MUH AJLAnd so Meet Uncle Hussain (MUH) won Best Pop/Rock Song and Best Song in last night’s Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL), much to Faizal Tahi(r)’s disappointment.

I predict that Malaysian entertainment journalists are celebrating because they have a topic to write for this coming week already. It’ll be something along the line of “Malaysian indie bands are on the rise” or something.

Well I can’t be blamed for thinking that way, considering the hosts of AJL couldn’t just seem to shut their fucking mouth blabbing off about how MUH followed the footsteps of their indie comrades Estranged’s win last year, how it was the first time indie bands won two years in the row, how indie fans are supposed to be happy with MUH’s win bla bla bla.

Shut up about “indie” already, man. It’s just another buzzword thrown around by lame media and poyo Malaysians.

Like “glokal” and “kendiri”.

Come to think of it, what the hell are “glokal” and “kendiri” anyway? Who the hell uses these words?

The term “indie” (music) in Malaysia does not even mean the same with the real (if you can call it real) meaning used to refer to bands championed by NME, Pitchfork et al. In Malaysia, it seems to be the catch-all phrase to describe music that’s not in the mainstream. Which, I seem to recall, was called “underground” last decade.

Whatever, man. I’m just happy that a band that writes its own song won Best Song. Again. Kudos, MUH! This year’s AJL is dull fucking boring enough that they had to call M. Nasir, Jamal Abdillah, Jaclyn Victor and some kids that should be in school rather than aspiring to be artistes to do the grand guest performance.

Finally, I was glad that MUH’s vocalist Lan, in his acceptance speech, decided to dedicate the win to all rock music lovers out there. If he had said, “to all indie fans out there” I would’ve totally flipped out.

p.s.: Lest you forget, “indie bands” like Spider has won Best Song in 2004, and Search in 1989.