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ever in the country'€™s political history has music played as big a role as it has in this year'€™s election campaign. Most of the time in past elections, music was a tool to draw a crowd and, as dangdut and Malay-influenced pop were the lowest common denominators, it was mostly obscure and B-grade performers who were dispatched by political candidates.

This year, it has not been business as usual. Top-tier performers like rock and roll band Slank, politically conscious rapper Kill The DJ, grunge outfit Navicula and even the anarchist punk Superman Is Dead have decided to join the fray and throw their support behind Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo.

Later this week, a bunch of death and thrash metal bands with names like Dead Vertical and Reborn Damnation will turn up for a gig billed as '€œRock for President: Against Racism & Fascism'€ '€” the use of the term fascism here certainly tells us the political preference of the bands involved.

It seems like an oxymoron, having thrash metal bands and a punk band, an anarchist one, coming down from their high horse and getting down to the messy business of supporting a presidential candidate.

But that is exactly what can happen when we have a candidate who cannot only present himself on being a clean and reliable politician, which in itself is a rare quality, but also on being a dyed-in-the-wool fan of heavy metal music, which is a rarity in a country where politicians are given to liking, well, sappy Malay-influenced pop (lame-duck President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono released three albums in this genre by the way).

It also helps that Jokowi'€™s rival '€” the Gerindra Party'€™s candidate and former Army'€™s Special Forces (Kopassus) commander Prabowo Subianto '€” won the support of two of the most detestable and divisive figures in the country'€™s music scene, self-styled king of dangdut Rhoma Irama and former leader of pop-rock band Dewa, Ahmad Dhani.

Rhoma is known for his occasional bouts of racism while Dhani is famous for the misogynic views that he proudly promotes on social media.

This battle-of-the-bands type of situation certainly reminds us of the 2008 election in the US when Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama won support from hip and politically conscious musicians, ranging from rock legend Bruce Springsteen to hipster-oriented band The National.

On the opposing side, Republican candidate Mitt Romney got the endorsement of controversial figures like the gun-toting and occasionally racist Ted Nugent, as well as Kid Rock, a musician credited for being responsible for the surge of sexism in rock music.

If we use the US election as a guide, Jokowi could cruise his way toward the presidency and send Prabowo back to his stable on July 9.

After all, music fans are obsessive types (throw in a question about whether Led Zeppelin I or Led Zeppelin IV is better, and you will have an irreconcilable situation, the kind of back-and-forth we see on Facebook regarding the two political candidates).

For metalheads, this election will be the first chance to send one of their kind to the country'€™s highest office. This may not mean much for many of us, but Jokowi'€™s presidency could mean more shows from Slayer or another from Metallica.

But having so many musicians, even the top-tier ones, supporting a candidacy is no guarantee of success in political campaigning.

US presidential candidate George McGovern won an endorsement from John Lennon in 1972, yet he lost to Richard Nixon, who won 60.7 percent of the vote, more than any Republican candidate in history.

In fact, the mix of music and politics can also be annoying. Who are these people to tell me about who should I vote for in the election?

Aren'€™t they supposed to be on stage singing their popular tunes or selling us their new merchandise? American protest singer Phil Ochs once said: '€œI came to be entertained, not preached to.'€

Should we listen to what Slank has to say about Jokowi? It sure has some great music in its back catalogue, but members of the band have made some questionable lifestyle decisions in the past.

I have also often heard that Dhani has made questionable parenting decisions, something that made him a somewhat ineffective campaigner for Prabowo.

So on July 9, if you plan to vote, ignore what these musicians say about their favorite candidates.

After all, it'€™s only rock '€˜n'€™ roll!

'€” M.Taufiqurrahman