Mid-90s garage rock and grunge is alive and well with the Malaysian revisionists and noise pop crafters Sweetass. Based out of Kuala Lumpur the quartet has been making strides in the music scene since their infectious debut ‘Wa Caya Lu’ in 2018, stretching their wings and tour stations beyond the cultural hotbed that is their capital city (what’s the China equipment of traveling to Borneo for a gig?).

90年代中期的车库摇滚和垃圾摇滚在来自马来西亚的修正主义支持者和噪音流行追随者SWEETASS的支持下依然活跃。自2018年凭借首张极具感染力的专辑《Wa Caya Lu》首次亮相以来，这支来自首都吉隆坡的四人乐队在音乐界取得了长足的发展，并通过巡演将才华施展延伸至首都文化温床之外(话说，要从中国到婆罗洲巡演有什么装备要求?)。

It’s clear the band knows what kind of sound they’re aiming for, jumping with their hearts on their sleeves, and their tongues willingly in cheek, as they stir up a whirlwind of cathartic noise rock that feels like Seattle has somehow been transported to the tropics.   

很明显，这支乐队很清楚自己想要的是什么样的声音，心随节奏挥舞跳跃，情绪随宣泄放飞轻狂， 他们掀起了一阵极具风格的摇滚旋风，感觉能将西雅图掀倒热带雨林。

With more singles trickling out from the band as well as a killer live set courtesy of the ‘The WKND Sessions’ radio program, they’re a band that could easily fizzle out after a year or so. But boy, will they go down in a blaze of glory. 

随着越来越多的单曲被发布，乐队脱颖而出。随后在《The WKND Sessions》这档电台节目上呈现精彩的现场表演，乐队越发火热。经过太多年轻出道迅速走红之后，这支乐队今天取得的成绩，让我在为之感叹赞美之余，不免隐隐担心他们也许会在一年左右的时间内意外沉寂。但是各位，他们真的会在荣耀中陨落吗！

LISTEN

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Suryakant Sawhney had a big year in 2019. The frontman of the New Delhi breakout success, the waltzy disco indie troupe Peter Cat Recording Co., delivered their resounding Bismillah LP last year, culminating in a European tour and a newfound affection for their starry sound. A taste of that here:

Suryakant Sawhney度过了一个重要的2019年。作为在新德里取得突破性成功的代表，华尔兹迪斯科独立厂牌彼得猫唱片去年发布了令人瞩目的LP大碟《Bismillah》，在之后的欧洲巡演中大获成功，人们如获至宝般爱上他们的闪耀之声。在此重现。

Sawhney not only knocked it out of the park with his band but also wowed critics with his solo electronic project under the moniker Lifafa. Some of you may recall Lifafa came through Beijing back in 2015, with the help of pangbianr, strutting his eclectic taste and skillset at Dada, DDC, and even a highway underpass with the Zoomin’ Night crew. 

Sawhney不仅和他的乐队一起出了圈，而且还凭借他个人的电子乐项目“Lifafa”赢得了评论家们的赞誉。你们中的一些人也许还能回忆起2015年Lifafa曾在旁边儿的帮助下来到北京巡演的场景，在DADA、DDC，甚至在一个地下通道里与燥眠夜的同僚们一起炫技，闪耀着他对电子乐的品味。

But 2019’s ”Jaago जागो’ is a different beast altogether. A lucid day-dream that dances between Bollywood aplomb, funk-filled neo soul, sensual synth-driven disco, and the singer’s signature haunting baritone voice (the Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin comparisons are apt but I feel the artist owes as much to the reflective metamorphism of folks like Kayne West and Bon Iver) it’s a musical landscape full of carnivalesque wonders. A tapestry of lush samples, interweaving melodies, propulsive ear-melting beats, and classy charm – crafting a contemporary sound that feels like a breath of fresh air indeed. 

但2019年的“Jaagoजागो”则完全是另一番景象了。一个在悠然的宝莱坞、充满放克的新灵魂、感官合成驱使的迪斯科及歌手招牌式萦绕不绝的男中音之间舞蹈流动着的狂热梦想——法兰克·辛纳屈和迪恩·马丁的比较很贴切，但在这里，艺术家们同样要归功于像坎耶·维斯特和邦·艾弗等人的反思性蜕变。这是一个充满狂欢奇观的音乐景象——由丰富的采样、交织的旋律、动人的节拍和时髦的魅力组成——打造出如沐清风般的当代风格。

• QQ: https://y.qq.com/n/yqq/album/0045WjIl1mIsdZ.html
• Bandcamp: https://lifafa.bandcamp.com/album/jaago

The post Neighboring Tunes: Lifafa (India) first appeared on .

Forests are a force of nature. The math rock riffing, emo-crackling trio have not only taken the underground Singaporean music scene by storm, but have had indie circles around the world enamored with their wise-cracking, explosive, and righteous sound for a couple of years, peaking last year with the release of their sophomore LP “Spending Eternity in a Japanese Convenience Store”. 

Forests 有一种浑然天成的能力。数摇打底的riff加上emo三大件的编排，达到情绪饱满又灵光频现的精准效果，不仅席卷新加坡地下音乐现场，也在世界范围的独立音乐圈引起关注。

There’s a self-aware mischievousness to the way the band plays around the genre they’re beholden to – toeing the line between hilarious self-deprecation and righteous heartbreak – it’s messy, cathartic, dangerously honest and full of vitality.

去年发行的第二专“在日本便利店呆到天长地久”就是其风格的绝佳体现：困囿于自卑与自傲的中二期吐槽充斥乐句的字里行间，杂乱又赤诚的直抒胸臆带来满满的少年心气。

Their shows are one for the ages too. A scrappy, volatile swirl of emotions, musicianship, and youthful vigor that’s hard not to get wrapped up in. While Chinese music-goers were lucky enough to catch them last year in Guangzhou before a short- lived hiatus, my first true taste was back in January where the band managed to pack fifty-plus people into a 30-person max venue. Their set eventually turned into one sing-along after another, with audience members screaming into the mics, bodies being tossed around like ragdolls, and gear coming dangerously close to being crushed by the rambunctious crowd. 

他们的现场很燥。任何人到场都会沦陷于这份临近失控的情绪旋涡、绝佳的音乐才能以及生猛的少年气息的组合攻势。大多数中国乐迷去年在广州看了现场，而我第一次感受他们的热度是在一月份：限员30的场子里成功塞入50多号乐迷

I’d never seen anything quite like it. A friend of mine even started crying when the band caved to his request of one of their quieter tunes (“Tater Tots”). Simply put, they’ve struck a chord with listeners.  

人群一波波向舞台肆虐，演出已然成为大型k歌现场，还有粉丝因为听到自己喜欢的冷门歌曲喜极而泣。这场面实在太少见了。总之，他们的歌挺迷人的

LISTEN

• https://weareforests.bandcamp.com/
• https://www.xiami.com/artist/bC7JlMg4ac46

The post Neighboring Tunes: Forests (Singapore)‬‬ first appeared on .

A couple years back I managed to sneak a peek at Thailand’s budding music scene. One of the bands I was most impressed with was Plasui Plasui, a dream pop band from Maha Sarakham in the northeast of Thailand, whose set was decked out with the lo-fi 80s aesthetics of Cantopop and slowcore–delivering a mesmerizing set of leisurely paced and intricately assembled pop songs chock full of guitar noodling, drowned out vocals and cheeky synths tones. 

来自泰国东北部玛哈沙拉堪府的梦幻流行乐队Plasui Plasui也给我留下了同样深刻的印象。他们在迎合80年代的低保真流行音乐和慢核音乐的审美风格上加倍努力，创作了一系列令人着迷的拥有慵懒节奏和混合元素的流行歌曲，充斥着信手弹奏的吉他，虚无缥缈的人声和随意任性的合成。

I was often reminded of the wave of dream pop bands emerging from the Xiamen area of China (supposedly bands like Sunset Rollercoaster from Taiwan are big business in Southeast Asia). Tranquil stuff. 

事实上，我经常会想起在国内的厦门地区涌现的梦幻流行乐队浪潮（据说他们在这里大受欢迎，比如来自台湾的落日飞车乐队）。波澜不惊、静谧悠然。

Since then, the band has garnered quite a bit of attention in their home country with their 2019 self-titled debut LP receiving accolades from just about everywhere including Taiwan’s ‘耳機裡的新秩序’ were it was named one of the best albums of the year. 

自那时起，乐队的在自己的家乡已经小有名气。并且凭借2019首张同名专辑在各个地方获得了很多奖项，甚至包括台湾地区’耳機裡的新秩序’，荣获了年度最佳专辑奖。

Full album on Spotify/iTunes

The post Neighboring Tunes‭: Plasui Plasui‭ ‬(Thailand) first appeared on .