empires in your subconscious. I am truly curious as to how their sound will evolve in the future. I will definitely keep my eyes on these guys.

Enough of the grand descriptions, you can learn more about GHAUST firsthand and give a listen to their brilliant pieces at www.myspace.com/soundofghaust. Be sure to leave them some nice comments. Their self-titled debut LP is now available. For a complete listing of record stores that sell the CD, check their myspace page. Be sure to buy it!

That's it for this week's Underground Hum. Tune in next week for Reverb. If you have any questions, suggestions, rants, raves or creative uses for vodka, please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com

For all of you bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date, and entry fee if any.

See y'all later!

--Paul F. Agusta

Main Stage: And Here We Are, The Kids

originally published in The Jakarta Post, Sunday Oct.19-2008

Underground Hum
with Paul F. Agusta

Welcome back to Underground Hum. It is time to lock yourself in the closet with a flash-light and start reading up on the latest music being made out there. Thank you again for the lovely emails. Keep them coming!

And now, on to MAIN STAGE:

MAIN STAGE:

And Here We Are, The Kids: The Soundtrack of Your Lives

I don’t know what they’re feeding kids these days. Whatever it is, it’s not what I was fed as a kid. In a year of doing this column, and a few years prior to that, I’ve noticed that most of the scene’s interesting new musical acts that I’m coming across are comprised of artists who were born when I had already entered puberty. On one hand, it makes me very happy to see so many kids exploring new musical territories and expressing themselves so easily; on the other hand, it makes me feel really old.

One of the new acts that has contributed to my neurosis about aging is And Here We Are, The Kids, a 20-person collective consisting of really young people under the age of 18, playing intricately composed and emotionally provocative instrumental pieces.

Jamal Soemadipradja, spokesperson for The Kids, says “And Here We Are, The Kids was formed in the year 2007, when we were all part of a class in Sekolah Global Jaya, known as 10D. The Kids comprises several active members, all of whom contribute to the creation of our songs. We are more of an orchestra than a band. Each of the songs was made by a different set of people, but produced under the The Kids’ label.”

Despite all of them being students of the same school, The Kids is not a school-initiated project; they came together driven by their love of music and their desire to share their collective experiences as they enter adulthood. “The reason as to why our music is instrumental is because our music, like any other soundtrack, brings us back to the times that even words cannot describe. Our music is…the soundtrack to each every single moment we shared together (pain, hardship, joy),” Jamal explained further.

The readers of this column may be familiar with Jamal’s name as he was the subject of Main Stage a few months back under the musical moniker The Trees Are Alive. This persona of his writes emotional acoustic songs about the environment. Aside from The Trees Are Alive, The Kids also features members of hardcore band Another Good Day For An Airstrike. These varied influences and disparate sounds somehow seem to merge quite well in the music produced by The Kids.

The musical ingredients found in this orchestra are guitars, pianos, drums, various percussion instruments, a string section, and electronic samples. The full line-up of And Here We Are, The Kids consists of Agatha Tika Pangestuti (Guitars), Aristya Wismoyo (Drums), Alwin Daniel (Guitars/ Bass), Alrein Putrananda Wajong (Guitars), Benedicta Sherrine Budiman (Guitars), Danika Dwi Budiarti (Piano), Dylan Amirio (Guitars/ Bass), Gilang Kembara (Strings), Gema Sutan Assin (Strings), Jamal Soemadipradja (Guitars), Jessica Leofitri Mangunsong (Piano), Kamadiputra Surianegara (Drums), Hilary Vincentius Bennet (Percussions), Ivan Abednego (Guitars), Reynold Adi Putra (Percussions), Sasha Kohar (Strings), Sabrina Nissa R (Strings), Silkanzy Musrian Badjiser (Sampler), Timmy Soerianto (Percussion), Kevin William (Percussion).

Their instrumental pieces seem to be describing their own emotional growth; each song begins with simple and seemingly naïve guitar-work that gradually increases in complexity and slowly becomes decorated by well placed orchestrations, all of which results in an experience totally different from that of when the song begins.

For those in need of comparative descriptions, I would say that the compositions on offer by The Kids are highly reminiscent of instrumentalists The Severely Departed (with their tiny flourishes), James Blackshaw (the intricacy and pathos of his guitar-work), and Verbose (sans blips and beeps, but with the same energy), mixed with a little more wide-eyed innocence permeating through the chords.

“We hope that everyone can enjoy the simplicity of our music since when it comes to music without words but just rhythm, people tend to have an open mind and can interpret the song as anything they want it to be. We want our music to be the soundtrack of our listener's lives,” says Jamal.

And Here We Are, The Kids are in the midst of preparing their first album called “The Year We Called Ours”, but for now the gorgeous sounds made by these cool kids are available to be heard at http://www.myspace.com/andherewearethekids. If you like their music, tell them so by leaving comments on their page.

Thus ends this week’s Underground Hum. Do tune in next week for Reverb.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com

For all of you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you’re playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date, and entry fee if any.


Be good!

Underground Hum 1st Anniversary Column: Jerome Kugan's "Songs for a Shadow"

Main Stage Album Feature: Jerome Kugan's 'Songs for a Shadow'

Sun, 09/28/2008 9:59 AM | Entertainment

Hello my lovelies, it was a year ago this week (September 22nd 2007, to be precise) that Underground Hum first conspicuously popped up in this esteemed publication like a Mariah Carey fan at a Nine Inch Nails concert, and so far the reaction has been amazing and way better than I could have hoped for.

So I'd like to thank all the readers of UH for all their support and feedback on our first year, and also the wonderful editors at The Jakarta Post for their continuous support of this rambunctious little column, thanks heaps!

The first issue of UH featured Jerome Kugan, a poet with a laptop and a guitar, who was born in Kota Kinabalu on Borneo. He is a small man who is busy carving himself an ever-growing niche in the arts, not only in his homeland Malaysia, but internationally.

Poet, singer, songwriter, short-story writer, culture columnist and visual artist, Jerome is also cofounder of Trobadours KL, an organization focused on promoting Malaysian singer-songwriters worldwide. In fact, his activities in Troubadours KL have made him a sort of poster boy for the Malaysian singer/songwriter scene.

Since then, Jerome has released his debut album Songs for a Shadow to much acclaim. So I thought it would be fitting for the anniversary edition of UH to feature a track by track review of this lovely album that came out earlier this year.

The overall tone of Songs for a Shadow is contemplative, but never dark. It is a collection of stories that tell of the new emotional experiences a person goes through as they mature and brave the often jading experiences of adult romance. Musically, Jerome, with the help of Hardesh Singh and Ariff Akhir, among others, mostly mixes acoustic guitar with blips, beeps, and programmed drums/percussion, with the occasional track eschewing modern technology altogether for a strictly bare approach.

Here is the track by track review:

1. "I Like": A sweet little acoustic opener that perfectly serves its purpose as an emotional tone-setter for the album. The lyrics tell of how it feels to be reminded of all the good things falling in love can bring after growing slowly jaded and skeptical of relationships.

2. "Tomas": This lively, almost dance-able track introduces the programmed elements of this album in full force. The music and lyrics are quite powerful and JK's vocal range is exquisitely showcased. But, I must say that I felt that the thematic content of this song feels a bit out of place compared to the other pieces.

3. "This Excellent Love": One of the most memorable tracks on the album. A perfect meld of acoustic guitar and programmed beats decorated with gorgeous harmonies. Lyrically, it expands upon the emotions expressed in track one beautifully, underlining the plentiful promises of a new love.

4. "The Miracle": Another gorgeous blend of the acoustic and electronic. The dream-like lyrics seem to focus on the trepidations we feel when emotions start to engulf us. The human beatbox effects seem a bit out of place at first, but they eventually blend very well with the rest of the piece.

5. "Flowers": The trepidations felt in the previous track entirely disappear in this track. This song jumps headfirst into those emotions and allows itself to be drowned in them: Let me taste in all directions/Teach me the way/.../To give and give impulsively/To think that nothing else could exist/ To be as vague as a verse/To describe the journey to him/Flowers burn me

6. "Song for the Service Industry": Also one of the standouts on this baby. This track melodically returns to the up-tempo of Track 2. Lyrically, its very unique because it uses sociopolitical metaphors (a faceless waiter speaking to the people he serves) to describe the frustration a person can feel when a relationship starts to become a bit too one-sided.

7. "Lightfalls": Hands down the most powerful track. Accapella with nothing but recorded ambient sounds of a rainy street, this one packs the strongest emotional punch and is also the most visual song on the collection. Must be heard to be truly understood.

8. "Mother": Beautiful, as expected, but not really a standout piece. A bit too long, the music and lyrics grow repetitive around halfway through the song. Honestly, it is a track that I skipped past during my third listen of the album. Nice, but not memorable.

9. "A Shadow": This song features some of the most brilliant tension building I've ever heard. The guitar work, harmonies, clicks and beats escalate slowly but surely as the song reaches its emotional peak.

10. "The Magic Word": Lyrically powerful but musically less so. I felt more when I read the words on the CD sleeve than when I actually heard the song. Once I knew a magic word that could/Change the world into a tiny worm/But then I learned so many words, I changed/My magic word it turned into a bird and flew away.

11. "The Little Cat Song": A gorgeous track musically and lyrically. The words describe the process of gaining emotional maturity in a sweet and very playful manner.

Overall, this is an excellent debut album that I highly recommend to every fan of contemplative singer/songwriters.

You can find out how to buy Jerome Kugan's Songs for a Shadow on his Myspace page: www.myspace.com/jkugan or go to troubadourskl.blogspot.com. Be sure to give him feedback on his music by leaving comments on his Myspace page.

For all you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date and entry fee, if any. Be good!

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column, please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com.

-- Paul F. Agusta

Main Stage: Nervous Breakdown

Nervous Breakdown: Caustic Hardcore Meltdown

Sun, 08/10/2008 10:26 AM | Entertainment

Hello boys, girls and those who are yet to decide. It's time for another extra juicy bite of Underground Hum, your weekly indie music column focusing on scenes here in Indonesia and the ASEAN region.

Thanks again for the really nifty emails you guys have been sending. Keep them coming.

And now, on to another fresh-from-the-oven installment of MAIN STAGE:

MAIN STAGE:

Nervous Breakdown: Caustic Hardcore Meltdown

The Indonesian hardcore and punk scenes are probably the strongest in the world -- at least in number. The scenes are massive and border on full-fledged fanaticism. It sometimes feels like every youth with a societal axe to grind has formed a punk or hardcore band.

I'll be completely honest. I think that the majority of hardcore bands in Indonesia (or at least the ones I've heard, and I've heard a LOT) aren't very good. Some of them (I'm so going to get mail for this) downright suck.

Because of this, I always get really excited when I come across a good hardcore band, one that gets it right.

Nervous Breakdown is one of those bands. They've got all the necessary elements down pat: loud, fast, yet melodic guitars mixed with hard-driving baselines, exuberant and sufficiently angry vocals, and the most essential element of hardcore (one that most local bands forget), masterful drumming. Timing is essential for all music genres, but especially vital to hardcore, punk and metal because the melodies are played at super high speeds. And the speed needs to be maintained, sustained and controlled throughout each song. Sloppy drumming wrecks timing and screws everything up. No amount of loud screaming vocals or screeching distorted guitars can cover up the mess that bad drumming can make.

Nervous Breakdown came into existence on March 5, 2006 when a group of depressed and angry musicians came together to turn their collective grievances into music. These angsty boys are Oyi (Vocals), Xeno (guitar), Freddy (drums) and Tommy (bass). Although the personnel remains consistent, the roles often change. The boys often switch instruments just to get a different feel and maintain freshness in their sound. This method works.

In June of this year, Nervous Breakdown got a leg up from Yogya-based net label Yes No Wave when they released a six track EP called Never Green. They have also appeared on several compilations released in various countries.

Just to give you an idea of good these guys are, they have been signed to BITE ME Records, a label based in Seattle, and they will release their first full-length album through Bite Me early next year.

For now you can download their EP from www.yesnowave.com or go to their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/nervousbreakdown2006.

That about does it for this week's Underground Hum. Don't forget to read next week's edition of Reverb.

See y'all next Sunday!

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com.

For all of you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date and entry fee if any.

--Paul Agusta

Main Stage: Neowax

Neowax: Loud, Manic and Irresistible

Sun, 07/20/2008 10:38 AM | Entertainment

Hello, my lovelies, it is time for yet another Underground Hum, your weekly music column on indie scenes in Indonesia and the ASEAN region. I apologize for a rather long absence, but I'm happy to announce I'm back for good. Thanks again for the peachy emails you guys have been sending. Keep them coming.

And now, on to this week's edition of Main Stage.

Main Stage:

Bandung's such a crazy little town when it comes to music. It always leaves me dumbfounded, how many cool, weird yet fun musical acts you can find by simply digging around in the town's indie scene. I swear they've got nearly every genre under the sun. Feeling like some crazy free jazz with a hint of punk? Bandung has Sungsang Lebam Telak. In the mood for some old fashioned rock 'n' roll with a hint of funk? They've got 70s Orgasm Club. Shoegaze bands, you say? They've got at least a dozen. How about a little lo-fi noise rock injected with a shot of the psychedelic, then mixed with absurdist lyrics? I bring you Neowax, the subject of this week's Main Stage.

Neowax was formed in 2001 by four guys -- Ceplo (vocals, guitar), Valcon (vocals, bass), Aril (guitar) and Ibor (drums) -- who found inspiration and boatloads of fun in the music of 90s noise-masters, such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Pixies, Pavement and Sebadoh, as well as psychedelic poets Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket and Grandaddy.

A most impressive list of influences, audible in their raw, lo-fi sound. Raucous and complex guitars with distortions ranging from light to severe, along with smooth but frantic bass lines, flirtatious and playful drum work and intentionally off-key ranting vocals recorded minimally (thus making up the lo-fi part of their musical identity) seem to be their signature. You have to hand it to these guys: Not many bands here have the guts to tackle a genre as unfriendly to mainstream ears as lo-fi indie rock, but these guys do it with flair, style and a clear understanding and appreciation for there chosen genre.

On their debut album, Ghost Treat Magic, their exploratory range within the genre is quite apparent. On songs like "Deep Refine Yawned Before Them" (track 2) and "Tribute to Ironic Criticalism" (track 4), they play more on the noise side of the spectrum by pumping up the distortions and letting the guitar screech and fly off in as many directions as possible. Meanwhile, on "Wishing the Yolk" (track 7), they seem to be swimming in a psychedelic sea by minimizing the distortions and letting the bass calmly take your hand on a quiet walk guided by simple drumbeats. The same feeling is evoked on tracks 8 and 9 ("Carrier Pigeon Lost in the Sky" and "Gaposis").

If the style progression within "Ghost Treat Magic" is any indication, the band is nowhere near finished exploring its sound -- a very good thing, in this writer's humble opinion.

For all the fans out there of noise rock or lo-fi indie rock, I highly recommend listening to these guys. It'll definitely soothe your distortion-addicted eardrums.

For now, you can hear Neowax on their pages, www.myspace.com/neowax or http://amp.channelv.com/neowax. Info on how to buy their CD, Ghost Treat Magic, is also available there or by emailing them at gaposis_neowax@yahoo.co.uk

Thus ends this week's Underground Hum. Do tune in next week for Reverb.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column, please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com

For all you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date and entry fee, if any.

Be good!

-- Paul F. Agusta

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column, please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com

For all you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date and entry fee, if any.

Main Stage: Music Beyond No Borders Vol. 2

Presenting Music Beyond No Borders Vol. 2

Sun, 06/01/2008 10:44 AM | Entertainment

Welcome back to Underground Hum, oh you beautiful indie geeks you. As always, thanks for the feedback. This edition of Main Stage is going to be a little different than the ones you're used to, because instead of talking about one band, we'll be talking about a newly released local netlabel compilation featuring some of the coolest net-released bands out there. Now, let's get started.

Main Stage


By now, most of you are probably familiar with the netlabel concept, which is to provide a medium of expression and distribution for artists on the internet through what is called a Creative Commons License. The Creative Commons License allows people all over the world to download music by these netlabel artists for personal use at no charge, while anyone who wants to use the music for commercial use must then pay a small fee.

A few weeks ago (in UH Reverb Sunday May 4), the good Mr. Ari Ernesto P introduced you to Yes No Wave Music, a Yogja-based netlabel that has been providing a podium for local artists to speak from for the last two years.

Recently on May 25, the supercool and peachy keen guys at YNM have released their second annual compilation called Music Beyond No Borders Vol. 2. This compilation works as a decent sampler of music YNM has, still is, and will be releasing. Vol. 2 works off one very vast platform, which is "rock music". The bands compiled in Vol.2 provide various examples, experimentations, and explorations of that genre and beyond; be it surf rock, drone metal, death metal meets 8-bit chiptuning, electro-deathrock, down to your basic old buddy: the college indie-rock song.

Here's a track-by-track breakdown and quick bites to give you hints on what to expect of the compilation:

"Gravedigger 69" by Gravedigger A powerful kick-start to this compilation featuring roaring and rolling thunderous guitars, steady drumbeats over a cloud of effects and distortions, and punk-esque lackadaisical vocals.

"Wild Seahorses" by Southern Beach Terror A too cool for school surf-rock anthem filled to the brim with all the requirements of a good surf rock tune: calm cool swaggering guitars that stroll on like a gunslinger through swinging saloon doors looking for a fight, flirtatious drum beats and cymbal play, and plenty of crowd-rousing yells."Nervous Breakdown" by Shure 5 A short and densely-packed hardcore/metal screamer that opens with manic electronic blips and beeps before unraveling in pure unadulterated mayhem.

"Hymn for a Friend in the Sky" by J. Irwin A nice little pop-rock ditty with smart bluesy guitar-work that flirts with light pentatonic touches over dreamy organs, and laid-back sing-along vocals that'll reside in your head by the 2nd verse is brought to you by this member of Brit-rock inspired dream-pop collective Bangkutaman taken from his solo EP of the same title.

"Kecuali Mengenang Betismu, Oh Sembadra" by Sungsang Lebam Telak The very first Indonesian act featured on Underground Hum: Main Stage. These certifiably insane Bandung-based Jazz-mutilators are definitely one of the most interesting and worth-catching local bands out there. The piece included in this compilation is a psychotic piano and drum dance of seduction like I've never heard before.

"I'm With You" by Risky Summerbee & The Honeythief What starts out as a nice little poppy walk in the park quickly turns into a mad psychedelic ride of screaming guitars, manic drums, and bulldozing basslines before landing back into tranquility. A rollercoaster of a tune.

"Redicovering Atlantis" by Bla Bla Blast A persistently loud and in your face sonic blast of screams, hammering guitars, and frantic chiptuning/pitchbending beeps and blips. Definitely one of the strongest and most memorable pieces in the compilation, it takes you on a high that is almost impossible to come down from.

"Astral Altar" by Serigala Jahanam An intriguing although slightly longish drone-metal tune that plays quite nice with the contrast of low-tempo guitar work over growling vocals. All served with a thick haze of distortions.

"Side of a Day" by Evely Candy Machine A pleasant ambient electronic piece with calm steady beats, a lot of phasing, and a nice dreamy coat over everything.

"When Women Congregate" by Shorthand Phonetics A nifty little instrumental piano piece by this Bandung-based multi-instrumentalist, med student, and Underground Hum: Main Stage alumn. A very playful yet lively composition that will definitely get stuck in your head for at least two days straight.

"Merah" by JimboDivine A dreamy and uplifting synth-rock piece featuring steady drum beats that roll on forward like a steel train underscoring the inspirational lyrics and the chorus-like vocal arrangements.

You can download the entire album for free at http://www.yesnowave.com/albums/yesno013.htm. Be sure to also check out the full albums by some of the bands included in the compilation that are also available on the site.

That about does it for this week's Underground Hum. Be good now, children!

-- Paul F. Agusta

If you have any questions, suggestions, praises or curses just send us a note at undergroundhum@yahoo.com

For all of you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in future editions of Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date, and entry fee if any.

Main Stage: Killeur Calculateur

Killeur Calculateur: Kuala Lumpur's best kept indie secret

Sun, 05/11/2008 12:37 PM | Entertainment

Ahoy indie-mateys, welcome back to this week's Underground Hum with me Ari Ernesto P. This will be the last time I'll be your guide to the netherworld of music but before shaking hands and shedding tears, enjoy the ride! Let's stage dive right into this week's Main Stage!

MAIN STAGE:

This week I'm going to put the spotlight on one of the coolest bands around in the Southeast Asian indie music scene. Let me introduce y'all to Malaysia's Killeur Calculateur.

During their short Indonesian tour last April, I managed to catch them live, twice even, and I also eagerly grabbed their limited edition tour CD. From then on, I have become a committed fan of theirs and I bet you'll become one too!

Hailing from downtown Kuala Lumpur, Killeur Calculateur (KC) started when Smek and his three comrades-in-amps, Piut, Rafiq and Zamir, who were in numerous bands prior to KC (Utarid and Ellisabelle Tears), decided that they wanted to jump-start another band. A full throttle emotive hardcore blast with a hard-hitting yet groovy screamo post-punk sound. As for the genealogy of the name, Smek explained that "probably the bigger questions in life are calculated. And the answers lie in numbers." They contemplated on this numerical quest, and came up with the name Killeur Calculateur. Calculated or not, believe me they do indeed kill!

Inspired by angular post-punk bands such as Melbourne's My Disco, New York's Off Minor and Washington D.C's one and only Fugazi, they have become a band that isn't dwarfed by its origin. It would be wrong to assume that they are merely Southeast Asian copycats of Fugazi, because KC does possess its own flavor.

Musically KC combine jazzy bass guitar lines and odd-time drums signatures while letting both sharp trebly guitars do the talking. Not being your basic macho brotherhood type of muscle-core, KC manages to deliver songs that have integrity and soul. The personal lyrics convey passion and emotion, whereas the overall sound doesn't lose its power. In a nutshell, KC's songs are arranged to be noisy yet dancey enough for you to shake your booty, in a style that is their own: "We can't really pinpoint a line to describe our sound. Sorta harsh, sorta fast, sorta dancey, sorta punk, sorta noisy probably?", Smek enthused.

When it comes to songwriting, they work collaboratively, allowing no room for anyone in the band to slack around. Most bands delegate the task of lyrical composition to the hands of the singers or "screamers" but not with these guys. Each member contributes verbal ammunition to conjure up well-aimed lyrics that move and make you move at the same time: "All the band members contribute lyrics and song ideas as well, so it has a stronger creative force to it. Different views just make the screen wider" Smek explains.

This combination of sonically harsh-yet-catchy tunes are documented in three releases so far. The first demo CD was done by their friend from Utarid Tapes in 2006. A split seven-inch vinyl with a Texan screamo-hardcore band, Trifle Tower, was released in 2007 by Communique Records in California, and the latest is a special edition tour CD to accompany their first Indonesian tour.

On their Indonesian tour in April, KC rocked Solo, Yogyakarta and Bandung. The overall impression was ... ultra-impressive, leaving a memorable mark on both the band as well as the crowd. The band admits "...it was a rollercoaster ride! We started off shaky, unsure. Then moved on a thrilling part, and ended it with wide, adrenaline-ridden smiles". A return to Indonesia in the future is a definite consideration, because they love the vibe, the people and the music community. And to top it off, "The food rocked hard too!" exclaimed Smek with enthusiasm.

Killeur Calculateur is the perfect remedy for eradicating mediocrity and boredom when everything in the scene starts to sound the same. You can listen to their songs at www.myspace.com/killeurcalculateur, and please leave a comment on their MySpace page. They can also be reached at killeurcalculateur@yahoo.com

That's me, Ari Ernesto Purnama signing off for Underground Hum. Next week your beloved Paul F. Agusta will be back navigating this ship. Anchors aweigh! It's been a pleasure being your host for the past couple of weeks.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column please contact JP's in house music geek at undergroundhum@yahoo.com. For all of you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date and entry fee if any.