The Clouds
The Clouds, an indie pop band from Jakarta in Indonesia mark the first exploration in to the country and we find a band that has gone through various iterations since 2001 which currently has a steady line-up of Ipang Bona Drag (Vocal), Aji Wiweko (Guitar), Agus MarrDian (Guitar), Wiranata Agung Tyas (Bass) and Rizal Hands (Drums). Predominately singing in Indonesian, even to the untrained ear, there is no doubt of the melancholy of the lyric which is exacerbated by the lugubrious instrumentation.
The Clouds
There is a generous warmth in the music which emerges from The Clouds as picks of weft create the fabric in which the listener is wrapped. For sure we are reminded of Factory Records, yet there is a floating ambience which counterbalances remorse, rebounding through the synapses, as simultaneously darts of dopamine leave the spirit lifted. There was a study in Nature Neuroscience just a year ago to which my head was drawn as I write.
The Clouds is a superb starting point for Indonesia as the music casts introspections of a country of high humidity and yet an adaptability to which the human condition is adept. Bear with me, if you will.
I spent a little time lecturing on business in Vietnam. After everyone had been hard at work for 10 hours and still a humid night was facing those I was tutoring and lo and behold on my first lecture, I was led out-side and the students climbed the trees in the court-yard to catch any breeze and the cooling effects of the plants. I stood entranced by ingenuity and had to throw my notes away, these guys needing nothing from Western concepts as that adaptation is and was an inspiration. Subsequently when I returned to the UK and provided Strategic restructuring advice in the area of Human Resource Planning, my head was directly back to Can Tho for a lesson well learnt.
You may be wondering, do what? The Clouds have added a layer of interest to a musical space and deserve far more recognition than currently achieved.
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