Hujan - Hujan

Hujan
Hujan
(Noh Phrofile)

Whenever people write about Malaysian band Hujan, comparisons with The Strokes always come up (and in the case with their haters, claims of being “rip-offs”). I’m guilty of making that comparison too, but have also always insisted that Indonesian band Sheila On 7 is another strong reference point. In fact it’s a more apt comparison, looking at the way things are happening to Hujan career-wise since the release of their first EP last year.

I read an interview somewhere with Sandy Monteiro (a Malaysian music industry veteran) about two years ago, at a time when every single publication in Malaysia seemed to get off on writing obituaries about the Malaysian music industry. For once I agreed with what an industry insider said: that the industry was not actually dying but just stuck in a rut and was in need of that one act to make everyone excited again–just like what Sheila On 7 did in Indonesia in the late 90s/early 00s.

And just as Sheila On 7 made it okay for Indonesian bands to sound a little fresher, and incorporate more modern influences and still be successful, like it or not Hujan’s also made it a lot more attractive for Malaysian indie bands to start singing in Malay, and made a lot more Malaysian kids care more for Malaysian indie bands.

And with Hujan’s debut album, the Sheila On 7 comparison comes full circle.  Filled with wonderfully heartfelt songs–just like on Sheila On 7’s debut Kisah Klasik Untuk Masa Depan–this album is not for all the hipsters out there, but made for us ordinary people who simply want to have a song touch our hearts and lift our souls.

The new songs, especially ‘Jiwa Kelajuan’, ‘Rantai Rasa’ and ‘Dugaannya’, even sound a lot like Sheila On 7. Alongside two more previously unreleased songs, the album also includes eight songs from their two previous EPs (remixed, of course) and a re-recorded version of what I think is their masterpiece, ‘Bila Aku Sudah Tiada’. Gone also are much of the distorted vocal effects (which clearly invited all the Strokes comparisons before), resulting in an album that can be enjoyed by anyone–a right decision if you ask me, as Hujan’s clearly not the sole property of just indie kids anymore. So stop being so selfish, and be happy for Hujan and wish them well.
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Aidil

If you like this, also check out Sheila On 7, The Strokes
www.myspace.com/kugiranhujan

Photo Shermen Mukhtar

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