Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)

Rage by Filipino political activist rock band The Jerks (chorus inspired by the above poem)

1. Kumadre - Cherry Cornflakes
2. Sayawan - Rockaby
3. Laguna - Childstar
4. Bonggahan - Paramita
5. Sa Diyos Lamang - Zelle
6. Ikaw Pa Rin - Paraluman
7. Tao - Sugar Hiccup
8. Mahilig - Lokal
9. Babalik Sa Iyo - The Amandas
10. Sayang Ang Oras - Chubibo
11. Easy Pare - Fuseboxx
12. Nosi Balasi - Session Road

1. Ayt
2. Puso
3. Step Back
4. Di Na Mababawi
5. In Another Life
6. G. K. T.
7. A Tear
8. All The Time
9. Wala Kang Katulad
10. Makapiling Ka
11. Lights
12. Meteor Shower
13. Saturn
14. Keep The Fire Burning

1. Good Morning
2. Ako'y Babalik
3. Luha
4. Jewelry Box
5. Fake Lullabies
6. Trapped Inside The Moment
7. Tunay Na Ligaya
8. Isabel
9. Inside My Heart
10. A Starry Night
11. Shine
12. Susundan
13. Dito Ka Lang
14. Lumbay
15. Hintay
16. Song For The Youth

1.     Overture (2:34)
2.     Prom (4:48)
3.     Hari Ng Sablay (5:18)
4.     Kwentuhan (5:04)
5.     Kwarto (6:08)
6.     Telepono (5:19)
7.     Kung Ayaw Mo Na Sa Akin (4:06)
8.     Still Fighting It (4:45)
9.     Tulog Na (6:58)
10.     Mariposa (5:18)
11.     Huling Gabi (5:05)
12.     Unang Araw (4:09)
13.     Wag Ka Nang Umiyak (5:35)
14.     Kailan Ka Ba? (5:19)
15.     Ikaw Pala (6:15)
16.     Burnout (4:18)
17.     Makita Kang Muli (4:54)
18.     Batang-Bata Ka Pa (5:45)
19.     Dear Kuya (6:10)

[Download Sugarfree Part 1 | Sugarfree Part 2]

First impressions: The cover reminds me of Ghost in the Shell.

I've been listening to Dragonforce for a couple of years now. Dragonforce is a power metal band--some would say extreme power metal band--from the UK.They're known for having blindingly fast tempos in their songs, along with guitar solos that are played with inhuman speed. One of their most famous songs, Through the Fire and Flames, has found its way into the popular video game Guitar Hero. Their music style includes violent tempests of riffs and electronic sounds that last for 6 or more minutes (Through the Fire and Flames is a song of typical length at over 7 minutes long). Their guitarist Herman Li is said to be one of the fastest players in the business, and even their vocalist ZP Theart is capable of belting his extremely high and long screams without sounding hoarse. (I actually find Dragonforce's vocals their most impressive element.)

DF's critics say the music is either digitally accelerated or that the chords are actually just very simple; the speed is the only thing that makes it special. Yet other people decry Dragonforce's songs as templated and unoriginal; one only has to look at their lyrics sheets to see this. (It's true, by the way. Sometimes they even recycle their song titles in the lyrics of other songs.)

Whether you like them or not, Dragonforce has a couple of unique elements that makes their music instantly identifiable:

-Like many metal acts, DF's themes and lyrics have a very heavy fantasy feel about them. Although their sound is neither distinctly epic metal like Rhapsody of Fire (whose music contains elements that could've been in the LotR soundtrack) and is definitely not symphonic metal like Nightwish, their lyrics contain a lot of references to warriors fighting evil, epic battles, and scenes of apolcalyptic destruction.

-The electronic snythed sounds that find their way into the songs sound like they were taken straight out of video games. This is especially true of Ultra Beatdown. A couple of the songs from this album, namely E.P.M., Strike of the Ninja, and The Warrior Inside have intros that really sound like typical synthed video game music. In fact, The Warrior Inside begins with something that I swear was in a Super Mario soundtrack somewhere, though as a whole, the song sounds it would likely be a theme song for May from Guilty Gear.

And no, as far as I can tell, Dragonforce doesn't have satanic lyrics. (I pay close attention to the lyrics of any song I listen to.) If anything their songs have lyrics like "And we will crush the evil standing on the temple" and "My soul and my spirit will go on for all of eternity." Listening to their music makes me think of scenes of Armageddon, but the Armageddon as depicted in the Bible: With good winning over evil.

Ultra Beatdown has some really silly lyrics, though (which I find refreshing, honestly.)

Feel the fire burning bright in the night
Where the warrior lives and the warrior dies
Wherever you go we will be by your side
For the Spirit of Ninja will carry the light

That really cracked me up.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying Ultra Beatdown. It may be unoriginal and templated, but I listen to it for the adrenaline rush anyway. If I wanted poetry in the song I'd listen to Nightwish instead. It makes for good workout music, especially when you're pounding away on the treadmill and need a little boost to finish the last hundred or so meters. Of course, as my friend Mac said, Dragonforce makes for very dangerous driving music. It's the kind of music that makes you want to drive constantly at 120 kph during rush hour (and go for 180 if nobody else is on the road).

However, due to the lack of any sort of metal in this country's legitimate record dealers makes one err, go to great lengths to acquire such CDs. I even had one of my students purchase Nightwish's Century Child and Dark Passion Play in Singapore because I wanted to support the artists. Our local record stores have nothing but OPM (which is good), Pinoy Rock (Which has gotten very stale as of late. Pinoy Rock was great in the 90s, but now lacks passion and originality. ), and that hellspawn jologs music.

Urgh. The Philippines: Where you have to be trashy to be popular.

1. Stars
2. Pasan
3. Take My Hand
4. Magbalik
5. Yakap
6. Kung Kaya Ko Lang
7. Takipsilim
8. Sanctuary
9. Muli
10. Dream
11. Insane
12. The Final Song

[Download Callalily]

1. Rhyme Without Reason
2. The Pot Of Gold
3. Pass The Walls
4. Define
5. Lies in the Dead
6. Dehado
7. Up The Heavens
8. All Of This
9. Pilit
10. Sun Grass
11. Nothing New
12. Smiles and Fades

[Download Hilera]

I was cleaning the toilet bowls of the San Carlos Seminary College in Mabolo, Cebu City in 1993 when I heard a song by the Eraserheads for the first time. The music came from a house just outside the seminary’s west wall, from a room where the owner’s daughter would sometimes treat us seminarians to long-distance striptease at night.

I froze, a bottle of muriatic acid in one hand and a toilet bowl swab in the other. Who was this guy warbling about his house being small yet clean, pati sa kusina? And what was my favorite childhood rhyme “pen pen de sarapin de kutsilyo de almasin” doing in the song? What decent songwriter would use Skyflakes and Coke 500 in his lyrics? And what guts to base his song on Nat King Cole’s “Too Young.”

But for some reason, the song seemed to threaten my dream of becoming a priest-musician. The seminary was teaching me classical songwriting and here was this frisky, bouncy tune threatening to undermine the seminary fathers’ efforts. The song sounded irreverent – and one couldn’t afford to be irreverent in the seminary -- and yet I was enjoying it, without a tinge of guilt. It just blew me away.

I asked my classmates if they had heard of the song and the artist. They said they hadn’t, and they were not interested. They’d been singing "Diosnong Magtutudlo" (Heavenly Teacher) all their life, any music from the radio was the devil’s creation. And they had toilet cleaning to do, please. But I was determined to know more about this raw sound that made me pause and listen, and doubt my vocation.

With the Internet and cell phones still unheard of, and the limited TV hours allowed us, the best place to do my research was the library. There were newspapers and national magazines there, our only contact to the entertainment world outside. Surely they could provide me with information. So I rushed there after my toilet assignment and begged the librarian to please allow me a few hours’ extension because I was doing a research on the Spanish Inquisition.

From a Sunday magazine I learned the band was called Eraserheads and the song was called “Toyang,” a cut from their debut album “UltraElectroMagneticPop!” The article listed down all the other songs in the album: "Easy Ka Lang," "Maling Akala," "Pare Ko," "Shake Yer Head," "Ganjazz," "Ligaya," "Tindahan Ni Aling Nena," "Honky-Toinks Granny," "Shirley," "Walang Hiyang Pare Ko," "Combo on the Run."

The article also carried a picture of the group. In plain shirts, torn jeans and old chucks, the four guys called Eraserheads looked no different from the istambays drinking “mestisa” (a mix of gin and beer) at the sari-sari store across the seminary gate.

In our dormitory that night, I couldn’t sleep. The song kept playing in my mind. If “Toyang” blew me away at first listen, were the other songs equally mind-blowing? I hated the prohibitions in the seminary. I envied college students outside who could listen to the Eraserheads anytime they wanted to.

I waited for “Toyang” to play again on the radio from the house outside the wall. Then a few minutes and I was watching the hazy figure of the girl moving rhythmically to a different song but whose irreverent appeal was now familiar to me. The girl wasn’t strip dancing this time. She was simply head slamming, occasionally hitting imaginary drums, and shouting at the top of her voice, “Di ba, ‘tangina!”

sun.star opinion, september 2, 2008

For the unitiated, Wolfgang is a hard rock/metal band from the Philippines which was the most popular local band in the Philippines in the 90s to early 2000s. Wolfgang produced five critically acclaimed albums in is heydey. Heavily influenced by Metallica and grunge, Wolfgang was an anomaly for the Philippine music scene which has been traditionally dominated by sugary-sweet pop acts. Along with The Dawn, Juan de la Cruz, Razorback and the Eraserheads, Wolfgang is often cited as one of the most influential bands in the history of Philippine rock music. Here is their Wikipedia page to give you a bit of history and background .

Wolfgang quietly disbanded around 2002. Drummer Wolf Gemora and Vocalist Basti Artadi immigrated to the U.S. and joined American musicians in other projects (Basti in San Francisco with Kitaan and Gemora in Los Angeles with the original lineup of Lokomotiv). Bassist Mon Legaspi and guitarist Manuel Legarda remained in the Philippines. Legaspi briefly played bass for The Dawn before moving on to Hong Kong. Legarda played with DRT and Razorback as well as worked in audio production companies.

Most serious Pinoy Rock and Wolfgang fans know how the next few years developed:

• Former Razorback guitarist David Aguirre joins Gemora in Lokomotiv around 2004.
• Also in 2004, the shocking announcement was made that Basti Artadi has joined Gemora and Aguirre in Lokomotiv making the band a quartet (with bassist Danny Gonzalez) and prompting the exit of the original singer.
• The foursome became regulars in the Los Angeles club scene, eventually recording and releasing Lokomotiv's debut album "Rock N Roll Death Toll" in 2005.
• RNRDT was eventually released in the Philippines and a tour was planned. Pinoy rock fans were eager with anticipation
• In 2006 the shocking news dropped that Basti has left Lokomotiv due to "musical and creative differences" and is retiring from the music business. The listservs were abuzz with speculation and discussion.
• Lokomotiv holds auditions for a new singer and lands Oklahoma native Ryan Hudson. Hudson tours the Philippines in early 2007 with Lokomotiv. The band was featured in a lot of TV shows and rock venues. The album went on sale in the Philippines, but with Basti's voice in the vocal track-the band toured without remixing the album.
• At the same time Lokomotiv was touring the Philippines, Wolfgang and Razorback hold two sold-out reunion shows in Manila, with the original members sans Gemora and Aguirre who were touring with Lokomotiv at the time.
• A DVD and live album of the shows, titled "Alive 2007," was planned for release later that year but copyright issues kept the project from going forward.
• Wolfgang (Artadi, Legarda, Legaspi with Razorback drummer Brian Velasco manning the drums tracks) release four demo tracks through Yahoo for digital download.
• After the Philippine tour, the Lokomotiv web site goes through several makeovers and releases teasers for the new album, including the single "Flaunt" which featured a music video. Gemora starts a blog on the Pinoy Rock scene and appears to be mentoring the band Kastigo.
• The Lokomotiv web site quietly goes down in April 2008. Hudson's MySpace page shows him as having joined a new band in LA called Dog Zebra. Aguirre and Gonzalez resurrects Aguirre's solo project A.D.D. with drummer Aaron Ascano and they start gigs in the LA area. No official announcement has been given to date by any of the members as to the status of Lokomotiv and whether they will release the second album with Hudson's vocals on the tracks.
• In late 2008, strange graphics start appearing in Basti's Friendster and MySpace sites that seem to suggest a new Wolfgang album in the works. Superfan Aleck Pulido pulls together a timeline and Philmusic.com confirms the project. Wolfgang's "Villains" is slated to drop in December 2008. No word yet on whether this will be independently released or through a major label.

Whew! So there you have it. A mini-chronicle of the various twists and turns of the story of Wolfgang and its members. I am a huge Wolfgang fan (I discovered them in 2002 after they have already disbanded). Since then I have built up a respectable collection of all their albums including several bootlegs, Kitaan's demo, Lokomotiv's RNRDT album and the four Yahoo tracks released by Wolfgang in 2007. I am curious how the new Wolfgang album sounds and whether or not Wolf Gemora will be a part of the project. I guess we will just have to wait and see!

The original 4 in one big concert-- by invitation only

August 8, 2008 Official statement of PMPMI:

The Eraserheads will be performing in a one-night only event as part of our Marlboro Red Nation promotions which we have been running for the past two years for our adult smokers.

PMPMI supports regulation of the manufacture, marketing and distribution of our products. This is why we supported the passage and implementation of the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.

We respect and will always comply with the law. We believe the event is permitted under the provisions of the law related to promotions. This is a by-invitation only event, restricted to adults and not open to the general public. Invites to our adult smokers will be distributed exclusively through an age-restricted website which is also permitted under the law. Invitations will also be reserved for our trade and business partners, and selected adult guests.

DAVE M. GOMEZ (sgd)
Public Affairs & Communications Manager

Click Sampaguita - Sa Diyos Lamang to listen to the song.

Composed of Raimund Marasigan, Diego Mapa, Mike Dizon, Jason Caballa, and RA Rivera, Pedicab has returned with another serving of dance punk courtesy of a new full-length release, Shinji Ilabas Mo Na Ang Helicopter. Bolstered by a slew of hit singles like Dizzy Boy and Dito Tayo sa Dilim from their debut album Tugish Takish, the band has already placed itself at a lofty position within the music scene. Now, with their sophomore album, the band looks to reinforce themselves as one of the movers and shakers of the local dance and rock scenes.

One thing apparent from the get-go is the added variety of the new album. Wherein Tugish Takish was a "straight, no chaser"-type, with a more straightforward approach to its dance-punk stylings, Shinji is a cocktail of more diverse ingredients, with elements such as rap, pop, and a more traditional rock sound added in for good measure. Tracks such as the opener FX, which chronicles the travails of a common rider of public transport in rap, and the feel-good cut Good to Go, which is a pop-rock song with synthesizers, bring in foreign sounds to Pedicab's repertoire. Meanwhile, songs like Simulan Mo Na and carrier single Ang Pusa Mo are punk songs that recall the more familiar Pedicab sound. This more heterogeneous concoction shows the band's versatility, but it also makes the album a bit unfocused. One of the things that I liked about Tugish Takish was its constant sonic assault, with only the brief respite of A Stormy Night, which made the album an intense listen. Shinji has the more eclectic sound, but personally, that kind of works against the album.

Meanwhile, the album is solid lyrically. Raimund Marasigan's wit is in full effect, with the innuendo-filled Ang Pusa Mo, the aforementioned FX, and the social commentary of Pa-Taste being the highlights. Those three aside, the songs mostly subscribe to the seedier, suggestive songwriting of Pedicab's first, with tracks like Deafening Silence and Put the Pieces Together falling under this category.

Standout tracks in the album include FX, which is more or less Betamax on steroids, Simulan Mo Na and Put the Pieces Together, which are as close to Dito Tayo Sa Dilim or Dizzy Boy as one will find in this album. The more "unique" tracks, such as Good to Go and Breaking Away are worth a spin as well. One should also wait for the hidden instrumental track at the end. Is it just me or does it sound like the underlying beat for that blasted Fergalicious song?

Listening to both of Pedicab's albums though, I cannot help but feel that Tugish Takish is still the better Pedicab release. As mentioned, their debut release provides a more satisfying experience with its simpler approach. Shinji, while more experimental, lags on occasion, and the album doesn't "grab" one as easily as the first can. However, the album is still laudable for the band's effort to add musical variety and creativity to its work, as well as the general catchy-ness and wit of the band's music. The album may not be as quickly accessible as the first, but overall, it is quite a solid one on its own right.

Rating: B

A monkey wrench was thrown into the plans though, when one of the band's members, Ian Zafra, left the group. In the wake of this, the band basically disappeared from general view. Even their last commercial release, a cover of APO's Softly, was nixed by music executives from inclusion in the second Kami nApo Muna release. (It can, however, be downloaded here courtesy of the band's blog.) With that, Philippine music was in danger of losing another one of its better groups.

However it seems like the band is receiving another stay of execution, at the very least. With a new lineup and quite possibly a new sound, the band is trudging on, and they want the fans to decide the name of the new group. With more than fifty (!) names already suggested, fans are encouraged to pick the best one, or make up another. From the suggested names, I personally like Portal, though the name may suffer in search engines (one of the band's criteria for selection). I don't really like some of the suggestions (Phoenix Down? I get the reference, but this isn't Final Fantasy.), and I would've liked the name Immaculate, but apparently it's taken.

The blog post for this can be found in their official blog, so take the time to give a great band a great name. After all, the band might take a chant of "Ay Caramba" to be a sigh of exasperation rather than of applause. With that here's Quick to Panic from Flowerfish, a fantastic track and video if I do say so myself:

]]> http://twoisequaltozero.wordpress.com/?p=42 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:20:22 +0000 twoisequaltozero http://twoisequaltozero.tl.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/paramita-paramita-2008/ One of the hardest things about making a positive dent in today's music scene is standing out from the crowd. Bands are dime a dozen these days and being unique is a valued commodity, for both the band and the manager-label contingent. Sometimes it's the sound, or the lyrics, or technical ability, having something unique about the band can go a long way towards catching few peepers. Being different, therefore, isn't a bad proposition. Hopefully, the band is different in a good way, and not in the ear-piercingly awful kind of way, though.

That said, one of the more unique bands in the Philippines is Paramita, a three-piece band composed of Ria Bautista, Marco De Leon, and Alsey Cortez. Their unique attribute is actually very obvious- their singer also plays the drums, which is pretty impressive in retrospect. Aside from the much-spoken-of drumming vocalist, an interesting visual sight in itself, the band's first album also played music that was intriguing, to say the least. Listening to cuts like Takipsilim and Panaginip Lang from their debut album Tala showed their different sound: folksy, yet still pop-influenced. Their songs also exhibited a grand, majestic feel, heard in tracks like Hiling and Tala, most probably their biggest singles to date. Not dissimilar to PNBMD-era Imago, the album had its share of fans for its distinctiveness.

Now, the band has released their follow-up, the eponymous Paramita. Listening to the album, one can see how that the band has grown since the change in guitarist, as well as true whatever they have experienced in between Tala and this album. The folk part of their music is less pronounced, and there is a bit more variety to the songs in this LP. One of the observations made by Dodobird (writer of a music blog that has since been deleted) was that Tala had a shortage of single-type cuts in the album. This one has no such deficit, with songs like Lisan, Recurrence, and Sa Piling Niya all having the musical sensibilities that are fit for the music video treatement. Musically, this album is a different beast from Tala, with songs having more immediate appeal than its predecessor.

The opening track, Sa Piling Niya, has that pop-rock sound that can cause last song syndrome. Very catchy, and, as I mentioned, very single-worthy. The next song, Panganib, on the other hand, shows that covering Sampaguita might have had long-lasting effects on the band. The song is not as fast paced or danceable as a Sampaguita song, though. In fact, it is probably the most slow and deliberate cut on the album. But as far as moxy and delivery, a heavier, punkish swagger replaces the more storyteller/lover vibe that usually permeates from Paramita songs.

That storyteller vibe is back in full effect in the next track, though. As She Sleeps, musically, is similar to A Dreamer's Lullaby or Porcelain Sunrise from Tala, a slow song that isn't soul-crushingly corny. Listeners are then exposed to a large contrast, as the song is immediately followed by not-all-that-slow Decadence. The most fast-paced song in the album- by a mile - we see Ria experimenting with the punk-pop-rock sound a bit more. It doesn't hurt that the inclusion of trumpets could remind one of Sunflower Day Camp, as the song has many elements of that genre of music.

Post-Decadence, the band settles down to the music we more often associate with the band. Recurrence, Of Lakes and Sirens, and Tadhana are all heavy, emotional (but not EMO), love songs, although none of them have the gravity of Tala (the single), which is a shame. More fast paced fare follows, with Lisan, A Little Less Time, and Goodbye, Goodnight evoking songs like Hiling and Carousel. Afterwards, rough (and I do mean rough) versions of Lisan, Recurrence, Of Lakes and Sirens, and A Little Less Time are included. I question their placement of the drafts, though. I thought they should have placed the instrumental ending track Roboto ahead of the drafts, as the four rough mixes are more like Hidden Track/Bonus fare rather than actual parts of the album. But that may just be me.

In the end, listening to the album actually reminded me of the transformation Imago took in between Probably Not But Most Definitely and Take 2. Gone are the folk elements of Tala, and replacing them are more grungy guitars and a heavier overall sound, kind of like what happened with Imago's music in those two albums. I do doubt that Paramita goes cute-pop in their next album, though. The album is definitely not bad, but it is a bit offsetting in the beginning, as the first half of the album can be confusing to the listener with its randomness. Nevertheless, it's a fine album, and it should be one of the better releases this year. As for the uniqueness factor, the folk sound may have been discarded, but the polish of the album can go a long way in redeeming that. After all, being plain good is still better than being a different shade of mediocre, or worse yet, a different shade of bad.

Rating: B

]]> http://twoisequaltozero.wordpress.com/?p=40 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:39:34 +0000 twoisequaltozero http://twoisequaltozero.tl.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/get-daydream-cycles-first-album-for-free/ Recently, both Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails both released albums for free on their websites as a "screw-you" to mainstream record labels. Considering that both albums were unequivocal successes, it is good to see artists fight back against the oppressive mainstream.

As I've mentioned before, one of the biggest problems with those big record labels are their tendency to pick out cookie-cutter acts and push them down our throats. Meanwhile, deserving artists get overlooked as uninspired cover songs and pseudo-celebrities dominate the airwaves. One of these bands that have been passed upon is Daydream Cycle. An indie-electronic act, the band has released two nondescript albums, their debut Daydream Cycle and the more recent Underwater Kite. Passing through the difficulties that many bands undergo, the band also independently released their first album, before hooking up with Terno for their follow-up. Now, as their third album reaches the final stages of production, the band is releasing their debut album on their multiply site for download. This is a great deal, especially when you consider the price- absolutely free.

Of course, one of the issues with Multiply these days is the fact that downloading has been disallowed in favor of (slow) playlist downloads. Worry no more as the band has also included a method for grabbing those songs for local archiving. Methods are included for using Winamp or iTunes, which is basically the vast majority of music listeners. The various methods are linked to in the comments section of the album's download page. Thanks to joeyoliver for making listening to music a lot more convenient.

Download the DDC album here.

The Multiply download method, courtesy of joeyoliver via meryl510, can be found here.

For kicks, here's the music video for Avenue, a single off Daydream Cycle's sophomore release, Underwater Kite:

Happy listening.

I first heard of the song "Uh Oh" performed by the band Taken by Cars and I instantly fell in love with it.  At this day and age when the likes of Gretchen Barretto, Boy Abunda, Kim Chiu, and Marian Rivera make a travesty of the music industry by releasing their respective "gold" albums (that were probably bought by a few fans by the bulk, just like this one guy I know who's head over heels over La Greta), new artists like Taken by Cars has assured me that there is still hope in Philippine music.

If you are into electronic rock and techno music, you'll gonna love it... I guaradamntee it!

Video clip after the jump.

Of course, one will also wonder why these bands never made it "big" (barring ONL of course). After all, the bands above are all critical darlings, and have nabbed a lot of praise from music critics. In a JUST AND FREE SOCIETY (I'm sorry no political bulsh*t allowed) fair world where success was judged by talent and skill, these bands would have a bigger share of the pie, one definitely bigger than some lesser bands out there (cough*6cyclemind*cough). Answer? I'll take the words POGI, EMO, REVIVAL, and MASA for 500.

Everyone knows the pogi rock phenomenon by now, bands like Cueshe and Callalily get off on pretty boy looks and passable but hopelessly generic melodies to build up a fanbase of adolescent girls to but their albums, fill up their concerts, and spam the radio networks to vote for their latest single about lost love and other "sensitive, heartfelt" nonsense.

For the adolescent boys, we now have the EMO movement. Led by bands such as Typecast and Chicosci, the black parade is in full swing in the Philippines, with unkempt hair and black eyeliner being all the rage among the 14-21 demographic among males. Telling signs of the EMO movement are talking about feelings and looking contemplative and/or angry for no particular reason. Teardrop tattoo is optional.

Then we have the revivals. I've already ranted on MYMP's reliance on covers for their mainstream success. Of course, they're not the only ones that are "borrowing" material for their personal profit. Hey at least MYMP bothered to credit the artists that made the songs. As recent scandals of ONL's Pinoy Ako, that Session Road song, and most likely a lot more bands that haven't been caught yet, show that imitation is still best option for bands without the talent to pen a decent song.

Finally we have the masa, or bandwagon phenomenon. Not to be confused with the masa radio phenomenon (which also sucks), the bandwagon phenomenon involves the uneducated masses being needlessly enamored with the latest inane "music" that music execs want us to waste our money on. Recent examples are the Otso-otso stupid- as- hell- and- yet- I'll- still- dance- and- sing- to- it jingle phenomenon, the Star<add noun here>- American- Idol- ripoff phenomenon, the I'm- on- TV- and- I- look- pretty- so- why- don't- I- sing- with- my- completely- and- utterly- mediocre- voice- to- make- the- unwashed- masses- buy- my- completely- and- utterly- worthless- album- and- waste- more- of- their- money phenomenon (hi Sam Milby and Kim Chiu), the Bossanova (sadly, I'm not referring to the Pixies album) phenomenon, and the aforementioned EMO, revival and pogi phenomena. Also falling under this are the pop-"rock" cuts that inexplicably get excessive airtime and become hits, like Imago's Taralets, Shamrock (ugh)'s Alipin, Cueshe(more ugh)'s Stay, and, whether you agree with me or not, Kamikazee's Narda. These repetitive and most likely utterly bland "hits" steal valuable airtime and eartime from quality songs from artists that get blatantly ignored for that band with the "hot" lead singer. It's sad really.

When the masses support these trends, what are music bigwigs to do but feed the masses' demand for it. After all, music is a business, and demand is money. What this has brought about is the inability of the general populace to discern quality music from the formulaic drivel that is on most of the airwaves. When listeners regard the song that is constantly on the radio as an instant classic, that group on the latest songhits mag as the next big thing, or the band featured prominently on MYX as the "best evahhhhhh!!1", the music scene has a definite problem. After all, all three of those spots are bought by managers or by major record labels that are cultivating their newest batch of pretty-boy/girl groups. In a media-hungry society, image is everything. With that image being sponsored by the pockets of money-hungry media execs rather than earned through artistic merit, it is no wonder that rock doesn't sell anymore. The rock acts that do sell are the ones that have an established fanbase, like Rivermaya, Parokya ni Edgar, or Bamboo, or are carried by the momentum big-time hit single, like Urbandub (First of Summer- though the fanbase is building, but they wouldn't be popular if it wasn't for that song) or Callalily (Stars). Checking Odyssey's charts, the alleged rock music is utterly commercialized, and everything else is generic (Jericho Rosales), inane (Gretchen Barreto), or outright stupid (Willie Revillame). What are lesser- name- but- better- game bands to do in a static music scene that encourages formula and blandness?

They quit.

Why so, you ask? Well the music scene is never going to help the little guy, and when a band that played the goddamned Power Rangers theme song gets picked over Sheila and the Insects in a battle of the bands contest, you know that musical integrity is basically in the gutter. Do you honestly think that real bands wouldn't feel jaded by that sort of horse sh*t? People say that pinoy rock has experienced a resurgence in recent years. I say that there are more local rock bands because record labels think that's the "in" thing right now and are signing "rock" acts that would be marketable to the various audiences that buy CDs (basically teenagers of both genders and the uneducated citizens that find Masa radio stations amusing). Just read the blog of Sheila and the Insects. I fully agree with their sentiments, and the blog is a sobering log of what will happen to many more good bands if the Philippine music scene isn't cleaned up soon. We are heading towards the path wherein everything on the radio sounds the same and innovative ideas are shelved for "consumer appeal". Oh wait, we're already there. Which basically means we're screwed.

Of course, some bands continue to fight the good fight. Indie label Terno Recordings has a roster of unique acts like Daydream Cycle and Up dharma Down, and have never accepted lesser bands. Radioactive Sago Project has always rebelled against the mainstream, always poking fun at whatever is wrong in this country. Indie bands like Bagetsafonik and Sugar Hiccup still peddle their unique type of music in the crowded and competitive music landscape. But it is definitely a losing fight. And sadly, it probably always will be.

Every person has a dream, a passion. People will spend a good chunk of their lives chasing the dream. After all, it is the dream that makes life worth living through, right? Without it, a monotony of everyday will basically render us disenchanted and inert, reducing us to animate shells, without a calling or a reason to go on. And thus, it is unfortunate for some people, whose dreams are to become true musicians, those who play for the music and the artistry, that the dream is basically out of reach, withheld from them by sellout bands, soulless execs, and media-trained masses.

Short post.

Tomorrow is My Chemical Romance’s concert here in Manila. See this poster for details:

Click to enlarge

I’m probably one basketball court away from the stage, a distance which can hopefully be covered by my tried and tested Sigma 70-300mm! :D That is, if I get the media pass that I asked from the office. It’s only a day before the concert, but I’m still hopeful. Professional cameras, it says in the rules, will not be allowed inside the premises unless the person has a media pass/photo pass. Half the reason why I’m going to this concert (and got a seat nearest the stage that I can afford) is that I want to take home photos. I'm also looking at contributing these photos to our music blog -- INQUIRER.net's SoundTrip.

Following the MCR concert, I will head on to Ateneo for “ALTITUDE,” CERSA’s yearly variety show. I will watch what’s remaining of the show since it will have already started during the MCR concert. See poster and GIF animation below (it's really cute):

Click to enlarge

Sources: CTC and TicketWorld

Mouse over for legend

Aaaand Nyctinasty:

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Sidestory: Happening on the same night was the launching party of Odysseylive.net back to back Kerplunk's Christmas Party in SaGuijo. I didn't make it. I read in their site that almost 200 people made it -- wow, heads up. I really owe them apology after confirming that I will be coming. I could have been one of the 200. I promise to be in the next gig, and, you know what, I'm really just talking to myself. Again, sorry guys.

The officemates decided we'd rather go to Dredd (which, inconveniently, is farther than Guijo -- heh -- obviously one of the mistakes we made that night) for the Sonic Boom party.

Related links: my Odysseylive.net page | See the rest of the Sonic Boom year-end party in Club Dredd photos

It's been a while since I've touched this blog. Oh well. Urbandub's fourth album has been anticipated for a while, especially after their single First of Summer got them massive popularity nationwide. Before then, the band was arguably just a very big indie band (is that an oxymoron?), with their first two albums, Birth and Influence, nabbing critical acclaim but not mainstream appeal. Soul Searching nabbed Song of the Year at the NU Rock Awards a while back, but even then the band didn't really make many waves with the masses. First of Summer changed all of that. Suddenly it was their song playing on the radio (pardon the pun). One must remember that Alert the Armory, the first single off Embrace, got some airplay, but it was much more comparable to what the band received in their first releases. The massive appeal that First of Summer brought carried over to their next singles as well, and Urbandub was newly minted as a big-timer in OPM music. Of course, expectations are high for Under Southern Lights.

Listening to the album, you can really see how far the band has come since their initial release. Their sound has evolved throughout their time as a band, and you can definitely hear traces of each of their previous 3 albums in this one. From Birth's raw, grungy sound, to Influence's more polished fare, up to Embrace's more experimental ditties, Under Southern Lights will really make longtime Urbandub fans reminisce. For this album, the band's sound hasn't changed as drastically as it has in previous releases, as the band has retained the sound that made them one of the Philippine's biggest bands. The album is unmistakably Urbandub, as can be seen in the songwriting and the instruments. One thing that can be noticed however is the lighter fare in the middle part of the album, as they are some of the least loud tracks the band has produced.

All of the tracks in the album are quite passable, but some songs do deserve some mention. Evidence will remind old-school Urbandub fans of Two Things, from Birth, with its soft (relatively) sound and heartfelt lyrics. Life is Easy, meanwhile, makes me think of Kjwan's One Look. Both songs are stark departures from the bands' signature sound, and Life is Easy has a bit of funk infused in it, just like Kjwan's single. Both of these songs make up an interesting middle section of the album, with the band departing from their signature sound. The rest of the album is full of fast-paced instrumental rock, the standard Urbandub fare.

Overall, the album is quite solid, just like one would expect from a veteran act like Urbandub. The album is cohesive and none of the tracks are really awful or whatnot. It doesn't top Influence, and none of the songs here will likely match the insane heights of popularity that First of Summer got. Nevertheless, it is still a good album, and one that will probably deserve more than a few listens.

Rating: **** (out of 5)

Mike Hanopol, an old acquaintance dating back to the mid 70's (his younger brother, Teddy Hanopol - also a musician now based in Germany - was my high school contemporary) hails from Carigara, Leyte and Iloilo. He's more popularly known as one of Pinoy Rock's icons - penning such hits as "Himig Natin" and "(Laki sa Layaw) Jeproks" among others.

Mike was back in Tacloban City and had a concert last Saturday, December 01 at the Tacloban Convention Center. As he himself proudly declared - he's no longer the Pinoy Rock icon of yore; he now calls himself the "Rock of Salvation." He is now a music evangelist.

Pepe Smith once in a while resurfaces, appearing in the alternative rock music scene. He was with several Manila rock bands which had a concert in Tacloban City February this year.

Joey "Pepe" Smith still rocking, at the back in photo above, wearing a cowboy hat, together with members of rock bands from Manila on their way to Tacloban. Photo taken February 16, 2007 at the SuperCat Terminal in Ormoc City.

I may be speaking out too soon here. But anyone who had heard their music would be just as assuming. These kids are bound to go places. Influenced by bands like Pantera, Metallica and possibly other metal bands ending with the letter A, they have learned to create a style of their own and not copy that of those whom they idolize.

A mix of hard hitting tunes and pop-punk, these guys had been hitting the local airwaves like crazy. Who knew a stint at an inter-collegiate battle of the bands would land them a contract with EMI Philippines? The same company who are behind local rock behemoths like Sugarfree, Bamboo, Hale (as much as it pains me to say that) and Urbandub (speaking of Urbandub, I have seen this band perform their hit "A New Tattoo" with Hilera and boy did it rock!).

And now that the band has more exposure than before, they're winning the hearts of more and more Filipinos by the day. With hits like "Rhyme Without Reason", "Define" and a rare Filipino rock ballad called "Pilit" it's no wonder why they're still around.

Let's face it - I only know a handful of bands who had successfully made a career after winning a band contest.

At first I found the single "Rhyme Without Reason" somewhat familiar to Green Day's "Hitchin' A Ride" and had compared the song "Pilit" to that of Bamboo's "Masaya". But after sometime I found their sound totally different. Those songs of theirs had found their way to my MP3 player.

As far as their inspiration goes, they could be influenced by pretty much anything. To quote an article from emimusic.ph, Chris had been caught saying that "I wrote most of the songs on the upcoming album, but Ivan writes too and so does Bob. Sometimes real life inspires me sometimes the ceiling or just plain nothing, we just want to write good melody for the songs".

This three-piece band should go on and write more songs. Their sound transcends when placed side-by-side with those other "hits" of today - consisting mainly of revivals and cliché stories of love won and lost.

Making hits however is the least of this band's concern. They're more focused on making music - good music to be more precise. Many other bands would claim the same thing. But I somehow believe this band is pretty much dedicated to what they started.

This is a band truly worth watching out for.

'Tang ina mo!'

These three infamous words are known to instigate bar fights, chair shots, broken noses, and of course, hurt feelings. But for the three-piece unit hailing from the South, the words symbolize their hatred against those which stand on their way, as they unleash their aggression in the form of '80s-inspired thrash metal with a tough of Eastern melodies, to be exact. Better to be heard and experienced, kiddies.

Sultansofsnap - composed of Mark Rodriguez on bass/vocals, Kaloi Cambaliza on guitars, and Mark Hotchkiss on drums - serve up a shitstorm of relentless, balls-to-the-walls metal in the vein of Killing Is My Business...-era Megadeth and Kreator. You know the drill: fast riffs, faster-than-hell leads, tight rhythms, and tough-ass lyrics that'll make you scream "METAL!" in front of your local church.

The robust bass sound and hardcore-esque snarl of Mark gives the band that holier-than-thou persona that is sorely lacking in bands nowadays, while Eric sounds awesome as ever, regardless of which drum kit he plays in. However, it is Kaloi who hogs the spotlight, as his burning lead work (amidst the massive wall of distorted riffs) contains all the elements of a good story: an awesome build-up of mellifluous notes spiraling down into its climactic and exciting finish of crash-and-burn chromatic goodness.

For starters, watch out for "Suntukan," a frantic and brash song that serves up the blowing knock-out punch to the unsuspecting, and their anthemic "Itumba ang Kalaban," which is guaranteed to draw some middle fingers from the crowd. By that time, you'll find yourself bowing down to the Sultans.

• Get your copy of their 2004 debut All Must Bow now! Don't exactly know where, as I'm not sure if Tower Records still carries them, but just get it, ok?
• The band is selling copies of their shirt for only P200 at their gigs. Buy.
• For bookings, contact 0916-6659798 or 0918-9798461.