Written by Zaaim Hariz
6.75/10
Do you think that the folk genre of music will make a comeback? We have seen a surge of hip-hop and r&b music from numbers of talented artists – do you think we should bring back the ‘forgotten art’ to the mainstream listeners? Well Sounds Of Kites thinks it is time. After the success of ‘Bulatan Belon’, which was recently included in Pop Terkini! playlist on Spotify, Wan Umar Shahid (known as Sounds Of Kites) is ready to take listeners on a musical journey with his debut album titled, “Remember Sycamore”.
A remembrance of accepting changes and intimate past times, the singer/songwriter endures a series of his emotional arc as he wants us to relive the moment of happiness and hardships that made us the person we are today. This 48-minute project is here to remind us that it is always important to think about why did you start your journey and certainly, the message was well-resonated for most of the tracks in the album.
The entire album settles upon a foundation composed of slick fingerpicking on Shahid’s especially crispy sounding acoustic guitar, accompanied by his weighty voice and the occasional backup vocals, and nothing else. Depending on how much you appreciate its simplicity, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. We think it’s a fantastic exercise that ensures Shahid’s focus does not stray elsewhere, only tunnelling your conscience towards his lyrics and guitar work, both of which are done at an excellent level.
Most, if not all the songs in this album serves as a reminder in different periods of one’s life. One of the only two Malay songs on offer, “Bulatan Belon” brings back the soul to sharing the good times with a significant other. A jovial, yet slow strumming of the guitar accompanies a double layered mix of vocals that takes the listener through his/her own catalogue of memories, all the while painting a nice summer weather where the birds are chirping and the wind is just nice in the background for the listeners to lay their memories down and reveal them.
‘Salt’ reminds us of the struggles that we go through in our lives that make us who we are today. “You fight your way, till the salt falls from your face” implies there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the grime from the grind washes off, knowing that the journey was worth it. Deft fingerpicking underlies long and extensive lyrics that not only invites you to reflect, but encourages one to keep the fight going.
The album presents a slow and easy cocktail to sip at your own pace, taking in the melody, and then the stories embedded in the lyrics at your own pace, asking you to take your time to enjoy each piece in its wholesome. The mix of English and BM is a good showcase of Shahid’s ability, but I’d have preferred if more Malay songs were included other than just two songs. Western folk has been heard of a hundred times over, but modern Malay folk very rarely so.
While the folk music scene is still in a relative niche, ‘Remember Sycamore’ is a pleasantly good entry into the scene, one that can accompany you as reminisce, look back into times that you’ve been through previously that has combined so that you can be where you are now.
