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Indian Askin – Lonely Citizen (Album Review)

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Who is that guy standing in the corner? He’s by himself and I don’t even think he arrived with anyone. But, how did he know the party was happening? What in God’s name is wearing? WHAT -- is he drinking? That’s not the same colour of party cup everyone else has. Jesus Christ, the music is on and he’s moving like a goddam cult leader through the crowd, swaying beat to beat, gliding with the smoothest shuffle that would make Fred Astaire crap his pantaloons.

I must be his friend. Now.

Enter Indian Askin, headed by Amsterdam-based multi-instrumentalist Nelson Ayala, whose most recent LP offers a buffet of vibes, lush with serving from garage to indie, dance to some trip-hop seasonings.

The lead off track, ‘Possessed’, feels like a smaller club’s version of Deftones’ ‘Swerve City’ (opening track to 2012’s Koi No Yokan), perfectly percussive to get the noggin noddin’ as a setlist opener. And, as the album carries through, there lies an underlying theme of finding oneself, knowing oneself, even in-and-out of love. Perhaps that’s why the album is called Lonely Citizen. While on a continuous path of self-discovery and getting to know who you are, it can be an awfully lonely road. But a road that can only be walked an individual, with no guide or emotional support sherpa. Yet, Indian Askin supplies snapshots of this journey while the music is the bicycle of the varied terrains of struggles, internal or external.

Maybe that’s why this guy is at the party now, to escape.

As this Canadian ponders upon review, I can’t help but feel similar touches from my own country’s talent poking moments throughout the album. ‘Love & Light’ harkens on the mid-’00s indie dance rock band, Metric, for its signature staccato guitar licks, added with a falsetto vocal through the chorus. ‘Gloomy’ offers mid-’90s trip-hop that are reminiscent of King Cobb Steelie’s Junior Relaxer album, with tin-canned malaise vocals, and subdued instrumentals perfect against a hazy morning backdrop.

Personal favourites on Lonely Citizen are ‘I Like Boys’ and ‘Levitate’. The latter stands out in a 3/4 herky-jerky waltz and a well-placed back vocal line that strings the intended unevenness of the rhythm section together. ‘I Like Boys’ is meant for the alternative club dance floor, perfect for the art school freaks, sung from the perspective of a woman (Funda Sevis) who knows what she wants in a man. Her lead vocals are dead center in the mix, then when accompanied by Nelson’s words, held back in the mix and drawn out – meant to act in servitude and accommodate to what she’s dead set on getting.

Nelson and company present us with an eclectic, but not too dynamic, LP of indie/garage/whatever rock. Find a few fellow lonely citizens you know, invite yourselves to a party, and bring the party wherever your journey takes you.

8.5/10

Johnno

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Best Kept Secret Festival Preview - An Interview With Indian Askin

 

Amsterdam’s Indian Askin are Chino Ayala, Ferry Kunst, Jasja J. Offermans and Bart van der Elst. Their debut album, Sea Of Ethanol, came out last month and continued right where 2015’s eponymous EP left off. They’ve been called nu-punk, now-punk and various other fabricated appellations because they don’t sound like a traditional punk band but they play with the speed and energy of one. Ayala’s intelligent indie pop tunes are married to some frenetic riffing from the frontman and Offermans.

The album tracks are tightly written and executed but check out their live work on YouTube. There’s plenty of it. Indian Askin rock out hard without actually sounding like a rock band. All four members contribute backing vocals and each of them throws everything into the performance. They do all this with a smile on their faces too. Indian Askin are the type of band you want to dance about to, then go for a pint with.

Frontman Chino Ayala spoke to Musos’ Guide.

MG: You’re billed as Dutch-Paraguayan, are you originally from Paraguay?

CA: My father is from Paraguay. I was born and raised in Amsterdam. I’m not really Paraguayan but I like to brag about it.

MG: You’re a big fan of the Dandy Warhols.

CA: I have listened to the Dandy Warhols for more than ten years. I’m a big fan, man. I can’t even explain why. I just love that band.

MG: I can hear them in your music, particularly in ‘Answer’.

CA: Oh yeah, the vibe, the poppiness but kind of edgy, the soundscapes, yeah.

MG: Playing live, the songs are longer, there’s more jamming and instrumental stuff. Do you have a different approach playing live than going in to the studio?

CA: Yeah, I recorded the album myself and then I got the band together. I didn’t want to be a dictator and have them play exactly like the album sounds. I wanted to give them more freedom. That’s why we are rocking way harder than the record. And it’s more fun too, playing loud and stuff.

MG: You can tell that you are enjoying playing together.

CA: We’re best friends now.

MG: This is your first time playing Best Kept Secret.

CA: We went there last year as fans to check it out and now we’re playing this year. It’s the festival of our bookers so it’s an inside job.

MG: Are you a festival person?

CA: No, I hardly ever go. I think Best Kept Secret last year was the first time I went and did camping. I’m more a ‘stay at home and make music’ kind of guy.

MG: I was watching your YouTube videos and I loved the song ‘Roof’.

CA: It’s strange that it’s not on the record. It’s a demo that’s kind of old. Maybe I will put it on the next one. It was just a fun thing. Playing guitar on my mum’s garage, just running around and throwing beers. Sometimes cool songs write themselves when you do stupid shit like that. I’m working on some more videos. It’s hard to say if they will ever make it to record. Maybe I will just leave them on YouTube. It’s a cool thing. There are no rules, man!

MG: Do you play just with your fingers?

CA: In some songs I use fingers because it’s hard to switch between that and grabbing your pick to do the hard stuff, but it’s mostly with the pick. My fingers do hurt with the amount of gigs that we’re doing now. I like to hammer on.

MG: You wrote and recorded the music yourself. How did you get the band together?

CA: Just asking around. I asked other bands. The bass player of another band said “You don’t have a drummer” and gave me this number, “Just call it, you need this dude.” I was just asking around and they magically appeared. I’m not sure how it all went down but now I think this is the best band I ever had. It just happened like this.

We were a three piece and we saw this keyboard player playing with another band on the same night and we said “We need this guy”. We asked him and he said “Yes, I’ll play in your band” and now we have him. The whole process was just a fluid thing. I think it’s meant to be. They all studied at the conservatory in Amsterdam. They are trained musicians, which helps because I have no idea what I am doing! The combination works really well. I know chords now!

MG: Who made you want to play music and be in a band?

CA: Dave Grohl. I used to play drums and I was air-drumming to Bleach, Nevermind and especially In Utero. That was the noise album that made me pick up a guitar for real. It’s a cliché to say Nirvana but everybody listens to Nirvana, it’s a cool band. I used to listen to them all day. I think that’s why it’s so noisy. He was a noisy guitar player.

I had a VHS tape of Metallica at Woodstock. I used to watch that with my brother. We went crazy, all running around and screaming. It inspired me too.

MG: You’ve been touring the record at the moment.

CA: Yeah, we play the whole record and throw in some B-sides. At the same time, we are writing the second record.

MG: Will you do this one the same way?

CA: I still come up with the ideas but I let them fill in the parts a lot more than I used to. It’s not right or fair that I make another record by myself when I have this awesome band.

MG: Anything you want to add for our readers?

CA: Yes, everybody should listen to the Meat Puppets.

Indian Askin play Best Kept Secret on Sunday June 19.

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