AKORDEON – Selftitled (2009)
Artist : Akordeon
Album : Akordeon
Released Date : January 2009
Label : Indie label
A breakthrough that gives a fresh breath of a new sound. One of the senior Indonesian bassist Bintang Indrianto is back with a very unique and interesting album this year. This time Bintang Indrianto brought his other 3 friends with heavy skills, including the using of kendang (the traditional double headed drums) and of course the interesting accordeon, played by the youngest member in the band with the same name in Indonesian, AKORDEON.
Looking at the name, AKORDEON, plus the unique album cover, picturing a traditional javanese woman, one would wonder what’s inside. What Bintang and friends offer with this album is a nice effort of creating a whole new sound by pushing the accordion to the front. AKORDEON is a collaboration project consists of a set of 4 friends that share the same heart and spirit. Besides Bintang Indrianto on bass, there are Kiki Dunung on kendang, Taufan Siswadi on drums and Imam Garmansyah playing the accordion. Drums got together with kendang, with the fretless bass and of course accordion pushed to stand in front, this is the unique effort that creates something new in themes and colors of music. The explorations are packed in a musical journey.
This is an album with “mixed marriage” between musical cultures, various music instruments, east and west, traditional and modern, the melting pot of 4 brilliant musicians with brilliant ideas. A really nice effort we should say, providing something different in the local music scene that goes towards the trend too much with nothing but the same style.
When we start to listen this Akordeon CD, we will find the smooth and cozy tune with the first title “Moving”. This song is like a road that moves you to a new place in a comfort way. It’s a nice smooth fusion that led by Imam’s accordion. The second title, “Ole Olang Wanita, The Answer” is an adaptation of the “artiste” Sujiwo Tejo‘s song served in a lovely bossa nova sytle. This song uses Spanish lyrics written by Cecilia Ventura and Damaris “Cubana” Morales. “Hotwheels” is a well done showdown of fusion. “Krielei Son” is a song with latin touch. This latin touch appears through kendang and acordion with the beautiful vocal of Cecilia. “We’re All Children” delivers a reminder of who we are and what we should learn from life. This song reminds us like a pop fusion in the 80′s, brilliantly written and sang by Steve Wilson. An strong Ambonese touch in energic bossa appears in “Amadeus Wirzon”, featuring Joe Parthenos on vocal and Jilly Likumahua on tambourine. Then taste Akordeon’s visit to pop with the next song “Rasa Hati”. This slight fusion in pop features the beautiful vocal of Sherly O. The album reaches the end with “Rebab” (a traditional Arabic intrument). This is another tribute to the nicest of fusion, again served with heavy touch of accordion and of course with the rebab instrument.
This is a CD that gives us something different than the kind of music we used to listen every day in Indonesia. Big applause for the big effort and braveness to go against the trend also for self-producing the CD. One last thing to mention though, eventhough accordion is pushed to the front, that doesn’t mean this instrument would dominate the whole compositions. The same portion was given to the other instruments proportionally. AKORDEON’s debut album with the same title is giving us the chance to dig deeper to reach the other side of music that we might never been to. It’s definately worth a try.
“Amongst Basses, Drums, Accordions, Keyboards, Kendangs, and Rebabs…
Here it comes the breath, the gift, the gratitude, the trust… and the Love…” – Bintang Indrianto
Tracklistings:
Moving
Ole Olang Wanita, “The Answer”
*addapted from Ole Olang Wanita, by Sujiwo Tejo/”YAIYO” album
lyrics by Cecilia Ventura & Damaris “CUBANA” Morales
Hotwheels
Krielei Son
vocal, song and lyrics by Cecilia Ventura
We’re All Children
vocal, song and lyrics by Steve Wilson
Amadeus Wirzon
ft Jilly Likumahua on tambourine, Joe Parthenos on vocal
Rasa Hati
song by Imam Garmansyah
vocal and lyrics by Sherly O
AKORDEON are :
Bintang Indrianto (fretless bass)
Kiki Dunung (kendang)
Taufan Siswadi (drums)
Imam Garmansyah (accordion)
ps: Don’t miss Akordeon’s performance at GoetheHaus Jakarta on June 11, 2009. (click to read the concert info)
Reviewed by Riandy Kurniawan & JazzLoVa
Popularity: 28% [?]
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