Projecting the kind of treatment familiar to Sugarfree videos wherein losers/hopeless romantics/geeks emerge as emphatic characters, Ang Bandang Shirley's latest single "Themesong" is surefire hit in the making. Although a friend of mine hated it, its popsicle-feel and candid humor storytelling emanates prefectly the kind of charm that the song suggests: melodic guitar-pop structure, vocal harmonies, tribute to subtle arrangements and easy lyrics. Never borders from trying too hard. Just pure power pop menace that fans of Eraserheads and New Pornographers would beg off listening for more!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
FEATURED MP3: "Snowblind," {Plus Minus} +/-
Making a splash in the NY indie scene is {Plus Minus} +-, a Fil-Am band whose penchant for mood-building soundscapes and dreamy guitar-rock often gets inevitable comparison with Seattle-based rock supergroup, Deathcab for Cutie.
Slowly and surely, the band is garnering cult following from NY to Tokyo. Even on our local shores, their latest song, "Snowblind" is currently served at the NU Rock 107.5 playlist. So if you've heard the band's latest single and enjoyed it, kindly give 'em some homegrown love. Just key in NUVOTE SNOWBLIND and send to 29107.
As part of their world tour, the band recently announced that they will dropping by PHI this November and will be playing songs off their up coming new album, Xs On Your Eyes. Something to look forward to in the near future.
Btw, here's a giveaway mp3 of their current radio fodder. Enjoy.
+/- - "Snowblind"
Slowly and surely, the band is garnering cult following from NY to Tokyo. Even on our local shores, their latest song, "Snowblind" is currently served at the NU Rock 107.5 playlist. So if you've heard the band's latest single and enjoyed it, kindly give 'em some homegrown love. Just key in NUVOTE SNOWBLIND and send to 29107.
As part of their world tour, the band recently announced that they will dropping by PHI this November and will be playing songs off their up coming new album, Xs On Your Eyes. Something to look forward to in the near future.
Btw, here's a giveaway mp3 of their current radio fodder. Enjoy.
+/- - "Snowblind"
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
8 days to go before Up Dharma Down's BI POLAR album launch!
When debut album Fragmented was released in 2006, Up Dharma Down ended up easily as everybody's "it" indie band, appearing on every space of important media mileage - from being featured on an international glossy (Time Magazine) to being chosen by a foodie giant for a consumerist ad (Mc Donald's).
Heck, they were even considered by several critics as the next most important band after The Eraserheads. And the apt mathematical formula: critical approval + commercial success.
Heck, they were even considered by several critics as the next most important band after The Eraserheads. And the apt mathematical formula: critical approval + commercial success.
After two years drain, this soul/indietronic/rock/fusion band is now ready to prove us that they're no major sophomore slump. Bi polar (referencing a psychiatric disorder, huh?), their follow up album to Fragmented is rumored to be another sonically adventurous record with a more rockist, probably live electronica-kind of approach as evident to the teaser single, "Every first Second." But the question that never ticks out to a million people might just ring in a moment: Is there another "Oo" in the making? I mean, the lovelorn anthem that launched thousands of confused teenagers?
The answer, we'll find out in the coming days.
Early candidate/s for OPM "Song of the Year 2008"
It's too early to pick a favorite. But so far, these are the songs that defined how great OPM is, this 2008.
YUGTO - Rico Blanco
Rico's anthemic brashness never reached epic-scale proportion as this! With this kind of sonic amalgam that instills prog riffs, fuzzy low ends, grandiose orchestral elements, cathedral choirs, post punk undertones and time signature shifts into one heck of an epic-rock musical production, "Yugto" feels like Rico's attempt at Radiohead's "Android Paranoid," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or a cloned Andrew Lloyd Webb production (Jesus Christ Superstar), only that the clear inspiration for this music is his secret fixation with 70's progressive rock (Rush) and...Joey Ayala. (his sister Cynthia Alexander btw, appears on the video as the bassist. Amen!)
WHA' A GIT - The Vince Noir Project
LCD Soundsytem meets ultra grrl punk with twists of NY electroclash and eurodance ala Sophie Ellis Bextor! Best served with party pills and kinky sex.
ANG PUSA MO - Pedicab
Masochist lyrics over a Rapture/LCD Soundsystem groove and bass funk. Coolness.
MORNING AFTER - DRIP
When laidback, jazzy guitars suddenly sneaks into the race of fast-paced grooves and layered ambient sounds, the rhythm doubles in speed and the beat-heavy, electro-pop vibe becomes subtly heavier than what is expected. However, the fragility in Beng Calma’s voice remains depressing and desperate as ever. In her postmodernist outtake of unrequited love, she asks, "Do you know how to love?" The rest of the world listens and gives its middle finger approval.
CLINICALLY DEAD FOR 16 HOURS - The Camerawalls
Must be the post-chorus banduria on lemony, 80’s indie pop backdrop or the over-all sunshine feel of the song that references near-experience with death. Whatever it is, The Camerawalls latest offering brings out the best in a subtly done, guitar-pop opus that even its hacked influences (Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, 80’s Britpop) wouldn’t deny enjoying. So far, the best Morrissey song not written, produced and sung by Morrissey himself.
YUGTO - Rico Blanco
Rico's anthemic brashness never reached epic-scale proportion as this! With this kind of sonic amalgam that instills prog riffs, fuzzy low ends, grandiose orchestral elements, cathedral choirs, post punk undertones and time signature shifts into one heck of an epic-rock musical production, "Yugto" feels like Rico's attempt at Radiohead's "Android Paranoid," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or a cloned Andrew Lloyd Webb production (Jesus Christ Superstar), only that the clear inspiration for this music is his secret fixation with 70's progressive rock (Rush) and...Joey Ayala. (his sister Cynthia Alexander btw, appears on the video as the bassist. Amen!)
WHA' A GIT - The Vince Noir Project
LCD Soundsytem meets ultra grrl punk with twists of NY electroclash and eurodance ala Sophie Ellis Bextor! Best served with party pills and kinky sex.
ANG PUSA MO - Pedicab
Masochist lyrics over a Rapture/LCD Soundsystem groove and bass funk. Coolness.
MORNING AFTER - DRIP
When laidback, jazzy guitars suddenly sneaks into the race of fast-paced grooves and layered ambient sounds, the rhythm doubles in speed and the beat-heavy, electro-pop vibe becomes subtly heavier than what is expected. However, the fragility in Beng Calma’s voice remains depressing and desperate as ever. In her postmodernist outtake of unrequited love, she asks, "Do you know how to love?" The rest of the world listens and gives its middle finger approval.
CLINICALLY DEAD FOR 16 HOURS - The Camerawalls
Must be the post-chorus banduria on lemony, 80’s indie pop backdrop or the over-all sunshine feel of the song that references near-experience with death. Whatever it is, The Camerawalls latest offering brings out the best in a subtly done, guitar-pop opus that even its hacked influences (Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, 80’s Britpop) wouldn’t deny enjoying. So far, the best Morrissey song not written, produced and sung by Morrissey himself.
Review: Paramita - PARAMITA
GENRE: Alternative rock
RATING: 5.9
The very idea of Paramita’s eponymous sophomore album is to create a follow up that’s slightly different from the first one. Their debut Tala nurtured a dreamy, folk-alt rock with bittersweet melodies served as the main course - earning vehement comparisons to Imago’s Probably not but most definitely (only that it feels like PNBMD’s less talented and much ignored sister). Three years later, Paramita released their sophomore make-or-break record under Terno Recordings - home to the likes of Up Dharma Down, Radioactive Sago Project and Drip. And what a makeover it has become: an aggressive, more technically-driven Tala.
Despite fetching into prog tendencies and a heavier sound, Paramita still fashions its trademark of love and heartbreak epics into accessible pop-rock anthems like a storyteller who knew better than anyone else. The lyrics feels like introspective accounts of someone who has been romantically wounded several times, and oddly it appears like the extension that was on its debut record Tala - the hurting chronicles in “Hiling,” “Panaginip lang” and “Tala” reciprocating on tracks like “Lisan,” “Sa Piling Niya” and “Goodbye Goodnight.” Not bad, given that it’s what we fell for Paramita in the first place: their extremely emotional side, the ability to make us sob. And Ria’s a wordsmith when it comes to such challenge.
There are also times that the cuts on sophomore album resemble some of the songs on its debut. “Lisan,” unarguably one of the best tracks on the follow up catalogue, has the emotional hooks of “Hiling” embedded all over. “As She Sleeps” is as dreamy and slowburn as its cousin, “A Dreamer’s Lullaby.” Again, it doesn’t suffer any kind of drawback, that way. In fact, it has its own merits that set it apart from the vulnerable comparisons. “Lisan” for one, turns out to be more of a technical vanity than “Hiling,” yet both exude the same kind of poignancy.
Well, everything in this record has upped its ante for technique: time signature shifts and prog guitars here and there, more dynamic guitar-bass solos, basslines edging into funky showbandiness, feedback galore and the over-all mixing – prim and proper, not loud and too compressed. Even Ria’s drumming is also as tight as ever, making a roomful of improvement for the pop-rock threesome, technical-wise.However, what the sophomore album lacks is the predecessor album’s gain. Tala is an exercise on subtlety and affecting interpretation. Sure it has simpler arrangements and more stripped to basics kind of approach, but it has created some of the best single-worthy OPM songs to date – something that is deficient in Paramita’s sophomore album.
Although there are few gems like “Lisan,” “Sa Piling Nya” “Goodbye Goodnight” and “Tadhana” – still, it doesn’t hit the mark set by its debut. More often, the so-called ‘technical vanities’ in the record end up as too indulgent and worst, forgettable. The Sampaguita cover “Panganib” feels like a steal of a DRT interpretation (the band recently did a cover of Sampaguita’s Tao), having the same hard-rock ferocity and Led Zeppelin-isms. Paramita’s ska-punk attempt is a bit fun and refreshing, but it’s totally out of place from the serious themes encapsulating the record.
Even the bonus tracks don’t serve the purpose of exciting its listeners; its audibly thin, live-feel version of tracks like “Lisan” “Reccurence” “Of Lakes and Sirens” and “A little last time” are just bunch of excesses. And with the inclusion of a one minute, prog-instrumental “Roboto,” one suffers the unexpected clutter-like track arrangement of the album. Frankly speaking, it could’ve been better if they stick it out with ten tracks and none of the grim bonuses.
To quote the minimalists, sometimes less is more.
RATING: 5.9
The very idea of Paramita’s eponymous sophomore album is to create a follow up that’s slightly different from the first one. Their debut Tala nurtured a dreamy, folk-alt rock with bittersweet melodies served as the main course - earning vehement comparisons to Imago’s Probably not but most definitely (only that it feels like PNBMD’s less talented and much ignored sister). Three years later, Paramita released their sophomore make-or-break record under Terno Recordings - home to the likes of Up Dharma Down, Radioactive Sago Project and Drip. And what a makeover it has become: an aggressive, more technically-driven Tala.
Despite fetching into prog tendencies and a heavier sound, Paramita still fashions its trademark of love and heartbreak epics into accessible pop-rock anthems like a storyteller who knew better than anyone else. The lyrics feels like introspective accounts of someone who has been romantically wounded several times, and oddly it appears like the extension that was on its debut record Tala - the hurting chronicles in “Hiling,” “Panaginip lang” and “Tala” reciprocating on tracks like “Lisan,” “Sa Piling Niya” and “Goodbye Goodnight.” Not bad, given that it’s what we fell for Paramita in the first place: their extremely emotional side, the ability to make us sob. And Ria’s a wordsmith when it comes to such challenge.
There are also times that the cuts on sophomore album resemble some of the songs on its debut. “Lisan,” unarguably one of the best tracks on the follow up catalogue, has the emotional hooks of “Hiling” embedded all over. “As She Sleeps” is as dreamy and slowburn as its cousin, “A Dreamer’s Lullaby.” Again, it doesn’t suffer any kind of drawback, that way. In fact, it has its own merits that set it apart from the vulnerable comparisons. “Lisan” for one, turns out to be more of a technical vanity than “Hiling,” yet both exude the same kind of poignancy.
Well, everything in this record has upped its ante for technique: time signature shifts and prog guitars here and there, more dynamic guitar-bass solos, basslines edging into funky showbandiness, feedback galore and the over-all mixing – prim and proper, not loud and too compressed. Even Ria’s drumming is also as tight as ever, making a roomful of improvement for the pop-rock threesome, technical-wise.However, what the sophomore album lacks is the predecessor album’s gain. Tala is an exercise on subtlety and affecting interpretation. Sure it has simpler arrangements and more stripped to basics kind of approach, but it has created some of the best single-worthy OPM songs to date – something that is deficient in Paramita’s sophomore album.
Although there are few gems like “Lisan,” “Sa Piling Nya” “Goodbye Goodnight” and “Tadhana” – still, it doesn’t hit the mark set by its debut. More often, the so-called ‘technical vanities’ in the record end up as too indulgent and worst, forgettable. The Sampaguita cover “Panganib” feels like a steal of a DRT interpretation (the band recently did a cover of Sampaguita’s Tao), having the same hard-rock ferocity and Led Zeppelin-isms. Paramita’s ska-punk attempt is a bit fun and refreshing, but it’s totally out of place from the serious themes encapsulating the record.
Even the bonus tracks don’t serve the purpose of exciting its listeners; its audibly thin, live-feel version of tracks like “Lisan” “Reccurence” “Of Lakes and Sirens” and “A little last time” are just bunch of excesses. And with the inclusion of a one minute, prog-instrumental “Roboto,” one suffers the unexpected clutter-like track arrangement of the album. Frankly speaking, it could’ve been better if they stick it out with ten tracks and none of the grim bonuses.
To quote the minimalists, sometimes less is more.
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