The usual initial reaction of a person watching Paradox perform for the first time would go along the lines of: "What the heck is going on?"
Consisting of frontman Ittipong "Ta" Kridakorn Na Ayudhaya, bassist Chakrapong "Song" Siririn, guitarist Kajadphai "Big" Karnchanapar and drummer Saittaporn "Joey" Kridakorn Na Ayudhaya, the Thai pop-punk band are renowned for their unhinged and energetic live performances, consisting of (but not limited to) band members in crazy get-ups and men who they call "screamers" and "jokers" riling up the crowd in lucha libre costumes, animal masks and togas.
Late last year Paradox released the second instalment to their sixth studio album, Before Sunrise, After Sunset, which came out five years after its first instalment, Daydreamers.
The limited edition box set already has sold out since its release, and they have no plans to release any more physical CDs. The set consists of 52 songs -- 20 new, 18 old, and the rest are collaborations and covers.
But due to high demand, last week the record label repackaged the CD album, consisting of 20 new songs in addition to two more songs they couldn't fit in last time.
"Actually there's another set of songs left that we couldn't finish," said Ta, sitting at the GMM Grammy meeting room surrounded by his band members. "There's around 10 more songs that we plan to release."
The band, of course, don't only stand out for their absurd performances; they stand out for their absurd music as well. The past 10 years has seen a more mellow side of Paradox, but they are best known for their early works, which were loud, aggressive, anti-establishment and jam-packed full of satire and wordplay.
They've released megahits like Summertime and Sexy, but also head-scratching experimental songs like Nong Ple, a phone conversation on top of heavy music, and Gang Phed Ped Yang, a punk song written with lyrics from a recipe for spicy duck stew. Fans can never predict what they will come up with next.
"The content [of this album] is a bit bizarre," said Ta. "It doesn't talk about normal things. There are fantasy and imaginary elements in the songs. We're typically like this, but there was a certain point where we did soft songs and our fans were worried that they wouldn't get to hear any strange songs anymore."
It's this strangeness that fans find so attractive. They go against the norm and are cheeky in the way that they do it. When people suggest that in order to make a hit song, fans have to be able to sing along, they created a song that people couldn't sing to. When asked to create a soothing lullaby, they came out with a horrifying song about suicide.
"I like to tease people," said Ta. "And this goes into the music. We feel that it's a challenge, that we should try doing songs that are reckless and different. What would the feedback be? Will listeners go 'ew!'? So it turns into something fun. Once we kept this philosophy, it feels that each song has so many things we can try out."
Emphasising creativity and imagination, Before Sunrise, After Sunset is the epitome of the band's experimentation.
"The most challenging song that really went on a tangent and revolutionised how I compose is Loom Sop Pla Warn (Grave Of The Whale)," explained Ta. "Very few people would do something like this. It was an experiment; mixing words together that don't relate to each other at all. When you read the lyrics it literally has no meaning or the meaning even contradicts itself. Once people listen to it, they interpret it in their own way. One hundred people would have 100 ways to read it.
"Some people say it's about a whale, some people said it's about dhamma and the philosophy of life. And I'm just here giggling with joy because I myself don't know what it means. We're playing with emotions and words. Everything in the end is about people feeling a certain way.
"There doesn't need to be a clear-cut story. We feel like stories are a bit lame and squeeze things into a frame. We want to open up and have listeners just flow with the feeling of the songs."
It's this sense of fun and cheekiness that also has kept the band going strong for 20 years. Touring together is more like a trip with friends, and facing unexpected hiccups on tour would be considered a fun challenge instead of a stressful event.
"If people have faced what we have faced, they might see things from a different angle," said Ta. "[They might go] 'Whoa, people are really looking down on us -- we're playing at the wrong place and the wrong time. Who booked this venue for us?'. But we'll go, 'Whoa! There's so many grandmas and grandpas here! It's going to be fun!'. So we don't see any problems. We're positive thinkers."
"The most unexpected shows are fun," added Song. "In the concert full of grandparents, instead of going, 'What should we do?', we just went all out, so we know that we did our best. We don't expect anything -- even with this album. We've finished it and we think we've already achieved success. The rest is letting go, because music is a personal interest, and we can't impose what people like and don't like. We're just sharing what we feel is good for others, and the rest is up to them. It's the duty of the music and the listeners now."
"You only hear of bands who are getting older who are reaching a dead end," said Ta. "But we're here to prove that there are still so many ideas, that we still have the fire, and that we're still our old selves."
Check out what Paradox is up to at www.facebook.com/paradoxthailand. You can download and stream Before Sunrise, After Sunset on iTunes and Joox or buy the 22-song physical album at any leading music store.
