Releasing their second album in the February of this year, LAIR (pronounced “lah-eer,” a local dialect for the Indonesian word of ‘lahir’, meaning ‘birth’ or, roughly ‘being born’) are a 6-piece psych-soul and funk outfit hailing from Jatiwangi, West Java, Indonesia.
Incorporating local traditions into their sound, a lot of their music is created using terracotta instruments, all of which reflect the local clay trade. Fascinated by ‘journey’ and ‘time’, Ngélar (which is the title of their new album) offers a sonic narrative of their ‘journey’. As described on their Bandcamp page, “Ngélar is a representation of their journey. How they go around, interacting and communicating, to celebrating and making sense of everything that is going on within and around them. For LAIR, Ngélar is a method, a creative process, and—as an album—a culmination of each of their journeys since the group’s founding…”
I’m on my second listen of the album now and can totally appreciate the journeying aspect, for this adventure passes through so many textures, terrains and soundscapes. This is not really an album to skip or pick though, for in its entirety unravels an odyssey of depth, reflection and discovery.
The album was produced by Kikagaku Moyo’s Go Kurosawa and is now available via Rotterdam’s Guruguru Brain label. Tatalu was the first single from this record and opens the album with a fiery energy, capturing the mind and body with its rhythmic clutches. Vocals are spirited, erupting with chants and buzzing tenacity, whilst the melody charges through like an electrical surge as it courses through the many layers. It’s a great way to open an album and starts as it means to go on! I love this record! Check out the wonder of Tatalu above and check out (highly recommended) the album below!
thelisteningpostblog.wordpress.com 