Da’ KRUsader’s Manor™

I thought the issue of CDM would end when they were eliminated this past Tuesday. But I know their fans or sympathisers out there are still very much sore with the less-than-flattering reviews I made about them throughout their journey in this competition. Just today I received a retort from someone by the name of “Man Shaggy“. Before anyone out there shoots him down, let me just say his reply is one that I always welcome from those who do not agree with my comments. To summarise, his is a welcoming and very much civilised retort. This was what he said:

“Hi,

I like reading your blog but do apologize right if this sound harsh to you.
Absolutely i Agree with lazer hika comment reting for his debates******, from the start reading your blog the way u convey your message about cucu datuk merah throughout thier journey in anugerah band is all bad errr kutuk2 i have to say this bro.Obviously the fans wont like it and your blog is open to public to view,he have the right to blow out your blog.Truthfully from the start reading your blog rabak bro you kutuk cdm.Untill well the die hard fans he the lazer Hika blow out your blog then you stop writing and condemn cdm.

Well end of it too bad they are good.Thanks pujjangga malam

Cheers.. ya…“

First of all, any retort of this nature is not harsh to me. It is one that I’ve come to expect from those who would like to leave their two cents worth. I pride myself in being as civilised as possible when pouring forth my thoughts and having a certain degree of class to criticise without sounding vulgar. Likewise I expect people to debate, agree or disagree with as much grace and dignity. But then again, human characters differ from people to people. You can’t expect everyone to be the same, lest the world will be colourless. Of course, a little decorum would go a long way in making others respect your opinions, no matter how wrong or right you are.

Back to the comments. Right from the very start, I have been very critical of bands who have not shown a certain amount of quality and consistency that would make or shake this small industry of ours in time to come. It is very easy to pinpoint and say that I was very critical of CDM right from the very start, but I think you also missed out on the fact that I had been equally damning towards Putra, Helven, Keigo Sphinx and Silksutra. Even two of the finalists, Fatskunks and Rancour, were not spared from my criticisms. Short of being angry and disappointed, Silksutra sent me a Facebook Funwall message thanking me for my comments and using them to spur them to greater heights. I believe that should be the way, turning negativity into something positive and improve as you go on.

It is not true that I stopped “condemning” CDM, if that’s what you called it, when you-know-who came along. I just refined my words and did not stoop to her level, knowing fully well that adding fuel to a raging fire gets you nowhere. Like I mentioned in one of my previous entries, blog reviews are solely the views of the reviewer. It is his / her own opinion on something. What I like, what I dislike, what I am receptive to and what my ears reject are there for all to see. Some of you might not agree, but this is by no means the Official Blog of Anugerah Band for me to wax lyrical on every band, even if they do not sound esthetically nice to the ears, my ears.

I am not like a certain judge where even the not-so-nice becomes sugary and sweet. I don’t believe in having to use veiled words when wanting to get my points across. More often than not, you’ll end up confusing the very same people you want to see improve. It’s a simple rule of the thumb for me, if you are good, I’ll say you are good, if you are not then likewise I will say you are not. So if you have a problem with my honesty, then please do me a favour and type your own review, where you can have the entire space to rave, mask whatever flaws your personal favourites might have and put them on the pedestal like you so wished them to be.

It is only the opinion of one blogger, one that does not have any musical qualifications to back him up, that has made quite a few people jump. You guys should be extremely thankful that the media here is not as harsh as those across the Causeway or even in Indonesia. If the opinion of one blogger can cause such a storm and that too before being crowned champions, then I’m sad to say, we are still not ready to make headway abroad or even internationally. Ask any of those artistes who have made it abroad and they will be glad to tell you that their experiences with the media there is so much different with those over here. Some say that the media here is too nice sometimes. We can’t get anywhere by being too nice.

If you ask me, people like Rafaat Hamzah and Zoul are fine examples of good judges. They tell you things as it is without beating about the bush. But sad to say, our community is still not ready to receive brutally honest opinions. Which was why Rafaat got so much flak during the Anugerah Skrin in 2006. Like the analogy of parenting, you scold your kids because you love them and not want them to do things that they shouldn’t do. In this case, criticisms were dished out so that the group could improve. Yes, they are professional musicians. It is this undeniable fact that made expectations of them even stronger and greater.

I do not wish to start another round of worthless debating. I considered whatever that has gone on over the past week as water under the bridge. I never said CDM was shitty or crappy, did I??? I just didn’t like the way they have portrayed themselves throughout the competition, knowing fully well that they did marvellously in the audition rounds, to the point that a lot of the other groups installed them as favourites to win the competition. Yes I expected them to do well, but sadly in my personal opinion, they did not. I had to give a fair review and based on what I heard and saw. And if being fair and honest are not good enough for some people, then I’m sorry, I am not one to compromise my principles…

The following comments below is an excerpt of my last paragraph in last week’s semi-finals review:

“General Feelings - So far, only Trabo and X-Tech have shown that they are worthy finalists. If you ask me who should go through amongst the remaining four, I would go for Fatskunks and Rancour. Don’t ask me why I chose the other two. I just feel that they might make the Final a bit more interesting and they are much better vocals-wise. But of course fans of Cucu Datok Merah and Putra will not agree and leave more nasty comments in my blog. “

It’s already more than half an hour after the show had ended and the names of the finalists announced, but still I can’t wipe this smirk / grin / smile off my face. My handphone has been bombarded with smses from friends who were laughing away when they knew who got kicked out this week. You know, it is so tempting to join them and the urge to gloat is so strong in this entry, after what happened over the past week in my blog. For those who are not in tune over what has happened, you guys were treated to a verbal tete-a-tete between me and a blog visitor who calls herself “Lazer Hika” a.k.a. “CTGucci” (her blog has since been taken down due to her sudden popularity), which culminated in yours truly being attacked for knowing nuts about music. This particular sentence still rankles in my head till now - “haha with this kinda blog written by PUJANGGA MALAM memang kau malam ah pasal kau buta taktahu tulis, fair kau ckp gi belajar dulu dgn reporter dulu ah sebelom type!“

Somehow I feel that there is no need for me to stoop to such a level. The results tonight have more or less vindicated my stand and position as a bonafide music critic, albeit as one who does not possess professional qualifications. Yes I am extremely delighted that my predictions last week were spot-on. But at the same time, for all their shortcomings, one has to applaud the two groups whose journey ended a while ago. They did their best but their best just wasn’t good enough. At the end of the day, you want to see quality groups gracing the Final and with X-Tech, Trabo, Rancour & Fatskunks, you know that they have been showing some form of quality over the past eight weeks, even if not that consistently, to warrant a place in the Final.

Even though the Final is only next week, I felt like a winner tonight. To the voters and judges, I thank you for having the presence of mind to choose what you felt was right, to lift the standards of bands and to make the Final an intriguing affair. There is nothing left for me to say on the episode I went through last week. I do not wish to add more salt to her wounds. The pain and numbness is already unbearable and I do not want to add more fuel to fire and let the matter rest. As I’ve said above, the results have already answered my observations so far. I have nothing else to prove except to continue giving good, fair, honest and sincere reviews for my dear readers to enjoy.

This past weekend was filled with a lot of activity for me and the family. We had three invitations to attend to and fortunately they were all spread out over the two days. I like it that way, if not, I would be reflecting afterwards and feeling all guilty about eating so much in one day. That’s one of the reasons why Hari Raya visiting is not what I look forward to annually, even though I love it for the sole reason I get to meet my relatives and friends that I only see once a year.

After spending the first two thirds of Saturday cleaning the home, we set out to Aloha Loyang for the birthday party of the Marthin brothers - Samuel and Hizqeel. It was a grand affair so to speak, with a magic show and a corner to have your caricature taken. The kids enjoyed the show of course, likewise the parents who made up of mostly fellow bloggers. Me??? I wasn’t into the show as I was busy pacifying Syadiyah who was jolted by the loud sounds and then I had to look after Syahindah who was walking all over. I didn’t quite liked the voice of the magician anyway, but I guess he had to do what he had to do to capture the children’s attentions. It was for the kids anyway.

Celebrity sightings… Can you spot two of them???

My eyes glistened when I saw the food, especially the yummy pastries that the host, Diana, is known for in the blogging world, besides selling fashionwear for the fairer gender. The last time I had those pastries (eclairs and cream puffs) was during my wedding when Diana kindly donated them as part of the gifts exchanged. So it was good to taste them again but of course I only took a bit as I had to watch my diet. We left the place some two hours later, delighted for the fact that we made the host happy with our presence and knowing that my daughter enjoyed herself playing with the other kids.

This event also introduced me to bloggers I have not known before and the opportunity to meet those I already knew online in the flesh. Most of them were strangers but it did not deter me from smiling at them whenever our eyes met. I think smiling is the least we could do to break the ice and I certainly felt the warmth given by a few of them who not only smiled sincerely but did so genuinely. But of course there were a few who turned up their noses as though they have blue blood, which I will not elaborate further. Plus it’s not as if it was the first time we crossed paths in life. I would rather be friends with the warm ones than the cold fellas…

Sarah Qistina taking a nap…

On Sunday, we attended two Tahniq events, one for the newborn daughter of my childhood best friend Dr Sophian and the other for the newborn son of my old friend, Kak Lynne. Sophian’s daughter’s name is Sarah Qistina and Kak Lynne’s son’s name is Izz Danish. One thing I liked about these two events was the fact that I got to meet my friends after so long. It’s already a year since I blogged about Sophian’s wedding and how time has flown. Likewise Kak Lynne who is now based in Copenhagen and is back for awhile. A pity I did not get to take the photograph of her son as he was being passed around and I was busy chatting away with cousins Ezaad and Julie at the event.

Sunday was also the birthday of my beloved queen - my mother, who turned 55. We held a surprise dinner for her at “J’s Wok & Grill” at Bedok North. The idea to surprise her came from dad, who is not known to show his romantic side for all to see. Which of course took us kids as a surprise, but it was a nice one to have. The plan was for us to be there before they arrived. Prior to that, none of us had wished mum since every year in years past, we would do so first thing in the morning. Coupled with the fact that I took Syahindah away for the day, she ended up being grumpy and not being able to spend time with her grand-daughter. Even my sisters told a white lie about attending a birthday party and dinner with friends till perhaps she felt neglected on her special day. But of course, which ungrateful offspring would forget his / her parents’ birthdays???

The good thing about this restaurant is that they have a function room on the second floor, so we were all waiting for them there. Initially mum and dad sat at the first floor and mum was pissed when the waitress asked if they would like to move upstairs. Mum of course didn’t quite liked the idea since it was just the two of them and the restaurant was not packed. But she had to follow when dad started to go. You can imagine the shock on her face when she saw us all, our family as well as my in-laws. Naturally the tears flowed and I was instantly reminded of the wedding anniversary celebrations of my uncle Dollah and aunt Faridah last year.

The dinner bill was paid by dad and we, the kids, bought mum an Hour Glass shopping voucher. Contrary to negative internet reviews on the restaurant and its menu, my family love the food as well as the ambience there, which explained why we were there for the second time in a month. Maybe through these reviews, they have taken steps to improve them, which was why we could not find much fault with the food served. The waiters and waitresses were also always on hand to assist us. I’d strongly recommend the Fillet in Cream Sauce and Chicken Chop for those who would like to savour the tantalizing dishes there.

Obviously I’m not in the picture as I was the photographer…

I think this verbal tete-a-tete is not getting us anywhere is it??? When you’ve tried your best to be as rationale as you can, when you’ve explained your own rhetoric and looking at things from an ocean’s perspective, but yet what you get is flak and name-calling from someone you’ve tried to debate intellectually, you know it’s not worth it to go on further debating a lost cause. Here we are, only in the semi-final rounds of a reality competition, but criticisms and highlighting of flaws are already being hard to swallow at this stage. What’s comical is that, the ones who are jumping over hot coal are not the band members themselves, but their ardent supporters.

Goodness gracious, I shudder to think what would happen in future if they get flak by the media, be it local or foreign, this too after being crowned champions. What will be their supporters’ subsequent reactions??? Spam the forum pages with more emotion-filled, laced with hate comments??? Shows how mentally weak some people are and goes to show that you’re not ready for the big time. Cos to be an artiste, you’ve got to take criticisms on the chin and move on. What does not kill you, makes you stronger. As fans, it is ok to be defensive, but not too overzealously defensive till you’ve lost touch of reality. How to improve if you cannot take in flaks and criticisms??? What’s the point of wallowing in self-pity when you can channel all the negatives into something positive???

So with the following latest comments made by my ardent reader “Lazer Hika” a.k.a. “CTGucci“, I rest my case and will not debate with her further. I hope my readers have enjoyed this over the past few days…

“Cyber war shit well goes to a jinx is awalys a jinx!CDM no matter what i’ll support u till end!Your performance have been improving!

we’re just trying to help each fellow musicians out!watda**** haha helping this you call help!!!!!!haha with this kinda blog written by PUJANGGA MALAM memang kau malam ah pasal kau buta taktahu tulis, fair kau ckp gi belajar dulu dgn reporter dulu ah sebelom type!

From the CDM die hard fans….“

I thought when I came out with my own defense and explained the rationale behind my reviews in yesterday’s entry, it would more or less appease some broken hearts out there, or should I say those who suffered from sore eyes from reading my not-so-worthy entries. And so, we continue from our verbal jousting from yesterday, with another reply coming from you-know-who, this time in the Anugerah Band Semi-Finals Review entry:

“This is to all who disagree with CUCU DATUK MERAH,gimmick in a band competition can be accept then rather to show their talent in ROCK music ONLY!They are perfectly good band!!Professional music player, fyno the singer has his own style to sing with a slang bit when he sang ..THUMBS UP BRO!From the day 1 till now your band have been showing ur talent in playing different type of song.To win this anugerah band have to show this man as you can see how from day 1 till now all the rock2 music band how many had been chosen.

Even in the semi’s there is 3 rock bands only im sure they will choose 1 band only in that category.Ni zaman bila bro nak perform rock metal ah!CDM i’ll support u buat bodoh sudah dgn ni semua apa kisah drg ni semua banyak cakap ah muka pon tak masuk tv nak comment ni tu ah band entah2 band istrument pon taktahu main!Cakap pasal vokal entah key nyanyi sampai tak!

Back to the topic…
XTECH IS XTECH yaa true but this is not a competition for ROCK MUSIC! A band has to perform n show their talent in any category song!
Excuse me if this not a competition yes you can mention XTECH IS XTECH because cant deny they are great in ROCK METAL!
As vocal wise in Singapore indutries Music do you think ALIF AZIZ are perfect in vocal wise huh!“

Gimmicks are welcomed as a form of surprise, an element which would spice your performance on stage. But there is only so much gimmicks can bring you. First and foremost you are supposed to enthrall the crowd with your energy, your voice, your showmanship as a singer, and at the same time need your group members to support you with their attitude on stage and responsibility in churning out the needed melody that accompanies you. You are not doing a magic show or a circus act. Gimmicks do not always translate into dollars in the long run. Too many gimmicks by a singer or a group are a bore sooner, if not later cos they only concentrate on doing spectacular stuff which then affect their overall performance. Just look at what happened to Helven.  Another way to look at it is that gimmicks do not reflect your seriousness in delivering a quality output, or worse, to mask your apparent flaws. If gimmicks are your cup of tea, then I presume you are a big fan of Moscow Circus or David Blaine, yes???

Goodness you’ve been harping about this professional musician thingy since yesterday as though I don’t already know or I have not made any homework. It is because of being professional musicians that people expect them to deliver top-notch performances week in and out, which they have not been showing on a regular basis, at least from my point of view. You complain about having three rock bands in the semi-final, I say all except Fatskunks are rock groups, just that the rock differs from group to group. But oh well who am I to judge right??? I can’t even play a damn musical instrument nor sing a crappy tune…

The last paragraph kinda gave me some food for thought. True this is not a competition for rock music, but the organisers themselves did not spell out properly that bands, or the winner in particular, have to be versatile in many genres did they??? If that had been spelt out, then obviously all the groups would have experimented with different sounds or at least have one week where they must play raggae, or one week where they have to sound pop-ish. You think these groups that were asked to do something different from their comfort zones enjoy doing what they do??? Does it ever reflect their true feel, their passion and translate into note-worthy performances??? I had a chat with one of the members of Silksutra a few weeks ago. Prior to the episode before they were eliminated, he said one of the judges told them to stick to what they do best and what they are comfortable with. Isn’t that a strong indicator that the groups should highlight their strengths rather than their weaknesses??? Why in the world do they need to dabble in something they are not comfortable with and shoot themselves on the foot???

And why in the world is Aliff Aziz in the picture??? Aren’t we commenting about Anugerah Band instead of Anugerah??? Hello, please do not confuse my readers even more. Yes, I know some of you still have doubts about Aliff and his husky voice, his breathing technique yada yada yada. The fact is, he is laughing all the way to the bank, he has already made inroads across the Causeway, he was nominated in both APM and AIM (which is no mean feat for a local act), which of course tells you that if his voice was just so-so, would the people who nominate him be tone-deaf or select him for the sake of filling in the categories when there are quite a few decent male singers around??? Granted that he might not have a voice as melodious as Anuar Zain, or charismatic like Taufik Batisah, but when it comes to carrying our flag proudly on foreign shores, you can jolly well know you can count on him to make you proud of your local acts. 

You know “Lazer Hika” or “CTGucci” or whoever you are, I can be extremely childish, bend backwards or stoop to your level and say this is utter piece of garbage with a lot of grammatical errors to boot. But I’m not one who loves to laugh at other people’s shortcomings. You want to pour forth your thoughts, please jolly well do so without angsty emotions. Like I said yesterday, if you can at least share your own experiences sitting in the auditorium week in and out and give your own fair share of reviews in that white elephant blog of yours, people would at least take notice of where you are coming from and at best be another alternative media which people would want to read. Running your mouth like a broken piece of record and thinking from the comfort of your coconut shell only make others, me especially, hate your beloved group even more. Please do not soil my blog with your lop-sided thinking.

I’m compelled to blog about the following comments from one of my domain visitors. I dunno whether to laugh or be angry, but since I’m smiling as I’m typing this, I think the former sounds appropriate. I love debates, and I love to hear alternative views even if I don’t agree with them. At least I learn something from a different perspective and try to be in other people’s shoes. But I get peeved when people rebut with angsty emotions just to put their thoughts across. For the benefit of those in my Multiply network as well as those who don’t read the comments left by visitors in my main domain, here is what a visitor who calls him / herself “Lazer Hika” had to say and this was posted about an hour before I typed this entry:

“First & Second Performances..
omg for your info CUCU DATUK MERAH is the BESTfrom the start till now they have been performing different type of music to showcase their talents man!For sure they will make it to the FINAL!Those who know about music and band will support CUCU DATUK MERAH, thats y they are still in the semi’s round PASS EXPRESS!Furthermore they are proffesional band player thats y any music for sure they can play.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MUSIC AND BAND HUH?Seems you only know to comment on their vocal wise.
Sixth Performance..Xtech is Xtech what the F*** for your info from the starting till now they are only concentrating in HEAVY ROCK METAL!In any reality show will never agree in this,XTECH should show any type of music to play to win anugerah band man!

Reading your Sixth Performance makes me reply to this coz i really disagree with you. Truthfully reading your blog is just reading someone who don’t know how to appreciate MUSIC and this is a competition band show man! The 2 band which you mention Trabo and X-tech which they are related somehow only know to perform Heavy rock metal band. FOR SURELY ANUGERAH BAND ARE LOOKING FOR A RATIONAL BAND WHO CAN PLAY VARIETY SONG NOT ONLY ROCK METAL!

Since all the way i’ve been there seeing they perform live my judgement FINAL CUCU DATUK MERAH,PUTERA,FATSKUNKS & RANCOUR will be in FINAL!“

About who is the best, it’s really a subjective matter. And as to who would enter the finals, it’s down to the judges as well as the fingertips of the voters. My ears say Trabo and X-Tech have been the best so far, some of my visitors have agreed and some have not. That’s absolutely fair enough and I respect that. I was initially drawn to CDM as what Cucu Datok Merah is known for now, when I watched the very first episode of Anugerah Band. I thought this was a group that has something good in store for the watching audience in upcoming weeks based on the clips of them during the audition rounds. To say that those who know about music and band will support CDM is a very one-sided comment coming from within a coconut shell. You have to remember, 50% of the marks come from the judges and the other half is by the voting audience. If you have a strong fanbase, good for you. Of course they have been performing different genres for the past few weeks, but can you safely say they have pulled off good performances??? Have you easily forgotten how they shot themselves on the foot in the second episode???

What makes a good band remain in longevity??? It is by staying true to their nature, true to their art, true to their craft, true to their form. You look at Search and Wings and how long they have been in the industry. Have they ever tried to dabble in anything other than rock??? Gerhana Ska Cinta, a group that plays ska and raggae sounds have been around for a decade, which is considered long in industry shelf life, and even if they are not as popular in the mainstream than underground, they still have a sustainable market and people still flock to their shows. Back to CDM, I don’t deny they have tried hard, but sometimes it is best not to be a jack of all trades but master of none. So what if you’re professional musicians, even professional singers do not always perform well when crunch time comes.

I might not know about the technical aspects of music like some of my learned visitors, but I do know when the music sounds good and when it does not. I believe you’ve lost the plot when you chose to scrutinize my comments on vocals, when in fact I have also mentioned about musical arrangement and other aspects. Of course as someone who has the benefit of watching live, you have the advantage of seeing and hearing in the flesh how the sounds were emitted as compared to a couch potato like yours truly. Watching live and watching on television is different. With the sounds and noise made by the audience, even a frog croaking or in the words of one of my Multiply visitors, “suara macam kambing“, can also be music to the ears.

Looking at your emotion-filled comments, even Jatt Ali looks like a criminal in your eyes, since he himself agreed that X-Tech is X-Tech. I can respect the comments made by the visitor before you (Asfi), even if he is a CDM fan and proud of it. He gave his thoughts and rationale in his blog which even the most sceptical of fans like me can say he has good points to put across. Truthfully reading my blog is just reading from someone who does not appreciate music eh??? Why bother coming in and read then??? Ooooppsss I forgot, the official media and website don’t update as often as you would like them to, which is why you have to drop by this site that provides an up-to-date service for gleeful readers like you to come in and drop bombs without thinking in the bigger picture.

If you think you have substantial reviews to provide, then by all means, please provide a service to the nation and don’t read this blog. You should know damn well reviews on blogs are the typist’s prerogative and point of view. I try to be fair and give credit where it’s due and heck I have no affiliations whatsoever to any members of the groups who are still participating or have been knocked out. What my ears and eyes reject, I will say it, and I will say it bluntly and call a spade, a spade. You want to come in and rebut, by all means do so with dignity, grace and mannerisms. You don’t see me disagreeing by using uncouth vocabulary do you???

I admit I’m not a rockish person, more so if it’s rock metal, but hell I appreciate this genre and feel that if Singapore bands are only good at this then they should just stick to what they know best and strive with it. One distinguished visitor in my Multiply site brought up an interesting food-for-thought. Rock has been around since the 70s. Those teenagers, 20 pluses, hell even 30 pluses back then loved it. Fast forward to the current time, these people are already parents, while others have already gotten the grandparent tags. Don’t you think that deep down somewhere in them, they still love rock??? Would they still accompany their kids or grandchildren to rock concerts / gigs??? I say why not if their interest have not waned over the years???

For your sake, I would love to see CDM emerge champions and then I want to see how long they can sustain in this industry. Or better still, if there is a market for them or any other bands out there. I’ve talked to a few people who have been in the industry for quite some time, some have even been kind enough to share their thoughts and all have painted a bleak picture. For the sake of Singapore bands, I hope this will not be the case and I expect the group that is honest and true to their style of play to land credence to their title win, rather than one which champions multiple genres or rely only on looks to earn their dues.

Am back again with another round of review. The previous week’s review was especially hot over here at my main domain, as well as in my cross-post blog over at Multiply, with visitors giving their takes and views on how the Wildcard round turned out. Though I have to respect the comments made by a small minority who disagree with my comments on certain groups which I feel are still lacking, I believe they have kinda lost the plot and commenting out of blind faith, emotions and without rationale. It’s like they arrived just to drop bombs and left without any trace, though trackings have detected that they came from the same source. It was interesting to observe whether their favourite group/s could really up their ante this week and I for one was looking forward to it. Right, on with the review proper.

First & Second Performances - Cucu Datok Merah (Kembali Berdansa) & Rancour (Ceritera Awan & Banjaran)

Why I placed the first two performances together is because they were similar in terms of quality and vocal execution. Quality-wise, they were just so-so, not too shabby, but yet not that excellent to warrant me to remember much about their performances. To be fair, this week, they were all given songs that are a bit off from their own comfort zones. While Cucu Datok Merah added a bit of funk to their play, Rancour stuck to their tried and tested formula. Vocals-wise, both vocalists were shaky and one common thing that both of them have not learnt right up till this stage is to lose the unbearable slang emanating from their mouths. They must have had cheeseburgers prior to the show.

Third Performance - Trabo (Sang Penghibur)

A slight tweak to the arrangement of the song did not spoil the whole substance to their performance. This was one of the most assured performances of the night and one I felt was the best. Calm, cool, collected. I will be extremely surprised if they do not enter the Finals.

Fourth Performance - Putra (Permintaan Hati)

For the second week in a row, the guitarist (Alif) actually stole the show from the lead vocalist (Farid). While the music arrangement was considered commendable, the same could not be said of Farid’s vocals. I had pointed out how shaky his voice sounded last week and if that was not convincing to some of you, tonight was even worse as he went off pitch more often than he would have liked to and it clearly showed through his rather tired voice. God knows what the judges see in this group over a more balanced one like Knightwings when they made their decisions last week.

Fifth Performance - Fatskunks (Manusia)

In terms of creativity, I think this group won hands down tonight for an eye-catching introduction. However, the mish-mash of genres (Ska, Raggae, Swing etc) throughout the whole song kinda confused even the group members themselves judging by their movement to the beats and facial expressions. A case of too many cooks spoiling the broth perhaps??? Vocals were average even though you can detect some confidence in the tone.

Sixth Performance - X-Tech (Bila Dengan Kamu)

When it comes to bands, you know you need to have your own identity that you are comfortable with and not be dictated by the record companies or management that manages you. Bands are different from boybands where everything is manufactured and produced according to what the companies expect of you or if you want to cater your music to a select group of listeners. So you can guess which judge I agreed with just by reading the first few sentences in this paragraph. X-Tech is X-Tech. Watching them from Day 1 right up till now, you know what their distinct and signature sound is like and you can easily know it’s a trademark. Their trademark. While it wasn’t to the high quality that one expects them to be week in and out, you have to feel impressed that they have always have the ability to turn a song which is not to their feel, into one that they are comfortable with, and without spoiling the essence of the song.

How To Vote - You may start voting as at 9:30pm just now and it will end at 6:00pm next Tuesday 1st July 2008. Smses cost 60 cents and pre-paid card holders are ineligible to vote. You know the usual drill to vote: Band <space> Group Code and send it to 73388 and the codes are: Cucu Datok Merah (1), Rancour (2), Trabo (3), Putra (4), Fatskunks (5) and X-Tech (6). 

General Feelings - So far, only Trabo and X-Tech have shown that they are worthy finalists. If you ask me who should go through amongst the remaining four, I would go for Fatskunks and Rancour. Don’t ask me why I chose the other two. I just feel that they might make the Final a bit more interesting and they are much better vocals-wise. But of course fans of Cucu Datok Merah and Putra will not agree and leave more nasty comments in my blog.

Those of you dropping in within an hour of the show’s end, or minutes even, would be surprised at the speed of which I’m posting this entry. Can’t be helped, especially with Euro 08 going on, and I need to have an early night before waking up to catch next morning’s double headers (France vs Italy and Netherlands vs Romania). Am updating this during every commercial break so yeah, this sure beats waiting and waiting for a report or review from Berita Harian that never appears, so much for being the “Official Media of Anugerah Band“. Hmmmppphhh!!!

Oh and not to mention the so-called “Official Website of Anugerah Band“. They have a segment on Weekly Recaps, but up till the 7th week now, they have still not updated that particular portion of the website. Next time don’t have it if they are too lazy to do something about it. I can think of a few old Malay idioms to describe this kind of attitude. One is “Melepaskan Batuk Di Tangga” and the other is “Hangat-Hangat Tahi Ayam“. For the benefit of my non-Malay readers, both idioms mean doing something for the sake of doing it without putting any effort or which does not produce any substance. I’ve said before in my Episode 2 review that I will not comment more till the weeks have gone by. A month on and still nothing much have been done other than the fact that they update photographs of each week’s episode or how to sms to vote. Oh and lately they’ve been quite busy promoting the series’ T-shirt mementos. Funny how come when it comes to generating income, they are quite on about it…

This week, thankfully, the audience is not subjected to voting and this I feel would result in a level playing field. I’ve said before, the groups in this Wildcard Round do not deserved to be here tonight. Why they were here was simply because of the fans’ votes. Simple as that. And when they go through to the next round, which is the semi-final rounds, they need the wisdom of these people’s fingertips and brains to bring them over to the Finals. So much for liking a certain group, but if they are just so-so, then please do a service to the industry and not undermine the quality that it is crying out for.

First performance - Putra (Sementara)

Contrary to what the judges said about their good performance, I thought that the introduction did not go down that well with me. The lead vocalist (Farid) was jittery and shaky and it showed when his voice cracked a few times. And what’s with that girly, lacy cut-off gloves that he wore??? As was pointed out by one of the judges, the bass and the drum was a bit off somewhere in the middle of the song. Certainly not my choice of semi-finalists as they were just too overawed by the occasion. Their only saving grace was their guitarist. 

Second performance - Knightwings (Nyalakan)

The group seems to have undergone a major revolution in terms of performance and tightness. I just cannot find any flaws on them tonight. The all-too-familiar prancing by their vocalist A’an was scrapped and this made his vocal execution the best tonight. It was evident for all to see and hear for themselves the range that this guy is capable of and the reason why I have a soft spot for this group.

Third performance - X-Tech (Yakin)

I was surprised they sang this song as I felt that it did not quite go down with what they had set off to champion, but they ended up smelling roses. From the start, the drummer stole the show with his energy and octopus-like moves. The original song which is of mid-tempo, transformed into a version that I myself was bobbing my head to. Trust X-Tech to come up with another energetic performance for us to savour.

Fourth performance - Virus Cinta (Sayang-Sayang)

They were given a reprieve, but I was surprised they did not grab their opportunity with both hands. While the ska-flavoured sound was music to the ears, the vocalist was having a lot of trouble executing the song as the key was too low for her liking. I dunno if they had enough practice on this song cos if they did, they would not have made this mistake and nip it in the bud before coming on stage to perform.

Through To Semi-Finals: X-Tech & Putra

Personal Thoughts - X-Tech should never have been subjected to this round, as was Knightwings. Personally I felt disappointed cos in terms of vocal stability, Knightwings could more than hold their own compared to Putra. Basically I knew who the judges would choose even before they made the announcement based on their comments after each performance. And I have a feeling when it comes to appeal, looks and style, Putra is more abreast with the current style and trend. So again, we might be falling back on the looks department that television is notoriously known for, above talent. I’m banking on X-Tech to sweep the competition from now on and be the winner, barring any sms hiccups…

This daughter of mine is a fast learner. She already can recite A to Z, even if the sounds coming from her mouth are not that clear but she does have the basic grasp thus far. Here, she’s learning the fundamentals of Arabic. Enjoy and smile at the same time as you watch this. This is what makes parenting such a joy…

Earlier today, I was featured on Hit Banget on RIA 89.7FM. They have this segment called “Karaoke Suka-Suka“. In the past, one of Hafeez Glamour’s favourite segments amongst the listeners was the karaoke segment. People like Hetty Sarlene, Rudy Djoharnaen and Mansor Warren were fine examples of this “alumnus”. This was where I honed my skills as a music critic as well as show off my talents, or lack thereof depending on your perceptions. Ever since Hafeez revamped his daily programmes in the last year and a half, the segment was wiped off, so there went one avenue for me to spread my wings. But this weekly one-hour programme meant for the Indonesian workers tuning in, gave me the opportunity to resurrect something that I had long missed and so wanted to do. The itch was certainly there, moreso since my last live performance was during my wedding dinner, if my memory still serves me well.

I find it amusing that WordPress does not allow us to embed music files. As such I could not upload the clip in my main domain. But fret not, luckily Multiply allows us to upload music files so for those of you who would like to hear this frog croaking… I mean, me singing, here’s your chance to do so if you really want to know how I sound like when I open my mouth to sing. The singing was not done live during the show but the recording was done about 9 days ago in the early morning, when I was on leave. If you guys can guess, that’s the voice of someone who has just woken up and trying to find his rhythm. The only part I wasn’t too pleased about my singing was when Hafeez came into the picture, which in turn affected my key and subsequently, my voice cracked in the end. Hehehe excuses!!! I’m ready for all the brickbats coming my way, if you wish to comment on my singing…

So what you’ve got to do is click here. Then you have a choice of either to download or click on Play This Playlist. If you click on the latter, please be prepared to wait awhile for the clip to upload. And the rest as they say, enjoy!!!