The death toll is rising, and in the carnage is BTjunkie.org, who voluntarily jumped the ledge today. In the popular torrent search engine’s landing page: “This is the end of the line my friends. The decision does not come easy, but we’ve decided to voluntarily shut down. We’ve been fighting for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on.” This comes in the wake of Megaupload croaking from two weeks ago (not from a suicide, though, but from a federal indictment), as well as new legislative efforts in the U.S. and beyond post-SOPA/PIPA, which have since been shelved. The plurilateral agreement ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is, of course, among the new acronyms meant to make you shake in your boots. There is a larger debate than the one spewing from your torrent-reliant heart, but, for now, rest in peace, BTjunkie. The kids loved you. (Pulse.ph)

Image screen-captured from the late website’s homepage today, February 6, 2012.

Manila has long been a destination for international musicians, from current chart-toppers to near-forgotten one-hit wonders. Once in a blue moon, however, we are lucky enough to be graced by true talent, the kind that does not rely on arena pageantry or blings-and-babes gimmickry. Such is the case with Death Cab for Cutie, those kings of pain from Bellingham, Washington, who once lorded over indie and is now slowly taking over the world (if they haven’t already).

The band—known for their self-aware, straight-faced confessionals, such as “The Sound of Settling” (from 2004’s Transatlanticism), “I Will Follow You into the Dark” (from 2005’s Plans) and “I Will Possess Your Heart” (from 2008’s Narrow Stairs)—is slated to perform for their Filipino fans this March. Perhaps Rolling Stone magazine said it best when it described the band’s last independent outing as having “melodic, melancholy songs about feeling both smart and confused, hopelessly romantic but wary of love.” The group’s underground successes soon made way to mainstream nods. TV shows (The O.C., Six Feet Under, Californication) and movies (Wedding Crashers, Twilight: New Moon) started carrying their material. In some odd way, singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard, bassist Nick Harmer, guitarist Chris Walla, and drummer Jason McGerr are lending their credibility to these ventures, rather than openly milking whatever exposure they could get from them. Their newest release, 2011’s Codes and Keys, was written during a time of radical changes in Gibbard’s personal life. But, contrary to their previous material, fans can openly embrace this new record without shedding buckets of tears. “I feel like if there is a theme of home throughout [Codes and Keys], it has as much to do because of the changes that have happened in my life,” the songwriter said some time ago in a press statement. “I’ve rediscovered what the definition of home is,” the low-key musician further shared.

Death Cab for Cutie plays at The NBC Tent in Taguig on March 5, 2012 at 8 PM. VIP tickets are at P3,800, while Gold tickets are at P2,500. Discounted “early bird” tickets ran out fast, so it would be wise not to dilly-dally any longer. Visit TicketNet outlets to purchase. DCFC’s music is distributed locally by Warner Music Philippines. (Warner Music Philippines)

Presenting, proudly, the Oktaves: inchoate, unformed, but in its very incompleteness, promising. A promise that draws and stuns, as in pregnancies, those protracted tangos of formation, a continuing dance that points to the thing you guess at, wish for, tangled fingers secretly ribboned behind one’s back. Perhaps these early moments are the most precious, because at this juncture, the viewer is not really witnessing anything just yet; the viewer is, really, relegated to hint-deprived spectator. This particular germination did not happen overnight, though. Ely Buendia has enlisted those punks from Hilera before (and I say “punks” here not with the trembling index finger of a hypothetical authority figure, but with a certain rabid adoration for these still-underappreciated young masters), as backing band for In Love and War, playing on “Hands On” and “Bum Ticker.” As for the matter of the faultless Nitoy Adriano, meanwhile, there is, simply, the gaping ocean of possibility that opened up when he left long-time buddies The Jerks, a band Buendia long adored himself. Adriano’s a one-man “chops” factory, really, and he initially lent his hand to Buendia on the Rock Rizal track “Bungo sa Bangin,” and, on a more mercenary capacity, as part of the one-off Bowie-covering band Diamond Dogs. When, last year, Buendia got enlisted to record a theme song for Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story, it made perfect sense to rally this particular combination of talents together. The result, as you already know, was no thundering dud either: their rendering of the centuries-old Spanish folk song “La Paloma” garnered a nod from the MMFF Awards. They then debuted at the Esquire Philippines Ball as the “Chakabillies,” and played a few more low-key gigs under said moniker. But this tango, this continuing dance—inchoate, unformed, incomplete—now comes closer to finding a palpable body, with a new name in tow, an easier bid for validation, a volunteering to be counted in an imagined rock ‘n’ roll registry somewhere. And so, presenting (new but not quite new, with a fully-formed trio as its skeleton and two icons its pillars, a handful of originals and a world of ‘50s and ‘60s covers in their unpredictable repertoire, and always, a reckless abandon despite the precision) the Oktaves. (Aldus Santos)

Watch our humble roadside interview with Ely Buendia and Chris Padilla, on their new band:

On Wilderness’ “El Toro El Matador”

Prior to the video for “El Toro El Matador,” Wilderness had done one or two videos themselves, which I loved. Those videos had a real DIY feel, but were also aggressive and captured what I thought was the personality of the band. For “El Toro [...],” I wanted to keep that vibe and capture some great performance footage. I shot the band playing at the skate shop Whiskey Hill in Makati. The space is probably too small to fit a whole band, but I crammed Wilderness in there and then turned them loose. The result is a very kinetic, high-energy performance. The band brought the same intensity to the video that they do to their live shows. I then went and culled a barrage of “stolen” imagery to edit together with the performance footage. The band told me they wanted that footage to be “crazy, weird, aggressive, unpredictable.” I won’t try to define it, but there is a feeling that I get when I hear Wilderness. Images come to my mind. I think that’s why people love the band so much. I was trying to capture that feeling in those “stolen” images. For me, the video for “El Toro El Matador” is an absolute portrait of Wilderness.

On The Strangeness’ “Cain Was Furious and He Was Downcast”

I had the concept for The Strangeness video before I met or discussed doing a video with the band. For a while I had wanted to do a music video that looked like a photo shoot, which isn’t particularly unique, but my idea was to pay homage to one of my favorite photographers, Terry Richardson. If you know Terry’s photography, then you’ll know exactly what I mean. When I finally did meet The Strangeness I was happy to find out that they knew Terry Richardson’s work and were game for my idea. I asked my friend, Brian Sergio, who is a bad-ass photographer, to help me find some girls who might like to do something like this. Brian came through with three amazing girls, Bianca, Kaki, and Rachelle. The shoot itself was insane. I ran two camera setups and I had the girls running from setup to setup stripping their clothes off, posing with the band, using props, groping at instruments, and creating as much chaos as possible. All the credit goes to the band: it’s not easy to work under those circumstances! The shoot was an open set. The band had about 15 friends there hanging out, watching. Amidst all the chaos of half-naked girls, brownies, Star Wars masks and guitar amps, I overheard one guy who was watching turn to his girlfriend and say, “I think they’re trying to make the coolest music video ever.” He was right. That’s exactly what we were trying to do. (Robert Lyren)

Images provided by the author. Add Bob on Facebook for updates. Be at the joint video launch of these two new exciting acts on February 3 (this Friday), at Café saGuijo. Tune in to “Lost in Translation with Bob and Jesse” Saturdays, 9 to 11PM, on Jam 88.3.

When you snooze, well, you don’t always lose; sometimes you get spared the heap of online manure that has amassed, fortunately, without your knowledge. But your luck runs out, and like flies that frequently evade the most brutal of swattings, baseless rumors somehow make it to that precious sphere you call your (online) consciousness. Such swat-worthy things swarmed Twitter over the weekend, a veritable celeb serial-killing spree, which began with the “RIP Cher” proclamations, and humorlessly spawned more in the fake-death toll, counting Justin Bieber and Adele in its wake. All untrue, of course. Cher snapped back (on her Twitter account, naturally) with a couple of witty retorts, including “Well here i am tweeting from the HereAfter! Its very Blue up here & thank God they gave me a view of the Sea,Palm trees & a Balinese house,” among other weirdly capitalized, spaced, and punctuated snippets of Cher-ness. As of this writing, Bieber and Adele have not reacted. Good for them.

In other non-news, wrestler Hulk Hogan has revealed to The Sun that he almost played bass for Metallica. He told the magazine that he was chummy with the band’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, who asked him if he wanted to play bass for the band earlier in their career. However, Hogan said, “It didn’t work out.” A win for both wrestling and music (but is it?). The real headline in that item, incidentally, is Hogan’s beef with Kasabian, who apparently trashed hotel rooms under the wrestler’s name. Hogan promised to “sort them out” the next time he bumps into the Leicester-based group.

Over at Neil Young’s website, meanwhile, a half-hour-long “jam” purported to be the workings of a new collab with Crazy Horse is streaming. Spin warned Young fans earlier last week, however, to not get their hopes up, considering the old rocker has a reputation for shelved projects, e.g., Chrome Dreams, which was originally due in 1977 but came out, in an altogether-different form than intended, in 2007, as Chrome Dreams II. Still, Young with Crazy Horse is always a thing to behold. (Pulse.ph)

Hulk Hogan image by CharlieBoy808. Some rights reserved. Neil Young image by fotografgruppen.se. Some rights reserved. Both via Flickr Creative Commons.

Spin yesterday reported about the long-delayed, (possibly) much-awaited return of Ben Folds Five (which, if your kuya hasn’t told you yet, is really a trio). We throw in the “possibly” in there because Folds’ songwriting has remained a staple for the lovelorn even after the trio’s demise in 1999, with The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, their third, heralding the end. “Don’t Change Your Plans” was in that album, by the way, and it was a portent of sorts, with Folds lamenting his uncertainty within the freaking planet: “Sometimes I get the feeling/that I won’t be in this planet for very long./I really like it here./I’m quite attached to it./I hope I’m wrong.” Fast-forward to the present, and Folds is putting out solo releases back and forth, even throwing in a collab or two in the mix, as with his partnership with author Nick Hornby from 2010. Sure, Folds’ old trio has been known to play the odd reunion show or two, but it is only now (okay, yesterday) that they booked and spent studio time together. This photo of the old pals (which Folds tweeted) should be cause enough to rejoice. The singer captioned, “It’s happening fo sho—Day 1 in studio with Robert [Sledge] and Darren [Jessee] through March.” And if you doubt it still, it came with the hash-tag “#NewBenFoldsFiveRecord.” (Pulse.ph)

Image by Kevin Tostado, via Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.

Three days ago, photographer extraordinaire Niña Sandejas posted a video that pretty much took the cake for Rivermaya-reunion hopefuls. In it, incumbent ‘Maya members Mark Escueta (who has since moved to the mic stand from behind the drumkit) and Mike Elgar (who remains on axe duty) jam with the band’s former frontman, Bamboo Mañalac (who’s now gone solo) at the Elgars’ new home. A similar scene from January of last year was also witnessed by the famed photog, wherein Mañalac made an appearance at Escueta’s birthday party, and was said to have uttered, by way of a greeting, “It’s been a while, but I’m glad that when I look across the table, I still see my old friend.” You know how fans are with life-slices like these (they invariably collapse or get metaphorical coronaries), and we have gatekeeper figures such as Sandejas to thank for such moments. Not everyone, after all, gets a backstage pass. What makes this humble video all the more warm is, apart from the guerilla vibe of it all, its homey incidentals: ‘Maya children drumming on bongos, friends’ background chatter, and so on. It probably isn’t enough to realign the status quo (i.e., where-‘Maya-is-now), but it’s a good portent. (And so is Rico Blanco being spotted onstage with Nathan Azarcon, or Bamboo finishing a record with ex-‘Maya guitarist Kakoy Legaspi, who belonged to a different lineup of the band altogether.) Watch the trio perform “Elesi,” “Kung Ayaw Mo, Huwag Mo,” “Panahon na Naman,” and “Kisapmata” below. (Aldus Santos)

Many thanks to Niña Sandejas, who shot the video and the photograph used here.

InterAksyon yesterday reported the clamor of several groups from the record, film, and software industries to pass a bill mirroring the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. The information, the same report said, came from Universal Records executive-vice president Ramon Chuaying. Earlier this week, civil actions protesting SOPA/PIPA—including the 24-hour Wikipedia blackout, as well as an artists’ open letter to Washington, among several others—spread like wildfire. This was followed by the shutting down of Megaupload by the Feds, and the “revenge spree” of self-styled “fighters for Internet freedom” Anonymous through a series of hackings. (FBI’s side of the story, by the way, is here.) Chuaying, in the same InterAksyon report, identified the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI); the Anti-Film Piracy Council; the Motion Picture Association; the Business Software Alliance; and the IP Coalition as the groups clamoring for such a legislative move. Chuaying told InterAksyon, “[…] [If] this law passes, we can require the Internet [service] provider to block off websites hosting illegal content.” He lamented that, without such a law, the music industry will cease to exist. In the projected law, record companies may penalize copyright violators “by forcing Internet service providers to discontinue their subscription,” InterAksyon’s John Mark V. Tuazon further reported. Read more here. (Pulse.ph)

Image by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (a.k.a. HikingArtist.com), via Flickr Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.

You may listen in to the interview posted by Alora Uy-Guerrero a.k.a. mommytechie (co-conducted by InterAksyon’s John Mark V. Tuazon) on YouTube, below. (Meanwhile, her account for TechLokal can be read here.)

Via Rolling Stone: the plaintive vocal stylings of Jamesetta Hawkins, known to you and me as Etta James, are no more. The singer, best known for classics such as “At Last,” among others, died yesterday of leukemia. She was 73 years old. (Pulse.ph)

Image by Roland Godefroy, via Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.

The debate as to whether Megaupload is a mere online repository (a “locker” or “parking lot” for files, it’s been said) or enabler of online thievery can go on for days, but it’s clear where the Feds stand. The New York Times earlier reported their shutting down of the “top file-sharing site” and the charging of seven personalities connected with it for “running an international enterprise based on Internet piracy.” This, of course, came a day after civil protests against the SOPA/PIPA (including, but not limited to, this open letter by several artists to Washington).

In retaliation, earlier today, the Anonymous collective (self-styled “fighters for Internet freedom”), went on a hacking spree, which, Stereogum previously posted, included the websites of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), Universal Music, and the U.S. Justice Department in its log of prey. In a matter of hours, Gizmodo updated the list to include MPAA.org, the U.S. Copyright Office, record label EMI, French copyright authority HADOPI, and the FBI (though, in an update in the middle of all the hacking brouhaha, sites have been said to “[bounce] in and out of life” or “at the very least super slow to load”).

For those with a predilection for legalese, Pitchfork points us to the 72-page indictment. Said site also refreshes our memory as to Megaupload’s first brushes with authority (okay, with Universal) “for posting a pro-Megaupload video to YouTube featuring allegedly uncleared appearances from artists like Kanye, Diddy, Alicia Keys, Swizz, and more.”

For the hacking-curious, meanwhile, Gawker reports Anonymous’ scheme for having pulled all this off, saying its members “[distributed] a link that ropes internet users into an illegal DDoS attack against these websites simply by clicking it.”

To top things off, a lead we got on The Next Web has Anonymous defining who their main targets are: “We Anonymous are launching our largest attack ever on government and music industry sites. Lulz. The FBI didn’t think they would get away with this did they? They should have expected us.” Arrow-heads from said site also point us to this YouTube video.

The beginning of a new era? Pass the popcorn, please. (Aldus Santos)

Image by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (a.k.a. HikingArtist.com), via Flickr Creative Commons. Some rights reserved. Thanks are also due to Grace Notes for assistance in research.

[Update via Grace Notes]: “As of this writing, [TNW] reports today that Megaupload may already be regrouping under another domain name, and “is looking to relaunch a site outside of the U.S., and away [from American jurisdiction].”

On the news yesterday, there was the (cough) heroic Ronnie Ricketts, Optical Media Board chairman, conducting a raid on Makati Cinema Square, which has been known to carry counterfeit-CD-and-DVD stalls for what seems like forever. When we talk piracy in these shores, images such as that invariably crop up, and we reserve discussions of its online counterpart with great discomfort and uncertainty. One thing’s for sure, however, beyond the legalese: the Internet has enabled artist content to get to as many people as possible, and as quickly as possible. Artists are not jumping for joy at the thought of being “pirated,” but they’re (we’re guessing) more than casually happy that college kids are excitedly consuming their stuff.

Recent moves in U.S. legislature are, artists and free-content proponents argue, spelling dark days ahead. Read up on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) here (if you’re more into info-graphics, go here). The SOPA, in particular, is a touchy matter for the recording musician given today’s realities.  According to Gizmodo, the SOPA “gives the government the right to unilaterally censor foreign websites”; “gives copyright holders the right to issue economic takedowns and bring lawsuits against website owners and operators, if those websites have features that make it possible to post infringing content”; and “makes it a felony offense to post a copyrighted song or video.” Via Outside the Box Music, meanwhile, this brief video tutorial (entitled “SOPA ‘explained’ by The Guardian”) was embedded:

Yesterday, artists of all sorts (among them musicians Trent Reznor, Nada Surf, OK Go, MGMT, and others) put out an open letter to Washington. We got this from the site Bad Haven (the original posting, however, was first published on Stop the Wall, which is powered by Engine, “an advocacy group of small businesses in the technology sector,” where you can see the complete list of signatories):

We, the undersigned, are musicians, actors, directors, authors, and producers. We make our livelihoods with the artistic works we create. We are also Internet users.

We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

As creative professionals, we experience copyright infringement on a very personal level. Commercial piracy is deeply unfair and pervasive leaks of unreleased films and music regularly interfere with the integrity of our creations. We are grateful for the measures policymakers have enacted to protect our works.

We, along with the rest of society, have benefited immensely from a free and open Internet. It allows us to connect with our fans and reach new audiences. Using social media services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, we can communicate directly with millions of fans and interact with them in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services—artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result.

We are deeply concerned that PIPA and SOPA’s impact on piracy will be negligible compared to the potential damage that would be caused to legitimate Internet services. Online piracy is harmful and it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of censoring creativity, stifling innovation or preventing the creation of new, lawful digital distribution methods.

We urge Congress to exercise extreme caution and ensure that the free and open Internet, upon which so many artists rely to promote and distribute their work, does not become collateral damage in the process.

These are still, we believe, great times to make, share, and distribute art—and they’re being threatened. Keep guard. (Pulse.ph)

Image of Trent Reznor (“The Beginning of the End”) by Sarah Mulligan (a.k.a. smulligannn), via Flickr Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.

Apart from excitement of the panting, heavy-breathing variety, teases generally cause us nothing else but pain. But, hey, we’re not saying we don’t like them. A lead we got from tipster and budding concert promoter Chi Brotonel says, via Slicing Up Eyeballs, that ex-Smiths frontman Morrissey is slated to play ten dates in Japan in April and, also, some other places in Asia, New Zealand, and South America. “Asia?” you ask. Yes. Rumors are nothing but rumors, true, but nevertheless, the Philippines is mentioned in this article listing prospective Moz tour stops. Check it out and weep. (Pulse.ph)

Image by starbright31, via Flickr Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.

When executed properly, a drum solo can be an object of extreme profundity. It detaches itself from the tyranny of song, from the bounds of verse-chorus-verse linearity. A drum solo is its own idiom. There is no “for instance” or “to illustrate” in the grammar of percussion. It speaks and (metaphorizes) in thuds and thumps. Featured below is a 40-second snippet from two months ago featuring Paul Zialcita, a percussionist-cum-performance artist who can mostly be seen banging on water gallons (a.k.a. “aquadrums”) and the kali drum, defined by this blogger as “a large drum made of mylar and a large garbage can,” a relative perhaps of the Japanese Taiko, but which Zialcita makes his own. In this criminally short snippet, we’re confident that you can already get the sense of the commanding, shamanistic, hypnotic presence of the drumming Zialcita, who conducts his business like combat, but also like a dance. (Pulse.ph)

If you don’t know it yet, word is that the Foo Fighters are playing The Padang in Singapore on March 2, and Radiohead will swing by Taipei on July 25. Got an initial lead that tickets for Yorke and co.’s gig have already sold out, but the band’s site says they’ll only start selling on January 15. [Update: Okay, now they're really gone.] Tickets to the Foos’ show, meanwhile, are on sale here. In any case, we wish you the best of luck. Just be advised that the “big boys” usually sell out tens of thousands of seats in a matter of hours. Just send us a postcard or something.

Over here in the RP, meanwhile, we’re happy to announce that the hints we dropped regarding The Pains of Being Pure at Heart coming over are finally confirmed, and they’re playing Hard Rock in Makati on February 29. Lastly, producers (recently identified as Intastella Burst HK, Terno Recordings, White Noise Records, and Macha Piccha) have finally revealed details for the Toe show: 1) it’s happening on March 20 (a day earlier than previously reported); 2) early bird ticket rate will be P1,500 until February 15, then it reverts to the regular price, P1,800, beyond that date (you may e-mail info@ternorecordings.com to reserve, too); 3) venue will be at The Tents at Alphaland Southgate (gates open at 8PM); and, God bless them, 4) Encounters with a Yeti and Sleepwalk Circus are opening! Bottomline: if you’re for creativity of any sort, you owe it to yourself to catch the Japanese instrumental band. Arigato, indie-heads. (Pulse.ph)

Image of Toe from the “Toe in Manila 2012” Facebook-survey page. Check out the updated gig poster (where we got all this info) via Ternoman Toti Dalmacion. Check out our previous post for upcoming gigs both local and regional.

Elemento’s Lirio Salvador reportedly remains unconscious nine days after he got run over by a speeding motorcycle in Cavite Friday morning, December 30, right outside the gallery he co-runs, Espasyo Siningdikato. He is still at the intensive care unit of the De La Salle-University Medical Center in Dasmariñas. The avant-garde artist, most famous perhaps for the punk-industrial instruments (a.k.a. “Sandata”) he has fashioned from various found objects and all manner of stainless-steel implements, including bicycle chains, spoons, and forks (which I have identified as “literal heavy-metal guitars” in a previous exhibit review) has since spent the turn of the year until today at the hospital. Being victimized by irresponsible bike-riding hoodlums is one thing, but the potential of being robbed of a genius such as Salvador forever is another. Both are, however, undoubtedly tragic. Add the “Help Lirio Salvador” page on Facebook to extend help to the family and friends of this unparalleled talent. You may donate by depositing to the account authorized by Lirio’s wife Mary Ann Jimenez-Salvador (account name: Rodrigo Romero; account number 6176 2043 44; BPI Family Bank Fairview Branch). “Kindly keep the deposit slip with teller’s validation and please contact [Rodrigo “Jon” Romero] of your deposit. [He] will post transparency records on this Facebook account,” the page says. Alternative fundraising efforts also include the auction of artworks by painter Jheng Marzan (who is waiving the original pricing of the pieces to make way for speedier sales to aid Lirio); the Sandatahan Para Kay Lirio and Sandata Ako ni Lirio benefit shows on January 14 and February 4, respectively; and, of course, visits and words of encouragement won’t hurt. (Aldus Santos)

Image from the “Help Lirio Salvador” page on Facebook. Watch this interesting bit of Lirio from Singapore’s ArtScience Museum’s YouTube channel:

I don’t want people going broke this early in the New Year, but your money’s your money and you can do whatever the hell you want with it. I’m going to be especially encouraging too if you’re thinking of burning your dough on rock shows here and in neighboring SEA countries. First off is Laneway Festival, which is happening at Fort Canning in Singapore on February 12. People (okay, people I know) are extra-excited about the respective inclusions of Feist and Yuck, the latter being the buzz band of the past year with their unassuming, anachronistic approximation of ‘90s-style indie. I personally would want to see Girls live, because I’m a sucker for melodies like theirs. M83, The Drums, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, among other “now” bands (all fourteen of them!), are also in the bill. Can’t really complain. Book flights and file for leaves now.

Oh, Chazwik Bundick a.k.a. Toro Y Moi is in that bill, too, by the way, but in case it’s just him you’re after, better wait it out for three days. Yes, he’s playing Manila on February 15, through Kindassault and Raven 7 Multimedia. (Update: Kindassault’s Joff Cruz says his group is “close to locking down” a The Pains of Being Pure at Heart show as well, set tentatively for the 29th of the same month. That’s another reason to skip Laneway, by the way, especially if you’re flying just for the New York-based indie heroes. Cruz also says his group is most likely to give discounts on said show for those who’ll be purchasing tickets for the Toro Y Moi gig, too. Great deal, eh? Let yourselves be heard on this new survey.)

The people of Pulp, meanwhile, continue to bring the heavy into the Metro with the back-to-back Lamb of God/Black Dahlia Murder show on February 18 at World Trade Center.

A lead from singer-songwriter Rico Blanco says Death Cab for Cutie will play at the NBC Tent on March 5, but no ticketing details just yet, and it’s causing sleepless nights across Metro Manila. (Update: The band has finally added the show on their tour sked. Update: Blanco posted ticketing details via his Facebook, advertising an Early Bird promo period between January 6 to 15, where VIP tickets regularly priced at P3,800 will go for only P3,420, and Gold tickets regularly priced at P2,500 for P2,250. Call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or go to their site.)

On March 8, The Used, Dashboard Confessional, Cobra Starship, and The Cab will play in a shindig called Smash Project. Local acts Chicosci and Typecast are also reportedly slated to rock the same stage.

Meanwhile, the annual Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore, this year happening from March 9 to 18 at the Esplanade, boasts of yet another multi-genre lineup, headlined by Mercury Music Prize-winning band Elbow, Japanese instrumental band Toe (or toe, if you don’t mind the lower-case proper noun), ex-Battles honcho Tyondai Braxton, and, if you care, Aussie indie-poppers Architecture in Helsinki, among others.

But, but! If you only want to catch Toe, a reliable source told me they’re slated to play Manila on March 21. Let’s seal the deal on that and show the band (and the producers!) some love by being a fan of this page.

On the not-so-contemporary scheme of things, meanwhile, you may want to catch Cindy Lauper on March 17, as well as the Neil Young-less triumvirate of Crosby, Stills, and Nash on April 13, both at the Araneta (though I’ve yet to confirm the lead I got from Monet Pura on CSN). Spend wisely, folks, but don’t hesitate to work that concert mosh-floor. (Aldus Santos)

Toro Y Moi image by SCIENCE_JERK. Some rights reserved. Esplanade image by digitalpimp. Some rights reserved. Both via Flickr Creative Commons.

15. Bambu: “Something” (…Exact Change…, Community Kitchen Recordings)

Few people look to hip-hop music for commentary on pressing issues such as domestic violence, given its long history of misogynist biases. But Los Angeles-based Fil-Am rapper Bambu took time to inject verses that trace the trajectory of his life in the hood, struggling amidst a backdrop of familial violence and disarray. Over a flipped sampling of a ubiquitous Adele track, Bambu busts the perfect antithesis to Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie,” armed with spit-fire rhymes that knuckles the hard knock of urban life.

14. Japsuki: “Hits and Misses” (Monologue Whispers, D Chord Records)

Japs Sergio’s solo project reminds me a bit of Washed Out and Neon Indian. The misty, lo-fi aesthetics reverberating in “Hits and Misses” sound like an offshoot of chillwave-era bedroom pop, with a sparkly whimsy that recalls some of his best work with Daydream Cycle.

13. The Butchercons: “Medicine” (Coalesce, independently released)

Clocking short of three minutes, “Medicine” is a fun garage-rock stomper that pays homage to bands such as The Stooges, The Clash, and Television as if the last four decades never happened. Combining frantic energy with buzz-saw guitar riffs and solid, driving rhythms, The Butchercons’ lead single brings back the rawness in DIY-style rock, with a less-is-more production style infused in its primal fit.

12. The Camerawalls: “A Gentle Persuasion” (Bread and Circuses EP, Lilystars Records)

“A Gentle Persuasion” hits home like no other in the list. This song makes you want to rest your head on someone else’s bare chest and whisper words of fuming sweetness. It’s mood music at its most laidback form, inviting joy and sun-soaked bliss right at your comfort. Clem De Castro’s flamboyantly sexy lyrics and whimsical melodies are to blame for all of this—his romantic stamp, so to speak.

11. Taken by Cars: “This is Our City” (Dualist, Party Bear Records)

“This is Our City” opens big and shapes up to be a textbook anthem on optimism and morning bliss. Gone are the nightclub feel of Endings of a New Kind and its flirtations with laser-bombed, raver-punk shtick that once floored the local indie scene. In its place, we get to hear Sarah Marco coo out a stadium-sized blare, while allowing massive drums and guitars to kick in mercilessly, sweetly. And then there’s the awesome synth pulse breakdown somewhere in the middle of the song, providing a throwback to the classic TBC style we know by heart. Pure eargasm, it lingers just as that.

10. Chelo Aestrid: “Pinays Rise” (Love, Life & D’Light, Muse-ic Productions & Homeworkz)

It’s refreshing to hear that reigning ambition in Chelo Aestrid’s “Pinays Rise,” a catchy, funk-pop romp that pays tribute to Filipina pride and Filipinas’ collective aspirations. Produced by The Philippine All-Stars’ very own Q-York, Chelo’s debut single has that Janelle Monae vibe all over, only made distinct by the sampled “Hey Mickey” drums, funky basslines and subtle horn stabs. Its indelible hooks recall a campy, ‘80s-inflected track that could easily pass for Prince and Michael Jackson B-sides, but Chelo’s sass gives the track an entire new character that shrugs off all the comparisons being thrown at her. Listening to the song alone, you could quite simply smell a confident star, a scent that unfortunately belongs to a chosen few.

9. Multo: “In Sum of the Sacred” (Footnote to Youth EP, Number Line Records)

Lemonheads. Teenage Fanclub. Pavement. Superchunk. I could drop hints as to what Allan Lumba is trying to pull off in his depiction of a summer anthem. Propelled by jangly guitars and fanciful melodies that you hate not to love, Multo’s “In Sum of the Sacred” has nostalgia painted all over it, and reminds us that once in a while, we need that ‘90s indie-rock vibe in our lives. It’s a pretty song washed in dreamy simmer, and, as all good pop music should be, it stays in you for as long as bittersweet memories usually do.

8. Zia Quizon: “Ako na Lang” (Simple Girl, PolyEast Records/EMI Philippines)

Zia knocks out every local mainstream single released this year with the tender “Ako na Lang,” a rant that more than anything begs for some love and romantic exclusivity. This theme, grated, has been overused in OPM for ages, from Rey Valera’s beloved ballads to Up Dharma Down’s similarly-veined jazz-pop classic “Oo,” but Zia ties the familiarity with unabashed straightforwardness and a soul-crushing delivery that will make you bend down on your knees and listen to it intently. Girl’s got a voice that crackles of heartbreak and restraint, miles better than what her famous sister and mom could offer even at the rallying peak of their music careers.

7. Pupil: “20/20” (Limiters of the Infinity Pool, Sony-BMG)

For two decades, Ely Buendia has delivered opus after opus and hasn’t really lost his touch as a brilliant songwriter with a flair for random images that blend well in his manufactured universe. “I wish that I could see the world through your eyes/You zipped through the stars in a silver shopping cart,” he sneaks right through the dreamy, dance-punk intro with a hopeful tone, eliding verse after verse, his love letter to the Spiritual Being. It’s one of the best things he’d written for Pupil, and although we still miss his old band, Ely seems to be in the right company of post-punk dwellers churning out four-on-the-floor charmers in their continuing surge of greatness.

6. Loonie Feat. K.A. Antonio: “From Saudi with Love” (Sony-BMG)

A great companion piece to Gloc 9’s “Walang Natira,” Loonie’s surprisingly engaging “From Saudi with Love” works as an impressive bust of desert diary anecdotes addressed to Susan, his lover from the Philippines. The love letter takes a grim and at times absurd look at his experiences in Saudi Arabia: the struggles, the emotionally draining workload, the abuse he has to face in the claws of his boss, and the loneliness that seemed to have consumed him in whole. It’s a stinging sentiment that resonates with most of our OFWs, but being the talented whacko Loonie is, he adds a certain level of goof in his chops, just to lighten things up.

5. Techy Romantics: “Escape” (Escape, Party Bear Records)

“Escape” strikes me as spandex-variety pop that must have sprung from an accident. Think of Xanadu-era Olivia Newton John, or Lisa Stansfield at her fiercest. It’s a striking dance song embedded in full ‘80s bent, lost in what seems to be a rush of circling synths, house music-ready beats, and vintage glam. I myself don’t have a problem with the direction Techy Romantics is heading toward. In fact, I love every bit of its campiness with its rousing lines, “You are the fire in my life, keeping me burning deep inside”—a campiness that could floor even the most elitist of dance DJs—as well as its desire to take over the catwalk life with some heavy pounding.

4. Up Dharma Down: “Indak” (Terno Recordings)

It must be tough to write a song that simultaneously tugs at your heartstrings and breaks your heart, and still sing it with the emotional drive it requires. Up Dharma Down’s Armi Millare is more than capable of pulling off such a stunt, conveying suffering and recovering from a heartbreak like a thespian. On the bruised ballad “Indak,” we see someone in the throes of emotional anxiety, confused as to whether she would continue the forbidden love affair or remain true to her principles. Armi wrote a flawless, meditative piece with pop sensibility written all over it, ranking among the most mesmerizing tracks in UDD’s ever-expanding body of work, as powerful and resonant as “Oo,” “Sana,” and “Tadhana.”

3. Fando & Lis: “What Time Is It There?” (Found & Lost, Avant-Pop Music)

It’s becoming a habit I enjoy most: listening to downer ballads that leave a meaningful smile on the face. I love how bare and stripped of complexity some songs are, how gentle melodies and vocal harmonies connive to create unity or tension. “What Time Is It There?” gives me that exact feeling, that sense of seclusion and poignancy, gorgeously presented as a virtuosic piano-and-vocal performance that channels Elton John, Tori Amos, or probably both. Inspired by a Tsai Ming-liang film of the same title, it’s a song that features Khavn de la Cruz and sister Ledh on a call-and-response duet, forging the connection between time and distance and a love that knows no odds.

2. K-Jah Feat. Tala: “Hilamos” (Karitela Production)

This is rap at its most cutting, a modern-life commentary that downplays the illusory benefits we get from materialism and modernity. Through a flag-bearing, youthful anthem, K-Jah skews words like an adept street poet. His observations, both urban-smart and hustler-like, take a dig at our inner slums and souls (“Panatilihin ang makalumang asal, sa panahong moderno. Disiplina, ang natural na magarbo”), all recited over an enthralling, jazz-funk sound-bed. And boy, does he sound like some messianic, second-coming of “What’s Going On?”-era Marvin Gaye. Or maybe I’m just exaggerating. Los Indios Bravos’ Tala also provides a worthy, no-nonsense verse, one that shows mad skills and restraint. Together, they display a compelling brand of social awareness in a time where mere flash, violence, and gang wars rule local hip-hop.

1. The Strangeness: “Being Sober is Such a Drag” (Jesus Camp EP, Wide Eyed Records Manila)

The Strangeness was like the local equivalent of The Strokes when they first came out: a promising bandit of ‘70s garage-rock fetishists whose music, to borrow Joe Levi, is the stuff of which legends are made. I remember being blown away the first time I heard “Being Sober is Such a Drag,” which screams of ragged revolt and stoner-rock high, giving you some of the best four minutes of fun you could ask for. They sure brought back the fun in rock, that old-school, smashing-windshields vibe of yesteryears. But most of all, that song kicked ass like nobody this year did. Oh yes, that last bit remains to be contended with. (Ian Urrutia)

Photo credits revert to those cited in the hyper-linked original posts.

Sandwich: “Sugod” (2006)

The song’s anthemic rock-and-roll call-to-arms capturing the zeitgeist notwithstanding, the work of Mong Alcaraz and Diego Castillo on this record is something to behold. The repetitions of the opening riff, while very rudimentary, creates an almost-perfect analog of the sound produced when one cocks a semi-automatic pistol, puts it in the holster and snaps the strap button in place: the motions one typically goes through before beginning a tour of duty.

Juan Isip: “Tymspacewarp” (2009)

Pinoy punk legend Bobby Balingit lives one of the more paradoxical musical lives I have known. Largely known because of his work with the seminal band The Wuds, his musical capabilities and credentials (he taught classical guitar at the Buendia branch of the Yamaha School of Music for a time in the ‘90s) seemed to have always been at odds with the aesthetics of punk-rock guitar, which typically favor the minimum of complexity and the maximum of aggression. “Tymspacewarp,” in a way, reconciles them: the song only contains one musical figure on guitar, nothing more. The musical idea itself, however, is anathema to most punk rockers because of complex features such as extended chords and descending arpeggios, on no less than a classical guitar.

Razorback: “Payaso” (1997)

It’s no secret that Razorback had two of the most talented guitar players in the country when they released Beggar’s Moon in 1997*, which almost came with it the onus to maximize the talent that was available to them. In these situations, it is very easy for a band to simply fall into the trap of using guitar players as soloists, rather than utilizing them as co-writers and leading accompanists. “Payaso,” to my ears, cemented the notion that Razorback was anything but that. The riff that opens and closes the song has so much sinew that in my opinion, the song will be effectively emaciated without it. I can only describe the guitar line in question in the most physical of ways: it grabs your legs and ties them to a pickup truck, then drags you up through a rocky hill, yet you thoroughly enjoy every moment of it.

(*This is not to say that Tirso Ripoll’s current guitar cohort is a second-rate player. This only affirms two facts: that Razorback’s standards for guitar players are exacting, and that the only player out there right now who meets these requirements is Manuel Legarda.)

Honorary mention:

Eraserheads: “Alapaap” (1992)

At the time of its release, “Alapaap” was simply a riff on bass guitar I wanted to be able to play as some sort of rite of passage after learning the strummer-friendly songs of Ultraelectromagneticpop!. The first Eraserheads reunion, however, made it clear that it was beyond that. Being backstage allowed me to experience the real power of this riff, as thousands of people swooned with delight upon recognizing its first few notes. Perhaps this is the exemplar of a truly sublime musical idea, but for a simple-minded guitar player like me, its merit lies in the fact that it was compelling enough to make me learn another instrument’s part on guitar. (Marco Harder)

Part 1 of this list may be accessed here. Photo of Juan Isip by Tina Sison. Videos contained herein from YouTube users mariejambotz, tribongpinoy00, and EraserheadsVEVO.

Popular music and the guitar have always had a relationship that somehow necessitated each other for either to exist. The guitar’s history goes back to the lute, which was the instrument of choice of bards and traveling musicians whose livelihoods were largely provided by commoners who had some change to put in the now-idiomatic hat that got passed around. One could argue that the arrival of the six-stringed instrument also marked the beginning of popular music, as art music was clearly differentiated from the former by its audience (which was the royal court and, eventually, the living rooms of patrons), its manner of recording (which carries with it a certain sense of one needing to be learned enough to decipher and conscribe music with), and the instruments for which such music was written (classical music for guitar was a relatively recent phenomenon, and had only acquired similar stature with the advent of Andres Segovia and his peers). The new instrument afforded the vagabond musician both the convenience of being able to carry it around, as well as the accessibility and affordability of oft-replaced parts (as strings were made of sheep gut) while providing enough tools to express relatively complex musical ideas, particularly those involving harmony, which was quite a new invention during the time.

Its amplification and the birth of rock-and-roll shortly after only affirm this symbiotic coexistence. Stories such as those involving Link Wray driving a knife into his speaker cones to produce the first documented example of a distorted electric guitar and the branding of Dylan as a heretic and a traitor (this was a time when the folk music audience was still closely identified with the idea of a “community” and not as part of the panoply of popular music) when he and his band wielded electric instruments at Newport in 1965 only reinforces the notion that had the electric guitar not been invented, popular music as we know it would have developed quite differently.

A few days ago, I was waxing nostalgic about how much time I had when I was younger to play guitar and learn new things from songs I found myself intently listening to on the radio. Recollection soon turned to meandering and led me to think about those songs that made me want to pick up my instrument and cop them, if only to learn just the riff. Looking back, I believe it was primarily because they were being driven by—no, they were standing on the bedrock of a great guitar riff that a young lad learning the guitar found them to be interesting and inspirational. Thus, here is a quick survey of what in my opinion are some of the most interesting guitar riffs in OPM.

The Dawn: “Iisang Bangka Tayo” (1992)

Once the theme for a beer TVC, “Iisang Bangka Tayo” stands out as one of those songs that remind me why the moniker “the U2 of the Malayan race” with which the band was tagged is both fatuous and insulting (to The Dawn) at the same time. Clearly, the riff is an attempt to complement the song’s lyrical themes of flying and soaring through, well, notes in the high register, which it does successfully without sounding camp. When placed against guitar riffs from the same period, Francis Reyes’ genius stands out as a prime example of that which separates the timeless from the dated.

Rivermaya: “Kisapmata” (1996)

“Kisapmata” marked Rico Blanco’s first attempts to be a full-time guitarist for the band after Perf de Castro left the group. By this time, the snobbery towards flashy guitar playing brought upon by grunge had already arrived in Philippine shores and the audacity to open a song with an arpeggiated phrase and play a guitar solo in it was admirable. Never mind the fact that the song ran its verses and choruses on pretty much a strummy affair; the la-re-la that opens the song is an indelible mark it could not do without.

Juan de la Cruz: “Mamasyal sa Pilipinas” (1973)

Rizal Underground: “Sabado Nights” (1994)

Interestingly, my first encounter with this riff did not involve the JDLC number above. Rather, it coincided with my discovery that “hot,” alongside “cute” and “beautiful,” was a valid and equally useful adjective for a woman. The “Sabado Nights” advert—which featured Ina Raymundo, my first example of the newly-learned adjective—had Rizal Underground’s song of the same name as a theme. The said song carried the riff from JDLC’s “Mamasyal  sa Pilipinas,” a fact I would only learn about six years after, when I bought my first JDLC record on CD. I am not certain whether there have been any legal gesticulations surrounding these two numbers, but I decided to include them in this list as the temptation to say that the riff had enough potency to carry not one but two equally memorable songs in the OPM oeuvre was hard to resist. (Marco Harder)