Now, let's hop to it, shall we?

MAIN STAGE

Baroque Pop as a sub-genre name or label has always annoyed the bejeezus out of me because of the weighty pretentiousness of it. But as a sound, it excites me to no end because of the potential sonic colors and layers that the multi-instrumental set up promises.

Scions of this sub-genre such as Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Wolf Parade are known for their heart-rate pumping anthems of drama and anguish. Not to mention the sheer vastness of their live performances.

This is not small stage music, that is why I was surprised to see Bandung-based Angsa Serigala as they were setting up for a mixed line-up gig hosted by a local music magazine at a small hang-out in Senayan.

The size of the stage was roughly the size of two ping-pong tables. As they took the stage, dressed uniformly in black and red, I thought to myself, "how are these guys going to perform without accidentally mauling each other?"

I also had never heard of them until that night, so I didn't know exactly what kind of band they were. I was there to see one of my favorite artists perform and didn't really expect to like any of the other artists on the bill (which is more than often the case). So, when they came on stage, I must say I had my doubts.

But the second they began playing, all doubts were removed. The pounding drums, the guitars. Glockenspiels and various other instruments began to blend beautifully, instantly lifting my spirits and shifting my attention to them.

Musically, these guys know what they're doing. They played in perfect time with each other through complex compositions, and the choral vocals gracefully floated over the big bold waves of the instrumentation. I was impressed.

Although their sound (and look) is not very original at all, there is uniqueness about Angsa dan Serigala: their dedication to the sub-genre and their insistence in making it work and popularizing it here by writing lyrics not only in the Indonesian language, but also in an Indonesian context.

The band was first formed in March 2008 by 6 friends: Araji (Guitar/Vocals), Indra (Lead Guitar), Poppy (Drum), Mega (Pianika / Vocals), Annisa (Violin) dan Kang Jack (Bass).

After going through various incarnations in which Indra and Annisa departed to other careers in Jakarta, they finally found the line-up that suited their needs and rounded up the number to an even 10 with Danny and Afifa filling in the gaps as Lead Guitarist and Violinist, as well as the addition of Ardith (Keyboard/Synthesizer), Angkuy (glockenspiel), Irwan (Trumpet), and Hamdan (Trombone).

When asked why choose a sub-genre as complex as Baroque Pop, here is what frontman Araji had to say in a recent email interview: "We were drawn to this sound basically because we want to make a music concept that is not very widely known in Indonesia.

We think that Baroque pop has an interesting combination; it brought classical music elements into rock n'roll music back in the sixties... If this kind of thing is still considered to be new in Indonesia, we are trying to offer something new for Indonesia's music lovers."

As you might imagine, with a line-up that big, the song creation process can't be a simple journey. It is a convoluted process involving compromise and attention to the layering of sound.

"The song creation process for us is a tricky one. We usually start with a fairly rough concept of the song with a draft version of the lyrics.

Throughout the process, we will both work on the arrangement of the song while polishing the song's concept and lyrics, and every instrument will blend their own arrangements into the song scheme.

After the all the pieces are set inside the song scheme, the final composition process is begun to make the song ready to be played in front of our audience." Araji explains.

Angsa dan Serigala, despite a lack of total originality when compared to an international level, is definitely an act to look out for. Their skillful compositions and vibrant stage performances are definitely something that is rare in our current local scene, and they should be commended for that.

I highly recommend Angsa dan Serigala for people who like Baroque Pop bands, not only because they sound and look the part, but because of the decidedly local twist they put to it.

Only a couple of songs by them are available online, but they are currently in the process of putting together their first album.

For now, you can hear their stuff at www.myspace.com/angsadanserigalaband. Be sure you let them know what you think of them by leaving comments.

That about wraps it up for this week. Stay tuned next week!

Meanwhile, do drop me a line at undergroundhum@yahoo.com and if you've got a band or know of any cool bands with gigs coming up, email me the full details and I'll be sure to include it in the next Reverb.

See y'all next week!

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