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Efek Rumah Kaca's Cartoonish Irony
Courtesy of Ainur RasyidahThroughout the years of writing odes to murdered or missing activists, erstwhile politicians and other characters, Efek Rumah Kaca has perfected the art that many bands can only dream of doing: selling irony well
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Courtesy of Ainur Rasyidah
Throughout the years of writing odes to murdered or missing activists, erstwhile politicians and other characters, Efek Rumah Kaca has perfected the art that many bands can only dream of doing: selling irony well.
At the beginning of the second act of Pasar Bisa Dikonserkan (The Market Can Be Played in Concert), the members of Efek Rumah Kaca were in their pajamas.
Early on, there were people aggressively carrying a mannequin on stage, four back-up singers wearing shirts that spelled letters making up the word 'sale' (later changed to 'sold' in the third act), the word PRODUCT being wide-screened and a pawang hujan ' a person believed to possess supernatural powers to fend off rain ' performing a ritual.
If you've been following the breadcrumb trails that alternative rock band Efek Rumah Kaca have been leaving for the past decade, then this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Is it a political statement made even more cynical by its colorful contrast? Probably. Will we know for sure? Only time will tell.
Just look at the title of this concert: It is a play on their recently released single 'Pasar Bisa Diciptakan' (Markets Can Be Created). The song could be about anything, even about online shops that leave comments on your Instagram posts.
Either way, Pasar Bisa Dikonserkan was ' or was meant to be ' an exaggerated celebration of this sarcasm; complete with clowns, pajamas and confetti.
Split into three acts, Pasar Bisa Dikonserkan was a concert that Efek Rumah Kaca alone could pull off believably. It was a good concert and rightfully so.
The first act sounded like the warm-up. Here, Efek Rumah Kaca ran with their songs with comfortable ease, ending the 11-track set list with 'Biru' (Blue), a song from their new album Sinestesia.
Primary members Cholil (vocals/guitars) and Akbar (drums) along with additional players Poppie (bass), Monica (backing vocals), Abigail (backing vocals), Dito (guitar) and Irma (backing vocals) received a warm welcome from a very enthusiastic crowd inside a very smoky room (the concert was sponsored by a cigarette company, so go figure).
In one of the most touching moments of the concert, one of the band's founding fathers Adrian (bass), whose health rendered him incapable of playing, showed up in a wheelchair at the end of 'Hilang' (Gone) to say a few things. His presence proved to be one of the most enduring moments in the concert. It even topped the clown costumes. After all, he was responsible for some of the best music that we probably didn't deserve.
Things got weirder by the second act, but the band was picking up its pace by bringing in extra help from other musicians: The Adams showing up for a duet of 'Cinta Melulu' (Always About Love), Haikal Azizi of Bin Idris killing his shredding, metallic guitar for 'Debu-debu Beterbangan' (Dust Flying Off) and the tenderness of Tetangga Pak Gesang's folky 'Jatuh Cinta itu Biasa Saja' (Falling in Love is Normal) among the highlights.
Three hours of music can be a lot of work, but the third act did not lose focus and wrapped things up pretty well. It was opened by a clown doing magic tricks.
The string arrangements that accompanied songs like 'Balerina' (Ballerina), 'Desember' (December), 'Laki-laki Pemalu' (Shy Boys) deserve a paragraph of their own. Not only did they sound gorgeous, but they actually added something to an Efek Rumah Kaca song ' a feat that I don't think I've heard before.
By then, the members had come out wearing clown costumes, presumably poking fun at whatever charades only a creatable market can generate. It was satirical only because it felt like it. Again, I can't tell you what the clown costumes meant, but if you've been with Efek Rumah Kaca for all these years, it had to mean something.
Here's a catch, though: it wasn't a very enjoyable concert as a whole. The music was masterful as Efek Rumah Kaca is, well, Efek Rumah Kaca. But it was hard not to step out of the room at times because of the spiraling smoke, which proved to be the most repellent distraction of the concert in a mostly isolated Balai Sartika, Bandung.
On top of that, the sound was kind of butchered. I couldn't hear much or any of Cholil's vocals and stage-banter at times. But the guitar, the horn and the drums fortunately sounded clean so at least there was something to listen to.
But at the end, the confetti machines went off anyway. The last song of the concert was 'Sebelah Mata' (Other Side of the Eye), featuring Adrian back with a singing part. The crowd sang along with the band.
The third act alone was a beautiful moment that definitely deserves its own retrospective in years to come as one of the best performances ever.
Efek Rumah Kaca has left a huge legacy, but the best part about it is knowing that they see no reason to stop now. Despite its missteps, Pasar Bisa Dikonserkan was still a worthy addition to Efek Rumah Kaca's whole arc.
Like before, Efek Rumah Kaca still couldn't resist showing how being one of the best bands in the country is done. And how it's done only takes a few steps and a few pairs of pajamas.
