Ornaree's third studio outing may have been a long time coming but the decade-long wait is more than worth it.
Ornaree/ Un Jour
Most Thais who hit puberty around the mid-90s are likely to have lived through the country's alt-rock boom -- the era that bestowed upon us a crop of envelope-pushing bands including Moderndog, Paradox, Barbies, Smile Buffalo, Proud and many more. But among the testosterone-fuelled scene emerged Thailand's first female grunge artist who goes by the mononym Ornaree. Her self-titled EP and debut studio album Natural High, both released in 1995 at the peak of the "alter" craze, quickly (and rightfully) established her as a grunge goddess.
Her sophomore record, the brighter-hued Peel, arrived three years later. By that time, the local music scene had already moved on to the next big thing (reads: boy bands and girl bands). Smaller labels and independent artists struggled with the rise of MP3. Only a few acts like Moderndog have managed to survive and stay intact while others, Ornaree included, went on to do other things. Today, alternative as a genre has been relegated to one of relics from the '90s and seem to only serve the purpose of inducing misty-eyed nostalgia for the thirtysomethings.
Then, in 2005, we got a glimpse of what could potentially be her return as she appeared on Proad, one of the songs off Pru's second album Zero. Fast forward 12 years, the grunge icon finally returns with her third LP, Un Jour. The eight-track record opens with Sak Wan (Un Jour), a lapping rock ballad that revisits the vibe of Natural High's Rawang Rao (Between Us). First released back in 2013, it features a French verse sung by Shining Star's vocalist Christophe Descamps.
This is then followed by three stylistically similar tracks Haa (Chercher), Nong Rak and Lhai. It's not until half way through the album that things start to pick up. Suk gets going with swift guitar riffs, bolstered by roaring drums. Sonically, it inches towards the overall aesthetic of Peel. Mai Rak Gor Laa (No Love) and Thanon (Road) are the heaviest of the set and would definitely inspire some serious moshing at a live show. Fah, on the other hand, concludes the LP with a dose of post-rock guitars and a whole lot of shoegazy effects. This genre sits really well with her and we wouldn't mind if she switched to post-rock on her next record.
All in all, Un Jour marks a welcome return from Thailand's first female alt-rock icon. Sticking to her signature grunge sensibility, Ornaree is living proof that artists don't need to follow trends in order to sell music. Her long-time fans will relish the nostalgia of hearing the sound of the '90s being brought back to life, while the new ones will get a chance to acquaint themselves with one of the most original artists this country has ever produced.
THE PLAYLIST
Hariguem Zaboy/ Whispering
One of the greatest joys of being a music critic is witnessing a fresh-faced band flourishing into a fully formed group of musicians. One such group is Thai quartet Hariguem Zaboy, who have over the years managed to stand out from the sea of local shoegaze/post-rock acts with their unrelenting commitment to their sonic aesthetic. Featuring a maelstrom of thick, hazy reverbs, muddy guitar effects and distorted vocals, Whispering traipses a much darker and more foreboding territory, and could possibly be their strongest offering to date.
Sam Smith/ Too Good At Goodbyes
The UK crooner has returned with a new heart-wrenching piano ballad, Too Good At Goodbyes. Marking his first solo release since his 2015 Oscar-winning James Bond theme Writing's on the Wall, the song sees Smith living up to his "the male version of Adele" status, singing alongside a lush gospel choir about getting his heart repeatedly broken. "And every time you hurt me, the less that I cry/And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry," he rues over sparse piano melodies in his faultless falsetto. "And every time you walk out, the less I love you/Baby, we don't stand a chance, it's sad but it's true." Soulful and self-pitying, just like most of his best tracks.
Björk/ The Gate
Björk has dropped a new single called The Gate, her first new music since 2015's break-up-themed Vulnicura. Lifted from her yet-to-be-titled forthcoming album, the six-and-a-half-minute track finds the Icelandic songstress having recovered from the visceral emotions that dominated her last record. "My healed chest wound, transformed into a gate/Where I receive love from/Where I give love from," she warbles over choral melodies, all hymn-like, accompanied merely by a ripple of synths courtesy of her current go-to collaborator Arca
Kelly Clarkson/ Love So Soft
There are two kinds of pop singers: style chameleons who can adapt to pretty much any genre and those who can only try (looking at you, Taylor Swift). Further proving that she belongs in the former camp, the grand dame of American Idol Kelly Clarkson channels her inner trap queen on latest single Love So Soft. "Love so soft, you ain't had nothing softer/Break it then you buy it and it sure gonna cost you," she breaks it down during the brassy chorus. "Love so soft that you can't rub off/You're gonna love it if you try it." Pretty dang impressive for a mother of two, wouldn't you say?
Shamir/ 90s Kids
"They say we don't feel pain/They say we're gross and vain," Shamir sings in defence of all the millennials on his new cut, 90s Kids. The first taste of his upcoming sophomore LP Revelations, the song sees him eschewing the bouncy electronic beats and sassy lyrics that made his debut single On The Regularan an infectious hit. In their places, we've instead some low-key acoustic guitar and heavy verses about, well, the varied struggles of being born and raised two decades prior.
