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Album Review: 'Analog' by Indische Party
Analog is a collection of tracks perfectly suited for nostalgia parties at urban Western-themed bars, arranged by leather vest-donning baby boomers who think “real music” died in the 1970s.
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'Analog' by Indische Party (Demajors/File)
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n their second full-length, retro-heavy album Indische Party goes even deeper into their 1950s-1960s rock and roll obsession. Analog is a collection of tracks perfectly suited for nostalgia parties at urban Western-themed bars, arranged by leather vest-donning baby boomers who think “real music” died in the 1970s.
Indische Party’s production does everything to reinforce its nuances driven by sounds atop songs that reference the blues, doo-wop, swing and fuzzy garage.
Analog’s charm sounds like a best of compilation of ‘50s/’60s rock music.
The album has a good amount of chiming quasifunk guitars and on-point bass playing to drive each track’s special intricacies home.
Yet, the record feels too preoccupied with the flourishes that it is hard to get into much beyond its style. Together, the 10 tracks engage with each other to make a tasteful album, but individually they are not particularly memorable.
Read also: Album Review: ‘Life Without Sound’ by Cloud Nothings
Perhaps the heavy reliance on details keep the band from writing anything beyond ear-pleasing tracks.
There’s the crunchy opener “Terkapar Sudah” (Already Sprawled Out), which sounds like a Chuck Berry song mashed in with touches of The Troggs. The harmony-fueled surf-rocking “I Wanna Dance”, “Serigala” (Wolf) and “Babe You Got A Hold On Me Somehow” are rocking ballads with flourishes of early Rhythm and Blues reminiscent of The Supremes mixed with The Shaggs.
Then, there is the folky strumming of “Ingin Dekatmu” (Want to be Close to You), a hushed ballad with velvety female vocals, a fitting partner to the similar blues ballad of “Have You Ever Cried”.
The album’s best track is “Khilaf”, a glassy retropop tune, which takes ideas from classic Indonesian pop and delivers flowery, evergreen melodies and charming, twilight guitars.
These tracks are instantaneous and catchy, yet do not offer much beyond their referential points, which seem ultimately inconsequential, as if its just regurgitating musical history.
There is no denying that Analog plays well live. Tracks like “Serigala” and “Terkapar Sudah” will easily have the crowd going wild. The overall presentation is garage rock and a loyalty to trusted and true musical arrangements. Do not be surprised if the band becomes the next “indie” sensation to cross over into the mainstream.
Analog is a record that will go over well as it presents tracks reminiscent of the good old days of rock and roll when it was not about computers and technology. However, for everyone else, it could be an acquired taste.
