– THE QUIET RIOT –

Marcell Siahaan is a drummer, singer and actor from Indonesia. And while I am by no means fluent in Bahasa Indonesian, I did live in the country during my youth so I can read a good deal more of it than I can of, say, the Kuwaiti discourse around Abdulaziz Louis.

If my language skills are not failing me, his Wikipedia page (written in his native tongue) tells me that, in 2013, Marcell released his studio album titled Platinum Playlist… which “had distribution assisted by KFC”. Yes, as in Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Now, I know what you’re thinking… perhaps SV’s Bahasa isn’t as good as he thinks it is. And maybe you’re right. But if I am and Marcell was, in fact assisted in flogging CDs by the Colonel himself, I find it amazing that the thing Siahaan appears to be most embarrassed about is doing a jazz album.

After all, the record from which Adventure of a Lifetime comes is called This is Not Jazz. Which is odd. Because it quite clearly, quite consistently is jazz.

And for a man whose grandfather played him Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra as a kid this seems extremely weird indeed. Perhaps, once again, something is being lost in translation.

One thing that embarrasses me is the ‘C’ word. I hate all that it represents, it leaves a horrible taste in my mouth and I try to avoid it wherever I can.

However, I will have to mention Coldplay at some point in this review, being as Mr. Siahaan’s track is actually a cover of Chris Martin and Co.’s luke-warm, disco-lite, wet fart of a record.

However, you’d barely recognise it. Updated with a swing beat and buzzing with joie-de-vivre, this version is a million miles away from the original.

Jonny Buckland’s guitar line has been nicked and moved to the sax (a master stroke) and Martin’s bored nasal delivery has been replaced with the characterful – but never clichéd – croon of Marcell.

The net result is that the cover manages to do something quite amazing; making the song more exciting and more energetic through slowing it down.

It’s playful, it’s poppy and yet it still feels authentic.

Thank goodness some things improve through interpretation.

This is Not Jazz is out now through VMC Music.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

SCRIMSHIRE: THE SOCIALS
ABDULAZIZ LOUIS: NIJMA MASHOURA
MARIA CHIARA ARGIRÒ: NAUTILUS
RŌNIN ARKESTRA: COSMIC COLLISIONS

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –