The general term of the word 'Music' has define as an art of sound arrangements which exists within the sequences to produce various compositions with the used of the melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003). On another hand, the terms of determining the genre of music are limitless. This is because it depends on the exposure of one towards various style of music through out his or her years and also the music background of a person. Hence, different people would have different thoughts and definition to determine the genre of music.
As for my concert review, I have attended a local band performance for 'the AXN challenge' at One Utama, high street on 4th of April, 2009. There were two local bands that performed in this particular event and it was Estranged and Pop Shuvit. However, my main focus would be on Estranged and the genre that I would be examining is 'Rock'. The word 'Rock' was originated from the word 'Rock 'n' Roll' back in the year of 1954. 'Rock 'n' Roll' was actually an obvious reference to sex.Thus at the year of 1964, it was entitle again as the 'Rock Music' (infoplease.
com, 2006). As for being a musician, the genre 'Rock' is the category and direction of music that I have been associated and familiarize with. Therefore, this concert review would be based on my experience, my knowledge upon 'Rock' and also certain readings that could define the further meaning 'Rock' and it's characteristics. The band was formed during the year of 2005 and is quite well known around Malaysia as the band has won several titles for best Rock category.The band members were Rich as vocalist, Din Hormatov as rhythm guitarist, Nor Hanafi as lead guitarist, Azwin Andy as the drummer and Chow Ken Chung as bassist.
Unfortunately Chow Ken Chung has left the band after the published of the newest album "Remain Unknown" (http://www. estranged. info/). The band started performing at proximally around 3:00p.
m. Due to the reason that the stage and the area indoor were limited with addition that they were only guest band invited to perform for the event, the form of crowd gathering was not really much.A total of 5 songs were perform by the band, which is 'Dances of the Spirits', 'The Slave in Us', 'In No Time', 'Yang Pernah' and 'Itu Kamu' (according to the sequence during the performances). The interpretation that the band brings was beyond phenomenal.
This band has established well on defining the Rock bands nowadays, as its electronics used were all generic band equipments, that is the used of electric guitars, electric bass guitar and an advance set of drum sets.They have created well on their original pieces in terms of using the perfectly on melody form, the harmonizing of guitars notes, the upbeat rhythm of drums which generates catchy beats, and timbre which is well produces in the aspects of making pitch and volume not over loud. As for the vocals, Rich (the vocalist) have done very well covering his duty within the band by matching its outstanding voice with the following original pieces.In terms of lyrics, the band have written all their songs in either the language of English or Malay and most of the songs they perform are written based on what is happening within the society nowadays either politically or non-politically. For an example, the content of the song which title 'The Slave in Us' have definitely indirectly shown that it refers towards how certain citizens are blinded by the certain government and following every single steps without thinking where there it is right or wrong.As shown within the lyrics, You have been crawled by corrupted minds its consuming the just from you instead of following the lines feeling aside decided to beat your path.
.. " Besides that another example of how their lyrics were written based on the nowadays societies, was within the content of the song which title 'Dances of the Spirits'. This content of the lyrics have refers towards how teenagers nowadays are mostly confuse, lost and misguidance upon what they wanted to become. At the same moment, they were heavily influences by the society on the decision they would make.As the keywords within the lyrics, 'angels' as people who is supposedly to be the good guy, 'devil' as the people otherwise and 'dead star' as the uncertain and lost teenage within the society.
"Like a missing dead star found out of a tale weren't clearly told the demons last and lost their count and all the angels had to fall there's a line to find a key opens a door beyond believe it's making who we are to be the ones that take but never give... " There might be dozens of hidden meanings or there might be not, that lies within the lyrics which only can be uncovered by the band itself.Although that some lyrical content was hardly able to be understand or to be differenced, but the significances of having them here was how they manage to deliver and compact the content into the particular pieces. As I believe that the existence of music, songs or pieces was not created for mere pleasure, but instead behind every piece lies within a story, a story which tells about all the different lives of being a human, living at the surface of earth.
The definition of melody is a succession of notes which forms a distinctive sequence within a track (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003).Melody is very important in a structure of music, without melody the music would appear as nothing more than just rambles of noises. Upon that, Estranged have indeed applied various types of melodies very well towards their songs and all its songs were legato. The band has constantly uses minor scales (example, A minor) as it identified to give a dark, melancholic mood. Besides that, the band have also exceed well on delivering the music in terms of the polyphony and the polytonality.The form of consonant harmonies that the band manages to pull off was rather astonishing, as its constant used of guitar scales in high and low mode together.
However, certain Intermezzo within the songs like 'Yang Pernah' sounds more likely out of place. The form of rhythm within most of the songs of the band was the most impressive. This is because this band were managed to constantly change the rhythm by applying different strumming styles along with different patterns of improvisation scale and chord progressions.The origin of Rock was essentially a hybrid of different type of style of music, this includes the elements of several black and white American music styles, the guitar blues type of rhythm and unique blue scales solos which where 1st invented by the blacks and the westernize country music and gospel music that mostly played by the whites (infoplease.
com, 2006). Although Estranged is the new type Rock band of this era that have evolve in musical theories and terms, but when it comes back to basic roots of music within the genre of 'Rock', it still remains and still shared the similarities with the earlier styles of music.For an example, during the performance of the song title 'Dances of Spirits' and 'In no Time', Rich (the vocalist) have used vocal styles like shouting, groaning and uses falsetto which resembles the earlier blues style. Another song that is best example to show the similarities with the earlier styles was the song title 'Yang Pernah'. This is because that this song have used the elements of the loud, direct, and insistent beats that usually incorporates to a simple melodic figure in the bass line, which is obsessively repeated in an ostinato which in this case shows Rock's strong relationship with the early styles of boogie-woogie.
Besides that, by paying close attention towards the performance, all of the songs have instrumental breaks which include melody tunes, interrupted by breaks, with an accompaniment of persistent and repetitious rhythm that features the electric guitar which this resembles earlier styles of spirit of country and western. On top of that, Drummer Azwin Andy have shown during the performances have strongly offbeat drumming style which this is also a typical feature of black music making during the earlier styles(Kingman, 1998). As a conclusion, although the concert was rather short in length but it's very enjoyable indeed.As a musician my self, I have learn a lot by attending these concerts. This is because I was not just listening to the beauty of music, but yet I was able observed the use of various new styles with certain combination of the earlier styles.
Besides that, by attending this concert I could also learn a thing or two about stage performances and what the interpretations to be done are during performances. As an old saying goes, to succeed in the future would be not to repeat the past and by learning along, improvement would be a definite.
