More to Love

When bassist Dimas Anindityo, drummer Mulyadi Triharsono, guitarist Yudhi Arfani and keyboard player Aulia Naratama began jamming with singer Irene Yohanna almost 10 years ago, they were so impressed with her languid vocals that they agreed to name their band Everybody Loves Irene. But of course, not everybody loves her — in fact, in their native Jakarta nobody beyond a tight circle of alternative-music fans has even heard of her.

The great thing about being a musician in an age of digital communications, though, is that local obscurity is no barrier to international recognition. Indonesians don't give them a second look, but a buzz about the band — whose sultry, slow-burning trip-hop invites comparisons with Goldfrapp or Portishead — has gently percolated around the region, thanks to a well-tended MySpace presence, Channel V airplay and the fact that Yohanna mostly sings in English.

Their second album, On Second Thought, I Might Wanna Change Some Things, signals an intention to build on this base by being considerably more accessible than the band's melancholy 2006 debut album, The Very First Thing You Must Learn About Flying Is Gravity. Over 10 slinky tracks, listeners will find evidence of a broadened musical vocabulary and Yohanna's growing confidence. As a vocalist, this Irene is far more dynamic than the neophyte who hesitantly warbled her way through Gravity. There is plenty to love about her and about the current Indonesian music underground. For sheer style, it has no Asian equivalent.