LINKED: Ermm...


Remind us again, why are we having a gig in celebration of the US' independence?

We have read through the comments and, to add voice of support to those who (sort of) oppose, we seriously cannot see any benefit or purpose of doing so. And to the people who criticized those who oppose for being closed-minded, remember: only a closed-minded person would go on and criticize and label other people as being closed-minded without giving any chance for them to voice out the reason for their concern/criticism. Seriously: what is so great about the 4th of July that we here in Malaysia have to celebrate/or do something in remembrance of it? You want to have a gig, go on and have a gig. But you don't have to celebrate the American independence.

REVIEWED: Wasting Light by Foo Fighters


The (largely) general consensus among many critics in regards to Foo Fighters' latest disc number seven, Wasting Light, is of that a return to their rockier root. This, of course, is taken into consideration how saturated (or lush, I don't know) their last two albums were (2005's In Your Honor and 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace), and that by taking a step back and into simpler terms, Dave Grohl and co have came up with something that many people regards it to successfully hitting all the right notes. And on that basis alone, we do kind of agree with the consensus. But scratch the surface and something else hits you smack right on the face.

The one problem with all the talk of Foo Fighters going back to basics is actually kind of misleading, largely for the fact that Wasting Light, after a three solid weeks of listen (yeah, I totally did that), doesn't sound that much different from their last two albums actually. Because, if lots of people were lead into believing that 2011's album is a walk down the memory lane to those days of early FF, then the same people are going to be hugely disappointed. 1995's debut for example had a lot of Kurt Cobain's flavor rubbed all over it - it is more grunge than the modern alternative sound of today's FF. In fact, track number four "White Limo" is a revisit of Dave Grohl's days of drumming for the Queens of the Stone Age, contributing to the fact that the whole going-back-to-basics business is related to something that is a lot more recent (Read: no further back than 2005 - or perhaps 2002, yes?).

And that brings us to another thing about FF - I personally believed that the last time they were actually a rock band is in 1997 with The Colour and the Shape. There is Nothing Left to Lose, though showing a more matured side of FF, also incidentally marked the death of Foo Fighters the rock band, and the birth of Foo Fighters the melodic guitar-based music band. It was, in the grand scale of things, the 'transition' album for FF before the transition comes into full circle in 2002 with One By One. Ever since from that point onwards, their evolution revolved around improving the 2002 sound (or something of that effect).

So how does the final product fare? Well for one, it certainly sounds a lot more urgent and raw than the last two albums combined. Well, for the first three to four songs that is. Then it starts to grow flaccid and progress comes to a painfully slow grind. The other thing that we realized about this album is that it is big with emotions and/or themes of emotions, with track number 10 "I Should Have Known" being the biggest highlight, and for which we are of the opinion that it is the strongest song of the entire album.

In their 16 or so years of existence, FF have achieved a lot to become one of America's greatest rock band in recent memory, moving from a garage-based one-man side-project into a grandiose, arena-sized rock royalty. The only difference being is of course when FF was only a small-time Dave Grohl's solo project, Foo Fighters was a lot of fun to listen to. Now, with the screams of millions of fans from all around the world filling in the background, shouting the band's name, the weariness from all that glam and glitter is starting to become very apparent, and it starts to wear off on the listener as well.

One Day Holiday - A Lone Journo at a Crossroad (Pt.1)


If you go out on a Saturday night more intent on being alone rather than mingle around, that itself defeats the entire purpose of going out (on a Saturday night) in the first place. So I duly make a note of that to myself, unless of course if my social 'inhibition' kicks in, and, standing in one corner painfully trying to look spaced out, which at the very last moment did, and now here I am, in the midst of a socializing crowd with beers in their hand, slumped in one hidden corner repeatedly looking at my wristwatch wondering aloud when is the band going to start with their supposed performance for the night.

Of course, this being Saturday - no need to rush with anything. Heck, the drunker the crowd gets on that night, the better it is for the bar in which the performance is supposed to take place. The bar provides a place in which the band gets to play their gig, in return for the favour the band has to mingle around, shake hands exchanging hugs, kisses and congratulatory wishes while secretly hinting to the other person that it is time for them to hit the bar counter and get another glass of beer. Basic economics - easy. Unless and until the drinks flow endlessly from the counter to the table and into the throat of every patron for the night, nobody's ain't starting anything.

Well - either that, or it is again a case of (yet another) Malaysian band adhering religiously to the tenets of Malaysian time. It's a disease, a lifestyle, a religion, a norm, a practice - this totally un-sexy yet irresistible Malaysian time thing. Oh yes, a few swear words did flew out my mouth on that night as I mumbled to myself quietly while being perched perilously at the veranda of the bar...

Holy shit, from the outside everything looked so good...

The event was for the launching of a mini album of an indie (a generic term that has been bandied around freely, losing its' meaning and personality at the same time) band called Kyoto Protocol. Shame really because for one, this band, despite having been around for a few years now, could only come up with a mini album, something that they probably should have done when they first came about. But hey, who am I to dictate and say this is right and this is wrong. And so at one hour and a half sharp-ish, much later than the earlier stipulated starting time, the band finally makes it on to the stage and kicked things off with the first set of playing covers. Five of them. Oh yes I should add that the band wasn't the only act that is supposed to perform for the night because they were supported by another two acts (both are DJs), and one DJ (couldn't be bothered to get his name - blame me) was first to get the disc rolling. So the lateness is not entirely the band's fault either.

The first set, as mentioned earlier, consists of covers in which two songs I was not familiar with, but much to my delight, Foo Fighters' "Rope" was their second song (Wasting Light is currently on heavy rotation). The other two cover songs were Kings of Leon's "Pyro" and TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me", a tribute to Gerard Smith, the band's recently departed bassist. Then they were off to another break before coming back on stage for their second set - the set in which they play songs off their mini album. A long break, that is.

Good thing they got dressed up for the occasion

Another half hour went by and, sitting on a curb opposing the bar, I finally hear the MC announcing that the band is finally back for their second set. Good. The nearby 7 Eleven doesn't have a very good variety of drinks. I quickly climbed up to the second floor to find the front stage is already filled with bodies. People I mean - sorry. Somewhat a let down because unlike the rest who are there that night to socialize, I was there solely for the music and, well, a parting shot to the crowd at that bar on that night, if a band is performing in front on stage and you happen to have something much more interesting to discuss with your mate, you could do it someplace else. Someone else here is trying to enjoy the performance. Another let down is because the band only played four songs, and then they're done. Pretty much like premature ejaculation, everyone on that night let out a loud disappointed sigh. But then it's good because I get to escape that place which housed one of the most unappreciative (towards good music being performed live in front of them) crowd I've ever seen.

But fuck me they are amazing live. Truly amazing.

I looked at my watch and the time says it is only half past twelve - the night has only just started. A good one kilometer length of the street is lined with bars and clubs, left and right, so booze is never in short supply. But what I'm looking for specifically is entertainment, not chilled Satan's piss in a glass. So I left Changkat B.B. and head towards somewhere else (a nearby area - short walk distance) where it is much quieter and hidden, and not as widely known - Jalan Mesui.

Where then I came across this...

At a neat socializing joint called Palate Palette, another stratosphere of activity was taking place - Fete de la Musique, organized by Alliance Francaise. When I got there, the event is already on full swing and is about to draw down its' curtain but thankfully I managed to join in and watch one performance by a band that I didn't get to their name but technically blew my mind. Unlike Kyoto Protocol which plays a much more direct indie rock, this art jam band plays Improvisational Jazz, with one big guy on keyboard who, on their entire set, somehow reminded me of David Thomas. I don't know why. But throughout their entire set, it of transported me back to 1967 where The Velvet Underground is playing at an art installation by Andy Warhol in a dusty basement. And even better, everyone in the crowd was paying full attention to and enjoying the band's performance. I was already in love with that place. It's a combination of a bar, a restaurant, an art gallery, a cinema, and a place where anyone can have their moment behind the mic.


And right before they wrap up for the night, and I make my way for the last meeting place for the night, they have one fiery encore right at the front gate, beating away to a tribal beat (by a host of percussionists in all-white) as balls of fire on chains swirls around right in front of my eyes, enchanting me in its' mesmerizing beat.

Then I'm off to a nearby mamak restaurant to meet a friend whom I haven't met for a good two years, for a glass of iced Milo and conversation on things that have flashed before our eyes for the last two years. And at that particular time I remember a particular article written by John Cheese about why life will get better as we progress through it - it's all about freedom of choice that we get as we grow older. We always find ourselves complaining about our shitty job, and our shitty life, and our shitty luck in love, and we'll look longingly at the time when we were in the university and thought that was the best moment of our life. Those memories surely are sweet (at times), but nothing is more worthwhile and better than what is now.

And my now, on that Saturday night, is the celebration of my freedom.

The Off-Colored Officer - Khmer Rocks

We'll save all our thoughts to ourselves with this one and let the music talk for itself - this is our all-time favourite song to get stoned to with.

Re-Post: Partimelovers' The-Wknd Session of "Helah"

As promised to a friend, here's a video of the band that I was raving about a few minutes ago (from when I'm posting this). Their music is unmistakably influenced by Ian Curtis, with a hint of shoegazing in the mix as well (different sing). Just got back from the Kyoto Protocol album launch party, got some neat pictures which I'll definitely upload and publish in the next post. But for now: we're off to bed.

LINKED: Kyoto Protocol Album Launching (cont.)


I'm having a good laugh on this one, mainly on the dress theme part: Grunge Rockers vs Indie Hipsters. Flannel shirt, jeans, Chuck Taylor shoes, and horn-rimmed glass? Sure. But that part of having the sense of an under-accomplished douchebag who's completely against everything the mainstream society hold fast to just for the irony of it? That's a tough nut to crack. But otherwise this is an interesting combination because it's the marriage of two ethos: anti-establishment and anti-consumerism. Ah, Chuck Taylors are mainstream right? What's the opposite number to it, and, I have to add, is ironic?

Which brings me to something that I have always long wanted to delve on about - hipsters. I have a cousin who's currently in the Stateside, and I'm having this feeling that somehow he too has embraced the God-forsaken culture. The irony especially, for one, is very thick in his language. Maybe that, or I could hardly understand his increasingly sophisticated American accent. But here's a thing though - Malaysia, ever the keenest adopter of latest Western trends, is not really that big on the hipster culture because, well, the way I see it, it has been somehow tuned to somehow be more accommodating of the Malaysian society. It has been assimilated with other trends so that if you can spot a hipster on the street, he (must definitely always be a he) will most definitely not be a true, genuine, 100% hispter. Or perhaps that is what that hispter on the street wanted me to think. I give up. I know hipsterism no better than any other decent man would have.

Except that they are very big on obscure "you've-never-heard-of-them-before-I-discovered-them-I'm-so-cool" bands. And vintage clothing.

Ooh, and PBR. Wait, no - we don't have it here in Malaysia.

LINKED: Kyoto Protocol Album Launching


So revealed Junk Online, which should take place on the 18th (Saturday - great), starting at 9 p.m. (just when the drinks are about to flow in - excellent), at a neat place called Havana in Changkat Bukit Bintang (charming stretch of road, always loved it, if not for the terrible traffic squeeze). The only catch is that you have to register at the band's website to 'win' an invitation to the party, which I promptly did, and received this in my e-mail:

Well, fingers crossed, I will be there on that night and if permitted, photo-filled report should follow as well. Damn...

Because Good Music Needs to Be Shared - oveourotherarth by LYME


Artist: LYME
Album Title: oveourotherarth
Release Year: 2001
Label: Bongsai Records
Country: Malaysia
Keyword: Art metal, fusion metal, funk metal
Bitrate: 128

Released in the fourth quarter of 2001, this debut and the only album from one of Malaysia's premier fusion metal band covers on such wide-ranging musical styles that it takes more than one listen for you to properly get your head round it. But perhaps the one thing that LYME deserves to be remembered for is their undivided commitment to the D.I.Y. ethos, in which they carried through right until today - if their Myspace page is to be believed. Furiously hardworking, it is already a triumph of some sort when they finally managed to press and release their debut album, all on their own without much help from other underground record labels that were around around that time (and there are quite a few).

Formed in mid-1997, the band consists of two Venezuelan brothers Javier "Cheez" Badillo (vocals) and Victor "V-man-tor" Badillo (guitar), Britain-raised Pakistani Moez Khan (drums), and Azman "Boy" Ali (bass), the only local-based member in the band who hails from the East Coast state of Terengganu. Ardent followers of the underground movement (and gig goers) of the late 90's and early Aughts will probably still remember the band's wildly entertaining and energetic performances all throughout from 1998 to 2001 before sadly real world takes its toll on this talented quartet and brings LYME as an entity down on its' knees.

Though the band have been absent for almost a decade now, the band still maintains that they are on an indefinite hiatus. Well, there are some indication that the band hasn't given up yet, supported by the fact that their webpage is still up and running (do check it out), but we here at G.M.Z. can only wonder when will they make a comeback.

The album, oveourotherarth, has already been long out of print, and even a trip to second hand CD shops in the Klang Valley results in disappointment (limited run of 1000 copies also contributes to that factor, which makes this a rare find to boot). If you find yourself scratching your head over how to pronounce that title and what the heck it means, here's a helping hand from us (remember that the band's name is LYME?):

(L)ove(Y)our(M)other(E)arth

Voila. Yes, they even have one song called "The Trees (Wood Craft)" which opened with the line "And the trees did not fight back / For hands they did not have". But perhaps the centerpiece of this album is the leading single off of it called "Commode Abode", which opens with a Bob Marley's line "Sun is shining / The weather is sweet / Makes me wanna move / My dancing feet". Then Cheez proceeded on about having a shop that sells prostitute brains, talking about the various type of brains that his shop carries and the many uses that his potential customer can get from it, before he started to sprouting political one-liners such as "power in the hands of many is the fairest power of all", and "a little stone killed Goliath / Troy was conquered with only one horse", and right before he ends with a little story about his toilet company. Sounds a little crazy? Perhaps yes. But fun too all the while.

P/S: This album also features an additional 13th track called "Things That Go Bump in the Night", a Halloween song that was featured in a compilation album we have forgotten what it was called. Sorry.

For a review of one song from the album (track #2 "Something) on the image below:


Get the full album.

REVIEWED: Goblin by Tyler, the Creator


Future listeners surely would have developed a much more liberal ear than the current crop of music listeners if to judge based on Tyler's output of today. Not to say that he is the first ever to drop jaw-dropping claims in his musings but as how (unfortunately) his age would have dictated, such colorful language from a barely-teenager-20-something kid surely is still largely absent in mainstream music of today, which then should make Tyler the first in the line. And come to think of how impressionable kids are, we could see a Tyler wannabe very soon. Consider that as a warning - a warning of what kind of state music would be in in, say, five years' time; and a warning of what kind of review this entry would be in in the next three or four paragraphs.

By this time we're pretty sure that everyone would have been pretty aware of what kind of language Tyler converse in - the kind that the elderly will find it to be extremely distasteful - and Goblin, his second studio release, makes no effort whatsoever to even at least be subtle about it. Just like last years' BASTARD, the album opens with a voice of "supposedly" his therapist, but he is there this time not in the role of a healer, of a person who wants to hear and understand what the main protagonist's problems or worries, but as a distant character who just aggravates Tyler's anger further. This time, Tyler is no longer attacking his father (like "Bastard" and "Seven") but he takes on a much wider selection of victim, including those who labeled his music as horrorcore. At times they are funny, at times they are slightly worrying.

Explicit language aside, lyrical subject matter however we found it to be at times inconsistent as Tyler switches from being all grown up and pissed off, dissing just about anyone that does not appeal to him, to being a simple-minded teenager whose main concern is about high-school-love type of crush ("She"). Not that we disapprove of it (though we still find it to be cheesy, and we only dig cheesy stuff that is on a pizza) but if you want to be taken serious, make sure you carry it through from start to the finish.

Keep in mind that Tyler signed a one album deal with XL for this album and it kind of explains why there is this niggling feeling that somehow Goblin feels more like a best of album. Let's just assume that, since judging by how self-aware Tyler is from all his musings, Tyler so much wanted to prove to the whole world that he can do it so that all his dissing would not go baseless that when he managed to sign that particular recording deal, he realizes this is the only opportunity for him to do so that in the end, he put in so much into that single record it comes out rather jumbled up. Again, it's just us assuming that situation - but what is not an assumption is the fact that this record is not focused. And this again is attributed largely to the lyrical subject matter of Goblin, and the other fact that somehow the therapist would go absent after the first five or six tracks. Tyler, in his defense, has laid down a pretty solid groundwork for what is to be the trademark sound of Tyler, the Creator, and all applaud goes to him. Perhaps only on this outing, he lost his concentration halfway through.

As an introductory album to a much wider audience, Goblin sadly does not do much justice to all the hard work that Tyler and the entire OFWGKTA collective has put in five to six years preceding this album. It's a minor let down for us because in our view, it's not a proper introduction to Tyler and what all the hype surrounding him is all about. For first time listeners, this might pass through your radar largely unnoticed (despite the strong words), but for loyal listeners (like us), with Goblin, Tyler has a new album.