ひとりの夜もそばにいようぜ　君と僕の歌を歌う

Kinda disappointed.

So, I thought I MUST vary the music I listen to and not only check out Japanese bands. Which I did, so I've been trying to check out some English music the past two days and also some local bands... I managed to get a hold of that very much talked about local indie compilation album, Support our Local Bands compilation and also a few albums of a few local bands.

And all I can say is that.... Unfortunately, our local scene is still quite disappointing. I know I've not checked out like alot, alot of bands yet, but still.... in the handful I have are all metal wannabes, grunge ripoffs and what have you not. Those in the rock category stands there with their wobbly riffs and tunes that you can really hardly call it "rock".

C'mon people, where is the umph? There's no energy or even drive at all, in ANY of the music I've heard so far. I mean, dude, are they even taking this seriously? I mean, I read our Malaysian local indie scene cannot survive by being in a band alone, so many of them have real jobs and only do this part time. Thus albums are released few and far between. Yet, that said, if the albums are released few and far between, should what be produced be something that kick ass?

Sometimes one wonders if it's really that one major ingredient that's lacking in our local bands, that is, TALENT.

Listening to the bands, you know, actually, seriously, it seemed like the band Dizzy, Jeremy, Jeff, Kok Wah and I put put those years ago really actually had wayyyyyyyyyyy better songs than 3/4 of all the songs I checked out yesterday! I'm serious!

I mean, I don't want to be such a harsh critic, but really... The downloads so far seems like half-hearted, slip-shot work of patched up C,G,Am chords that our local bands try to pass off as "rock tunes" or "indie tunes". The local indie scene, which I had much hopes and expectations for, is turning out to be a bunch of questionable bands producing a bunch of passé and blasé tunes. No wonder our indie is still indie. Because the songs seem to be songs that were written in 5 minutes and jammed out together, recorded and put out as an album. There needs to be thought, heart, and hell, it won't hurt to sprinkle some talent even, on the tunes you make.


Our entire indie scene can be said like this: ONE acoustic omake (side freebie, not even B-sides but like side free song) song by Tsubaki, like that good morning tune, beats EVERY song I checked out last night, hands down.

I'm not biased towards Tsubaki, it's actually TRUE. Because that ONE tune by Tsubaki actually shows more talent than our entire industry. I am dead serious.

That's just depressing.


It's not that I don't want to support our local bands, but really, they really should put more thought and talent into what they make and not be a band for the sake of being in the band. You owe the people who listen to your music more than that.


That said, it's not just the local bands that were disappointing, but I've also tried to check out some new English bands and songs--- and all I can say is that America alternative/indie/rock bands better start making songs that are ORIGINAL. Stop those generic studio crap and actually come up with a good, thoughtful, and CREATIVE album, just for once, for goodness sake. It really wouldn't kill them.

It's so hard to find good rock tunes anymore because they're all frigging carbon copies of generic studio crap. I am serious! Even like an unknown band (with a 24,000 playcount on last.fm), sounds like a carbon copy studio manufactured crap. I'm totally serious.

And then, the hopes of the industry, which are those indie bands who at least, TRY to make tunes with thought and experimentation. But even they are all still hook on those Wilco folk rock crap... Oh c'mon! when are we gonna cut the folk shit away and start making good rock tunes for a change????

Ahhhh, well yeah, you can call me bitchy today.


(ah, i have no comment of Japanese music right now... Not to say they're great all the time, they do have some hit and miss and WTFs?... But still, even when I can't understand 90% of the songs, there are songs that are solid enough musically, to carry you interest, and even move your heart)

(oh and shit, by the way... the ONLY song by a local Malaysia artist that I like was actually a JAPANESE song by the band John's Mistress. It's called Kimi. THAT song, had a TUNE! haha)