Believe Me!

It seems that over the past year Dara Puspita has become a familiar sound in hip circles, perhaps a mostly as a name to drop, but to be honest, not even this cynic sees it that way. That being said, I am a little late on this, but I should throw in my two cents as well, and perhaps as in such "dire economic times" two cents has more value than we have thought. Either way, I just want everyone to know they heard it here too, plus it's been a while since I've posted one of those girl groups we love so much.

So, Dara Puspita or, in English "The Flower Girls" were an all-singing, all-playing girl group from Java who in my opinion represented everything great about sixties rock. This well-coiffed quartet had the sass and presentation of America's finest negro girl groups, the songwriting of the British invasion, the energy and low fidelity of garage/proto-punk, and all with a delightful psychedelic tinge. Obviously it's a ton of fun. This is as pure as it gets as the forward-thinking West had yet to see such a perfectly self-contained X-chromosome unit and this pre-dates even the Kim Fowley-dictated Runaways by nearly a decade. Like much of the music I have posted it is catchy and memorable even when largely in a foreign tongue, so don't let that bother you on pop gems like "Bhaktiku" and the fantastic title track which demonstrates the finest lo-fi production prior to GbV's Propeller, and maybe even beyond. For those intimadated by the language barrier you may want to start with their beautiful cover of the BeeGee's "To Love Somebody," or their own work in "Believe Me." Regardless this aptly-titled album is a real pleasure from beginning to end.

In some ways, I feel like Dara Puspita will be to 2009 what Os Mutantes was to 2004, so get hip to them before liking them too much makes you seem a bit behind the curve. On the other hand, David Byrne has yet to champion them and their cohorts, so you may be fine. Either way, if you love fun pure, rock 'n' roll, especially from girls this is essential.


Dara Puspita - A Go Go (1968)