alternative – Eris Goes To

Time flies when you’re having fun. Heck, it flies even when you’re not.

So it’s been almost a year since my last What’s On My Playlist? video. Someone once told me that the older you get, the less likely you are to listen to new songs. I find that to be true, given the stuff they’ve been playing on the radio these days. That’s not to say everything is bad though – I’ve ‘stumbled’ across a couple of nice new tunes lately while channel surfing.

Without further ado:

CALVIN HARRIS & RAG N BONE MAN – GIANT

When I’m not listening to rock and screamo, I find EDM mildly enjoyable – and they work best for running (when you need to pace yourself to the beat). Calvin Harris’ Giant is one of my recent favourites, thanks to the addictive trumpet hook and Rag n’ Bone’s husky vocals. Does the guy down 10 shots of rum to achieve that kind of scratchiness?

I would be nothing
Without you holding me up
Now I’m strong enough for both of us

AARON SMITH FT LUVLI – DANCIN

Okay, so this isn’t new, but the song resurfaced for Musical-ly or Tiktok or some shit recently. The one that caught my eye was this vid of some guy dancing with his cat, which was both creative and hilarious. The original video is pretty cool as well (let’s just say it involves mannequins coming to life and people with TVs for heads).

Get up on the floor
Dancin’ all night long
Get up on the floor
Dancin’ till the break of dawn

SENSUAL SEDUCTION – SNOOP DOGG

I was just randomly clicking things on Youtube and somehow ended up with Snoop Dogg’s Sensual Seduction. What a blast from the past. PS : Did you know that the ‘explicit’ version actually says “Sexual Eruption”?

All that we ever do is play in the sheets, sheets, sheets
Smoke us a cigarette, then go back to sleep, sleep, sleep

Childish Gambino is one of my more recent favourite artists – I loved the video for This Is America (so much symbolism and layers to interpret!). The original version of Redbone is woke, but the beat mashes up with anything. I’ve seen Tupac & Gotye sampled into this, among others.

Daylight
I wake up feeling like you won’t play right
I used to know, but now that shit don’t feel right
It made me put away my pride

Of course we can’t end this list without my favourite genre to listen to – screamo. Short but sweet, 6 di 6 is taken from Raein’s Ogni Nuovo Inizio album.

Let me know in the comments if you have any great music/bands that you think I should listen to! 🙂

I’ve always liked rock music, but college days were when I really got into more ‘hardcore’ music, so to speak. I loved gigs, rock concerts and the feelings of euphoria one gets from being in the moshpit and letting loose. I dressed to express, and it often got me weird looks from ‘respectable’ members of society. When I played songs in my room, my mom called it ‘devil music’, lol.

Course, these days, I don’t look like that anymore. One grows up and learns to mask things – that’s just how society works. But love for the music has always remained, and I think it speaks to my inner young self – to never lose that part of the identity that has shaped me as an individual, no matter how many fake smiles I have to plaster on in the corporate world.

I was listening to some old songs from the late 2000s and early 2010s, when I was really into the local metalcore scene. Some of these bands have already disbanded, while others are still going strong (with a change of style, perhaps) – so I’ve only listed the old songs that I like.

Enjoy!

Massacre Conspiracy – Karma

MC was the first local metalcore band I listened to that eventually introduced me to other bands. I heard them on a promo clip for Rock The World (an annual rock concert with local talents) and was fascinated by the short snippet they played, so I looked them up (the wonders of Youtube!) and instantly got addicted. They’ve maintained their style through the years, with a new music video in 2018 called An Empty Promise.

Tres Empre – Captivating

I legit thought they were a foreign band because of the Saosin vibes. They’ve largely been quiet since the end of 2017, so hopefully there will be some new music soon.

Arsonist – False Hope

The band is defunct, but their music can still be found on Youtube and an occasional Facebook post. Perhaps a status update sums it up best: “Sekarang pkcik xlarat dahhh.. hahaha!” (Uncle can’t do it anymore) referring to how age has caught up to them. I kind of feel the same way – my last mosh was three years ago and I felt like shit afterwards with the joint pains and stuff… the heart is willing, but the flesh is weak. 😀

Sekumpulan Orang Gila – Satu Melayu / Sumpah Pendekar

They’re still active, with a new album released in 2018.

Ballad for Layla – The Awakening

Disbanded in 2015.

Naratu – Kau Bangsat

One of the oldest hardcore bands in Malaysia that has been on the scene for over 20 years. What distinguishes them is probably that they sing exclusively in Bahasa, which was uncommon back then in this genre.

The Padangs – Waste No Time

They still seem to be playing at gigs and stuff, and have a merchandise line that they promote on FB but no new material (or at least not that I’m aware of).

Have a fun trip down memory lane, and rock on. Now, time for me to return to the daily grind. Sigh.

Tag: alternative

What’s On My Playlist: Vol. 3 – May 2019

5 More Malaysian Bands You Need To Listen To