The Mod Squad

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007 By JASON TEDJASUKMANA/JAKARTA
Reeling in the years: White Shoes show the right way to do retro
Julia Sarisetiati
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You wouldn't have put money on it, but one of the sweetest sounds in underground music today pays homage to Indonesian film scores and pop acts of the 1960s. White Shoes & the Couples Company, a Jakarta-based six-piece, have parlayed not only a musical but sartorial fascination with their nation's pop culture into a sound and look that have seen them hailed as one of the most "crush worthy" bands of 2006 by influential music site allmusic.com, and "the most blog worthy band on the planet" by Ken Micallef, music critic at Yahoo! Music. Last year rollingstone.com named them one of the best bands on MySpace — now established as a crucial forum for breaking acts. "They have all the makings of a cult act that could have a decent following in Asia," says Hasief Ardiasyah, associate editor of Rolling Stone Indonesia.

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It was the band's MySpace profile that attracted the attention of Minty Fresh, a Chicago-based record label that is home to college-friendly bands like the Cardigans, Liz Phair, Veruca Salt and Tahiti 80. "The band's music possesses a charm, melodicism and style that we fell in love with immediately," says label head Jim Powers, who signed White Shoes and re-released their self-titled 2005 debut album in the U.S. in September. What American listeners will make of White Shoes' fey and shimmering songs — mostly recorded in Indonesian, with one or two in English — remains to be seen however. Indonesia's biggest stars — platinum-selling bands such as Dewa and Gigi — have never had any impact on the U.S. market. When they tour the States, it's to play to the small handfuls of Indonesian students on American campuses.

It is just possible, though, that White Shoes will be able to leverage its Internet buzz and get noticed by college trendsetters on the lookout for musical exotica. The debut album treads a daring line between cool and camp, filtering Paris of the 1960s, or swinging London, through an Asian prism. The tunes call to mind not only film soundtracks but also TV themes and tacky advertising jingles from consumerism's golden age. It's a deliciously anachronistic sound, underscored by the lack of digital instrumentation (the band's lineup includes three classically-trained musicians).

"We call it Indonesian pop," says 26-year-old vocalist Aprilia Apsari. That's not because it bears any resemblance to the Top 40 fodder on sale in the country's malls and markets, but because it is steeped in the spirit of vintage Indonesian acts like Ismail Marzuki, Jack Lesmana, Noor Bersaudara and Guruh Gipsy. White Shoes is "unafraid to embrace the kitsch aspect of the past and have fun with it in their music and image," explains Ardiasyah. "Hipster kids can relate to their image, which is pop but not cheesy mainstream."

The band's style has been carefully crafted since its formation at the Jakarta Institute for the Arts in the summer of 2002, when Apsari, her guitarist boyfriend Yusmario Farabi and guitarist Saleh came together. They later recruited cellist Ricky Surya Virgana and pianist Aprimela Prawidyanti Virgana, a married couple playing in local orchestras and teaching music. Percussionist and vibraphone player John Navid completed the lineup in 2004.

After developing a strong following on the local bar and college circuit, they signed to Jakarta's premier indie label, Aksara Records, in 2005 and quickly became its top-selling act, shifting 15,000 copies of the White Shoes album. "These guys had a lot of fans before they signed with us," says Hanin Sidharta, Aksara's co-founder. "And they have used their art-school background to create a look and sound that is unique."

That look includes a special line of (what else?) White Shoes sneakers designed by Bandung-based clothing retailer 347, as well as their own model of Vespa scooter — the ultimate Mod accessory. Artwork for the band's latest release, the five-song EP Skenario Masa Muda, reveals an abiding passion for Mod style. In a photograph mocked-up to resemble a 1960s postcard, band members are shown posing in a tailor's shop, like a clutch of Carnaby Street dandies.

White Shoes will travel to the U.S. in March to play the SXSW Music Conference and Festival, an industry showcase held annually in Austin, Texas. For now, though, there are more songs to write, and more film soundtracks, vinyl LPs and magazines from the 1960s to scour. How charming that the biggest leap forward in Indonesian pop music should actually be a giant step back in time.