THE CLOUDS - A BEGINNING

It was started from a jam session called “Miserables“ by Aji Wiweko - guitar (Old School Hard Core band named Empty Message), Agus Marrdian – guitar (Cambridge Revolt ), Aris So – drums (Cambridge Revolt), Adam – bass (Cambridge Revolt). They played songs popularized by The Smiths, Morrissey, The Cure, Lightning Seeds, James, Pulp, etc. Unfortunately, in 2001, Aris, Burhan and Adam decided to leave Miserables because of their emergency project. They decided to play pop music, not hardcore or punk rock as they usually do. In a cloudy windy night in Aji’s terrace the dynamic duo (Aji and Marrdian) and one of their best friends, Wiranata Agung Tyas (Sub Rooster) started to play their sad guitar strings to interpretate one of their poem called “Samar“ which inspired from a true story about their best friends, who were trapped in hallucinative and addictive poison and it changed their way of lives a lot. It was a gloom and depressive poetry but it was the breakthrough in Miserables’ music career.

They then decided to recruit their best friends Wiranata Agung Tyas a.k.a Diaz (bass), Made Widya (guitarist of a hard core skin band called “Married By Accident/MBA”) – they pointed Made to be their lead vocalist), Rio Vanessa a.k.a Echa (guitarist of Suck Of Society – he was the keyboardist of the band) and Ibam (drum). They finally changed the name from “Miserables“ into “The Clouds“ to represent their hallucinative and absurd but real lyrics. Most of their lyrics told us about the reality in this life. For examples: “Sisi Yang Hilang (about a grey area in our lives), ”Uncertainty“ (about boredom in our lives that could kill our feelings, energy and creativity),

Prelude for Negative Minor (instrumental track), “Sepi“ (a description about loneliness and hope-loss that

often comes into our days and it tortures our soul), “Garden of Eden“ (an imaginative poem about a nowhere lands,an endless heaven that brings us true peacefulness), ”Silusi “ (a temporer addiction of hallucinative substance but it could be a deadly poison if we can’t control our self-which written by Andri Mulyana a.k.a Cheppy – guitarist of ”Ten Holes” and a pop band named “Strangeways”) and “I Wanna Be My self“ (an optimistic and egocentric statement in every human’s character).

The Clouds their singles in 2004 in a music studio in the eastern Jakarta and they performed in several indie gigs in the city. Unfortunately, in 2008, three of band members stated to leave The Clouds because they got their professional jobs but it didn’t turn Aji, Marrdian and Diaz into hopeless. They kept their spirit and tried to fulfill the vacant positions. They recruited their old friends, Rizal Hands a.k.a Ijal (The Forgotten Fear’s drummer), Ahmad Fadholy a.k.a Dolly Plester (Overcast’s vocalist). They made a new single “For My Soulmate (a love song where The Clouds collaborated with Yodam Heaven’s passionate voice) But in the middle of The Clouds’ new journey, in 2010, Dolly Plester decided to finish his solo project and his position was replaced by Ipang Bona Drag (The Firm Indonesia). In the latest line-up, with Ipang as the new vocalist, The Clouds rerecorded their singles, such as Samar, Sepi, and Guide Me To Your Door, Lelah Melangkah, and Silusi. (md-cr)