Since the released a respectable album yet received a lot of praise from local and international music critics called “Manimal” about five years ago, the Jakarta based band Sajama Cut has not done much with their music-ability until lately they announced that they have a new album called “Hobgoblin”, an album with eleven songs that re-define them as one of the band with largest artistic ambition in the country. This album offers a different kinds of music and sounds but still has its progression and dynamics that they are proud of. According to them there are a lot of skyscraper melodies that could tear the heart apart with its sincerity. It all covered with increasingly complex arrangements, nuance complex and rock guitar virtuoso by Dion Panlima Reza. While the melodic of non-fluid bass by Randy Apriza Akbar is extremely unbeatable in the local music industry. On the other hand, the touch of melancholy synthesizer-and-a throwback from Hans Citra Patria are very rich, from the anime soundtrack of 1980s to the magnificent approaches of brass section with a little glance back to “Manimal” album.
Of course, all of these are covered by the good lyrics and arrangements from the leader and multi-instrumentalist of the band Sajama Cut, Marcel Thee. He has led the band since 1999 and for this album he focused more on keyboards and synthesizer instrumentation while deliberately leave the guitar section alone, an instrument which is usually a basic foundation of songs by Sajama Cut. According to Marcel Thee, “After the Manimal album, I keen on to jump out of my comfort zone which is guitar. I tried to lean on keyboard and synthesizer, two kind of instruments that I have no expertise at all but turned into something that is very interesting. I would say my naivety and ignorance on both instruments led me to few new surprises. By not knowing at all the theory or how to play these instruments, I gained a lot of different perspective and a completely new approach on how to use them. The common thread of emotions and sense of melody of Sajama Cut are there but this time is a little more complex and emotionally. I guess we are all more mature.”
“Hobgoblin” album in short perspective could be describe as the old Sajama Cut with deep lyrical complexity, musical, emotional, and arrangements. Often you will hear songs that have a different sound from beginning to end. While their first single “Bloodsport”, Sajama Cut begin with a chord of guitar that sounds almost-mathematical and chaotic plus a heart-throbbing percussion that would rape your mind. While Marcel sang the chorus, “I say no tomorrow. They own the fire and lizards.” This kind of music arrangement could not be categorized under certain genre. Because according to Marcel, Sajama Cut is not an indie rock, alternative, punk, shoegaze, lo-fi, or any kind of band. “Through this album, we would like to say that we are rich in sounds, as you could hear rock from different eras, pop rock, ambient, and punk from certain generations. We take everything without sounding as a fusion band that is boring and not organic.” The eleven songs available on “Hobgoblin” are recorded by Sajama Cut in various different studios, professional or home studio, for the last five years. Since 2011, Marcel begin recording the basic draft of these songs at home, while the rest of serious workmanship started in 2013. The album “Hobgoblin” by Sajama Cut is now available on three formats, such as CD, cassette, and digital release.