Search - Rumah Sakit :: Rumah Sakit

My New Favorite Album

Jeff Hodges | Denton, TX United States | 01/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All-instrumental, intellectual, focused, and intense, Rumah Sakit was suggested to me by a drumming friend (thanks, Dustin) about a year ago. After floating around on my wish list, it finally found its way into my mailbox, my CD player, and subsequently my list of deserted island albums.



I have found Rumah Sakit to be a wonderfully liberating and inspiring work. I have a long history of enjoying experimental rock, but in recent times I have been frustratingly fascinated with reconciling the songwriting aspect of modern music with experimentalism, admittedly with an attitude sometimes bordering on elitism. Rumah Sakit has reminded me in no uncertain terms that it is not necessary to write the 21st century version of Lennon's "My Life" to compose effective and affective music. All six of the instrumental pieces on this self-titled release show uncanny mastery of dynamics, texture, form, and rhythm. From the first explosive 5/8 riff of "I Can't See Anything When I Close My Eyes", Rumah Sakit careens into a riff-driven polyrhythmic joyride that is simultaneously electrifying and soothing, comic and serious, rocking and sublime.



Despite their aggressiveness, I would not necessarily identify Rumah Sakit as "heavy" by today's standards. Their music is executed with a blistering intensity with just the right mixture of noise and delicacy, with very few studio tricks. There are audible sounds of the struggle that these guys are having with the monstrously complex music they have composed here. There are even a few dampened string rings could have easily been punched out, but that are left in just to prove the band's humanity.



The lowdown: On the off chance that you were to one day ask yourself "What would happen if King Crimson unplugged all that processing and were "time machined" into slightly PO-ed twentysomethings", the answer would come in two words: Rumah Sakit. I beg you to check them out

"

Not too shabby

by_a_thread | Houston, TX | 08/22/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I must admit, this is pretty impressive stuff. This is some of the most intense "math rock" you've ever heard. Highly recommended. If you liked this band, see also Don Caballero."

Genius!

info-pig | SF | 07/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Too bad these guys broke up... 2 full lengths and 1 ep isn't enough for all the fans. I would love to have seen their trajectory after evolving some more. Their second record "Obscured by Clowns" isn't as good as their first per se, but a handful of tracks on it show some truly amazing growth and stand out as favorites! I've seen them live many times and that one guy Mitch (guitar) is downright dangerous!"