With barely a word uttered in their masterpiece, this band has fully utilized their remotely impressive skill set.

The band made two trips to harness the sonic and partially Malaysian-made backline system on to the set. The arrangement of their entire studio, on the other hand, is similar to a chemical lab setup. Quick comparisons for this band are the proggy experimentation of Mars Volta, ‘90s grassroots hardcore punk of Frodus and the post rock of God Speed You Black Emperor.

Interview

The bands main man, Zul, has been active in the underground circuit for some years now. He was formerly a member of emocore maverics FITRAH and the current drummer of Noise/Slugecore heroes Kah Roh Shi.

The bassist, Ned, was from an Ipoh grunge band Scandal 26. Ned was also a sessionist for pioneer Perakian melodic indie/emo band – the Elms Kids. The roots of the other band members, Mamil and Fie, are just as mysterious as the abominable snowman.

Enjoy Akta Angkasa.

Dengan Ingatan Tulus Ikhlas,
Jimmy Iris

More info on Akta Angkasa here.

Raging Pop Regime

Less is definitely more!

Sphere is a Math Rock (a cocktail of progressive rock, jazz, punk and metal and many other variations of experimental avant-garde rock) quartet formed in late 2008. Unlike many other overly-popularised acts, Sphere has a distinctive style and carries a gamut of complex time signatures that evoke abrupt pauses, offering bursts of intense finger hammering riffage and unpredictable tempo.

What’s even more heart-breaking (for the ‘don’t knows’) about this band, is that they have simply flaunted their technical proficiency, making it look seemingly effortless. This band features former Estrella guitarist Yobe, ex – The Eleanor Shotgun Affair drummer Aiman, and Shahril Imran (a.k.a Big show) on Bass.

Fast Forward

It also comprises of Alang on guitar, with bands such as FLU, Man Under Zero Effort, Oddstar 13, Bittersweet and The Stoned Revivals under his belt – clearly a man of many talents and worthy of his own paragraph. Their influences include Toe, ATDI, Don Caballero, Casket Lottery, Holy Fuck, John Zorn, Rumah Sakit and Shellac. And on a local basis, this band is reminiscent of Sergeant Weener Arms, Custom Daisy and Polaris.

Interview

It is indeed a brave step for this band to head in this direction, which makes it nothing but noteworthy. It has already garnered a following after making an impression when opening for Italian screamo outfit, La Quiete a few months ago.nIn retrospect, this band has been eluding below the radar, playing gigs to small crowds of like-minded esoteric types in jam studios. They have no release till date, so don’t hesitate to savor this video!

Written by Jimmy Iris

Click here for more info on Sphere

Mudah

They were previously known as Simon the Fag and for over seven years now, I/Am/Rain has been Kuala Lumpur’s answer to post-hardcore with a twist of midwestern indie. But make no mistake, IAR has glittered their sound with a cosmic blend of delays and ultra-sonic harmonies radiating within the ambience.

This quartet consists of former members of Elizebelle Tears, globe-trotters Utarid and current members of post-hardcore / screamo flag-bearers, Killeur Calculateur and Orbit Cinta Benjamin, and not excluding post-rock outfits KLPHQ.

Last Day

IAR’s array of influences include Mineral, The Get Up Kids, Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai although one could argue that the elements of Thursday, Sunny Day Real Estate and subtle hints of Hopesfall are diminutively present in their mix. Local comparisons can be Johor derived Reprisal and Malaysian Indie / Emo prototypes, Polythene. They are also professed fans of progressive psychedelia technicians, Akta Angkasa.

Interview

It is possible that many have not heard of IAR for the simple fact that the band has been in and out of hiatus for some years now. As the Wknd team has come to know, they were fresh out of the studio prior to their arrival on the Wknd set.

That being said, we can expect a release from them soon.

Karna Cinta,
Jimmy Iris

More info on I/Am/Rain here

Artificialized

“WAKE UP ARTIFICIALISED BLIND NATION!”

How’s that for a statement? Kuala Pilah born Pusher has chanted such slogans for over a decade now – in form of ear-crunching, nail-biting, straight-from-the-alley reggae infused street punk. And they’re zombie-serious! So what we have here is a ‘kuih lapis’ of the many waves of Punk Rock: from the 77’s, a wee bit of 80’s and 90’s era, with generous hints of unadulterated blues and reggae. All compressed into the culmination of Pusher. With the absence of the Mohawks, that is.

In other words, Pusher would be a crossover of Tim Armstrong’s attitude, Mick Jones’ chunky riffage and Tom Gabel’s social-awareness – without over-doing it. They are indeed seasoned craftsmen: the quartet are also members of Malaysian punk pioneers, ‘Carburetor Dung’ (a.k.a. DUNG), ‘Freygyle’ and female-fronted ‘The Pips’. Very punk rock.

Radio On Fire

Interview

It’s safe to say that in their latest release “Our Beloved City of The Dead”, Pusher has borrowed the elements of Operation Ivy, Rancid, Against Me! and The Clash.

What more could we expect from the final bastion of grassroots socially-aware DIY, and yes folks, it is well adorned! You may get a copy of their latest release…

Yang benar,
Jimmy Iris

More info on Pusher here and here. More info on Knot Records here.

Fine Without You

Not the baddest, but certainly the naughtiest of ‘rascals’ armed with instruments, ready to hit the consensual age with a rampage. That is, within lawful parameters, of course. It is hard not to notice a vibrantly colorful neon-clad unit that is Dichi Michi as they made their way onto the Wknd set. They were previously known as Georgia’s Love, but changed it to Dichi Michi following the tragic death of a friend.

Lost In Final Year

They have also traded-in their clenched teeth for a flamboyant grin as all of the members have had stints in Kajangite Metalcore bands namely Avalon’s Whisper, Arsonist, Starting Fight and Calculate Infinity.  They brought with them a cheery mood, making no apologies for delivering their brand of synth-fuelled, melodic pop-punk – celebrating the trials and tribulations as well as the triumphs of adolescence.

Interview

Any attempts to render this group ‘emo’ would definitely be a no-no. It is apparent that Dichi Michi has extracted its influences from bands such as Motion City Soundtrack, Reggie and the Full Effect, The Get Up Kids, Chiodos and Mxpx, to name a few – although staunch ‘Pop-Punkers’ wouldn’t rule out The Ataris – all of which is a theme widely popularised, constantly reinvented and refined within the late 90’s till date.

Never mind the speculation on offshoots and dissipation of grass roots. In this case, as clearly demonstrated *ehem, Dichi Michi is on its own trajectory, carrying with it a style that will be cherished for years to come.

Class dismissed!

Yang benar,
Jimmy Iris *

More info on Dichi Michi here and here.

* The Wknd Sessions’ guest writer

Stoned Alleycat

Originally from Singapore, the band’s influence can be derived from a wide range of genres, from funk to soul to punk. Having release several demo cassettes in their early days, they released their debut “Golden Lovesongs from the Evil Island of the Handsome Tropical Cannibals” in the mid 90’s. The Stoned Revivals have also contributed their songs to various movie soundtracks, most notably when their single ‘Goodil’, appeared in the movie “12 Storeys” directed by renowned filmmaker Eric Khoo. The album also spawned a single,”Stoned Alleycat”, that went straight up the charts in Singaporean airwaves, resulting in the band receiving an award from the Composers Association of Singapore.

Lagu Cinta Psychotique

Fast track to 2006, founding member and vocalist Esam Salleh, relocated to Kuala Lumpur and started gigging around the city under the moniker of Slowjaxx. His migration of sorts has also brought upon a new life and lineup for The Stoned Revivals, and are set to release a new single in the near future.

Interview

More info on the band here and here.

Attainable Things In Life

One can hear traces of  New Order, Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division in Lurks’ brand of electronica synth pop. Even Britain’s very own NME magazine cited Lurks as “carrying on the tradition of great synth pop acts like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys”.

Started off as a hobby and a 1 man experimental project in 2001, Zach (vocalist) went on to form Lurks , releasing a demo in 2002 that was distributed internationally by the Peacework Music network. More active in the early 2000’s, Lurks have somewhat been under the radar these past couple of years, only submerging with singles in local compilations and on their myspace.

Interview

More info on Lurks here and here.

Semboyan

From what started off as an exploration of computer-generated electronica, rigorous experimentation led to the formation of his namesake, Monoloque – founded by the guitarist and lead songwriter of Butterfingers, Loque.

The ‘project’ was originally an outlet for this Berklee College of Music graduate to realize its fullest potential by pushing the boundaries of his song-writing. Its preceding rock outfit, the Butterfingers was inadvertently put on hiatus following the departure of vocalist Emett – while Loque and remaining members, Kadak and Loco, decided to respawn in the form of Monoloque.

Halimunan Abad Ke-21

Deriving their influence from early Malaysian pop music (think R.Azmi, Saloma, P. Ramlee), Monoloque is set to change the face of Malaysian music in what it believes will be a ‘national’ renaissance.

For more info on the band, visit their official website or follow then on Facebook.

Interview

Tomas

Originally from Kota Kinabalu, Jerome Kugan, a poet, singer songwriter and gig organiser, started to actively play music in the local circuit back in 2000, after returning from Australia and relocating to KL. Having released his debut, Songs For A Shadow (2006), at times Jerome would perform his songs only accompanied by his trusty laptop. His MIDI compositions has been featured in early independent films by Amir Muhammad and James Lee. Jerome was also awarded the 3rd Boh Cameronian Performing Arts Awards for Most Promising Artist (2005) and Best Original Music (for Theatre). As a gig organiser, Jerome has co-organized events such as KL Sing Song, Wayang Kata and more recently Blue Wednesday.

Let You Go

Interview

More info on Jerome Kugan here and here.

White Lines

As with a whole lot of things here in KL, we discovered Diandra Arjunaidi through word of mouth. This 18 year old bedroom songstress uploaded some covers on Youtube, and that got digested pretty well by a lot of people. Recently performed at Moonshine’s 4th year anniversary, her debut performance, Diandra has since moved on to writing some radio friendly originals of her own. Influenced by more renowned pop acts, expect to hear more of Diandra Arjunaidi soon.

Untitled

More info on Diandra here.

Interview