thosewhocantdomusic-blog

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Beast Jesus Fans Are Insufferable

Photo Credit: Niko Cezar

Ever since I found out about Beast Jesus, I haven’t been the same ever since. 

Because of Beast Jesus, I can’t keep a straight face anymore when someone says that they’re “into local indie.” Ever since I started reading Francis Regalado’s posts on Facebook about the local music scene, I’ve become more and more aware of the pretentiousness that is perpetually thick in the air in Route 196. The local bands in my Spotify library have significantly lessened because almost everyone else sounds inferior to them now. In fact, they’re one of the few only local bands that I listen to because I want to, and not because I have to. 

They will never be as popular as Sud, or Jensen and the Flips, or MilesExperience, but Beast Jesus will always be better because unlike those three bands, they’re capable of changing someone’s taste and opinions about the local music scene. None of those signed bands have the freedom to speak out and be themselves, and their music is so vanilla that it’s almost impossible to review their music. On the other hand, Francis Regalado and Raphael Pulgar will say anything they like and piss off anyone they want. While Beast Jesus’ music isn’t so mind-blowing that every person has their own unique take on it, it can at least spark a conversation. That, of course, makes them someone worth listening to. 

While Beast Jesus’ influence has done good things, some negative effects were brought in as well. Go to any gig where the band or any of their friends (Neverdie, Lindenwood, HL/DV… basically all the bands that Tani Cariño is in) are part of the bill, and you’ll find their disciples at the very front, wearing their Nothing or Turnover shirts. They’ll be the ones saying “Nice set, paps” over and over again like parrots suffering from echolalia even though it stopped being funny ten minutes after the tongue-in-cheek greeting began to exist. They’ll be spouting out the latest meme even though memes aren’t that funny outside of the internet. From time to time, they’ll also be cracking jokes about “obscure” bands to show that they’ve done their homework. Sadly, all that has been ruining it for me lately. 

I don’t go to their shows that much anymore because I’ve gotten tired of sitting through their fans’ unfunny and alienating inside jokes. I get it: Tani Cariño’s in a lot of bands, Sud sucks, Shotgun Combo sucks, “parang Franco pero walang ekoms,” American Football sucks, Mow’s is the best bar ever… what else? I can’t remember the rest. 

I guess they’re just having a great time, and I’m not helping myself by being a grumpy asshole. If that’s the case, good for them. Next time, I’ll just make sure to come late and leave early.

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Rusty Machines Are Not Underrated

(Photo by Andrea Beldua / Young Star)

Rusty Machines has been called underrated by FHM and, more recently, The Flying Lugaw says that they might become “one of the biggest alternative rock bands in the next decade.”

Well, I beg to differ.

The most that Rusty Machines is is decent. Everything about the band is unremarkable. So-so lyrics, so-so riffs, so-so songwriting, so-so everything. They kind of remind me of Circa Waves, that British indie starter pack band that everyone knows but can’t think of a song by them other than “T-Shirt Weather.” Sure, there are good parts here and there on their EP City Lights, but these tiny good parts are snuffed out by these bigger, more unmemorable parts. It’s like they came up with interesting riffs and melodies and then hurriedly tacked on a lot of uninteresting parts just so they could call it a song. 

Some of their lyrics are painfully generic and cheesy too - like the poetry of a high schooler suffering from puppy love. Here are some examples:

From “Forget You”:

“I wish that you are here with me / feeling the waves again / Pretend to be who we want to be / All over again.”

From “The Morning”:

“Cause I don’t know what it feels like to be without you / I’m falling heavy now / I’m falling to the ground.” 

From “Can’t Hardly Wait”:

“Darling you are my weakness / just a smile, a wink, a laugh / Oh God I feel my knees go weak / So if you say you want to escape with me / I would gladly go with you and I am gonna show you / That I’m the one / For You.”

more #feels pls

They just released a new track called “What Went Wrong,” and, yeah, I cared more about the possible Donnie Darko references than the song itself. The lyrics are still generic, but hey - at least it’s not cheesy.

 They’re releasing their debut album soon, so I hope that’s much better than City Lights.

#RustyMachines #OPM

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REVIEW: Memoryville’s “Heartbreak City”

Memoryville is the brainchild of Kurvine Chua. His latest release, Heartbreak City, is a four-track EP that has elements of new wave and emo. 

Overall, the project suffers from melodrama and a lack of a subtlety. I don’t know if he’s being sarcastic or ironic in the opener, “Forever (And Ever and Ever),” but it’s about meeting someone new and wanting to be with them… forever and ever and ever. If he’s not being sarcastic or ironic in this track, then damn, he strikes me as the kind of guy who still thinks that Tom and Summer are still #relationshipgoals. Also, everything about it is as annoying as a TV commercial jingle. 

The third track “Quit Feeding Off The Loneliness of a Generation” has a better instrumental but contains lyrics that could belong in a #woke Facebook post, and while I’m all for speaking out against social injustices, I feel that the song could’ve been better with less generic lyrics and more story-telling. The song seems to call out an artist (a mainstream one, by the looks of it) who’s using mental illness for his/her own commercial gain, and it references the time this artist went “crashing down from [his] bathroom window.” That’s what makes the start of the song gripping, but then it loses its way around the second half of it, turning into a Facebook rant of some kid who’d just discovered feminism. With more personal lyrics and specific references I’d just mentioned, I think Chua would’ve been able to get his point across without getting a few snickers and eye-rolls. 

My favorite track is “You Left Me On Prom Night,” where he remembers the bittersweet and fleeting moment with a lover on prom night. The lyrics are still melodramatic, but the instrumental is far more understated, balancing it out. He lets the yearning shine through on its own here, instead of shoving it in our faces. 

While I’m not a huge fan of this EP (the last track “Forget About The Possiblity Of Us” is a decent but unremarkable acoustic emo-pop song), “You Left Me…” alone makes me think that this guy has the potential to be one of the most popular local acts. I look forward to his next EP. Judging by his latest single “super ocean,” I think it’s going to be much, much better.

#memoryville #OPM #supportlocal #synthpop #emo #manila #Philippines

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Autotelic Is Overrated

[Photo by John Eric Bico]

Sorry.

Written by Cargo Shorts

Okay. Let me get straight to it. 

The only complaint I have of the band is that all their songs sound the same. Their songs are sweet to the ear, but when you listen to their album Papunta Pabalik from top to bottom, the songs blend into one another, making for a dull and tiring listen. This is why when I try to write reviews for the band, I can’t say much aside from “the lyrics are really sad, and the choruses are really catchy, and the synths are really synth-y and uhh the music video for ‘Laro’ made me cry (it really did).” 

Yeah, it’s good that I can’t say anything bad about the band, but that’s bad too. It means they’re boring. 

When I see them live, I’m only entertained within the first track. As their set goes on, I find myself yawning, my neck growing stiff from not moving, and my mind wandering to the McDonald’s menu - because I like to eat nuggets after a few beers. Unless breakfast is already available. Sometimes I pair the nuggets with their mushroom soup because their mushroom soup kind of tastes like truffle. It’s fake truffle, I’m sure, but still. 

Anyway.

The band’s song structures are sophisticated, the hooks are catchy, and Josh Villena is unrivalled as a lyricist who writes in Filipino (unless I’m missing someone… let me know). Not to sound like your friendly neighborhood hipster, but their songs sound too clean. Sterilised. For some reason I imagine a brand new AC in a newly constructed hospital bedroom. There’s no sense of risk or danger when it comes to this band. They’re too safe. They work hard to be liked, and not much else. I’m not saying Autotelic should write an avant-garde noise record or something because that’s not who they are. All I’m asking is they write something that’s a bit different from their sugary electro-pop next time, something that’ll make their fans stop in their tracks and say “Woah, what the fuck was that?” 

The biggest compliments the band has been getting aren’t changing my mind either. 

“Sure, they borrow heavily from bands like Tears For Fears and Pet Shop Boys,” Ian Urrutia of Vandals on the Wall writes, “but they make it sound every inch and smell, Pinoy—digging more into local sensibilities meant to mirror who they actually are as a person, and how proud they are [of] it.”

So… the best part about them is they’re #ProudToBePinoy? The whole review, which is for the track “Misteryoso,” just attempts to make them sound more interesting than they really are.

Yna De Leon of Radio Republic writes, “I just know their tunes are fun to listen to and my feet completely agree hence the uncontrollable tapping.”

And yet people like Francis Brew Reyes were somehow convinced to call them “the potential future of pinoy pop music.” Why? How? That reminds me of that time GMA called a self-professed “Coffee Shop Musician” the “future of OPM.” 

What are these people smoking?? It just shows how careless music critics can be. 

And you know what, Yna? I hate to admit it, but I kind of feel the same way about these guys:

I’m not underestimating pop music. I am well aware that that shit is really, really hard. It takes a genius to make a hit. But look at Jack Antonoff of Bleachers for example. His songs, especially in his latest album Gone Now, is filled with the stuff that makes mainstream pop mainstream pop. But what makes him different from most is that there’s always a sense of child-like wonder and outcast-y weirdness to them. Songs like “Goodmorning” and “Don’t Take The Money” sound like they were written by a music-depraved kid that was let loose in a music store. See, Antonoff doesn’t give a fuck. Autotelic, on the other hand, just give one too many fucks. And that’s why they bore me.

I’m not an idiot. I don’t think Autotelic is bad. I just think there’s something missing. I’d like to see Autotelic let loose for a change. I hope that happens in their upcoming releases. Until then, I’ll be dreaming of chicken nuggets and mushroom soup every time I see them live

#autotelic #OPM #Electropop #overrated #mcdonaldsmushroomsoupisactuallyprettygood

[thosewhocantdomusic-blog]

Was Get Music Indie-Go Worth It?

eeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhtwasitwasallrite.jpg

I went to Get Music Indie-Go because I was lucky enough to get my hands on some VIP tickets. Don’t ask how. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m not proud of myself. 

ANYWAY. 

Billboard PH recently wrote about it and goddamn did they tip-toe around the motherfucker. It was so obvious that not a lot of good things happened that night because under the “Highs” section, all they could say was (essentially) “There’s aircon,” “Jensen and Reese were cool,” “there was food,” and “it happened at MOA Arena.” They couldn’t say anything offensive under “Lows,” so all they said was “It was expensive,” “It started late,” and “There was a lot of trash afterwards.” 

I feel bad for them for not being able to just say outright that the thing was a flop. There were probably around fifteen to twenty people in the upper and lower box areas, and just half of both VIP A and B were filled. They should’ve just rented out SM Skydome or the Samsung Hall at SM Aura to save them the embarrassment. It was so sad, that when I woke up the following morning, I thought really hard whether I wanted to write about this or not. I held it off for a few days because I got depressed every time I started thinking about it. I thought I would never write about it, ever. Then today I listened to some Steve Lacy, Pouya, and the new Death Grips, and that got my mood up real quick. Now I’m ready to shit on this again.

First of all, it wasn’t bad. It was just plain disappointing. They’re justification for doing it at MOA Arena was that they were going to do things they can’t do at bars. Aside from MilesExperience, this was a lie. Every band did exactly what they do at bars. While Jensen and the Flips and SUD did have back up singers, I don’t think that’s something you can’t do at bars. Sure, there’s the fact that there are better acoustics at MOA Arena compared to Route 196, but that was already expected. I arrived late, so the first artist I got to see was Reese Lansangan. I’m bummed that I didn’t get to see NINNO (the only guy I wanted to see anyway) and Conscious and the Goodness, but judging from the stuff I’ve read, they didn’t do anything mind-blowing either. I missed She’s Only Sixteen too, and thank God I did. 

And there’s also all the screens they used, which infuriated me because they didn’t even put it to good use. Initially I thought they were going to do some Kanye West-type shit, but they ended up just splicing together their music videos and random screensavers. Check out a photo from Jensen and the Flips’ set:

Reese’s

The visuals didn’t complement the music to make an immersive experience. They serve no other purpose than as something to stare at. The only artist that actually tried in terms of visuals was somedaydream. He paired his trippy electronic music with some equally trippy visuals that I can only describe as “like walking around in campus while stoned with 3D glasses on.”

Surprisingly, he was my favourite artist that night. 

Every now and then, he also used these vague, trying-to-be-profound mouth-farts that looked like t-shirt designs from H&M.

Photo from H&M

It’s funny how both coincidentally look like cheap rip offs of two different Joy Division albums. 

In the smoking area, I overheard one audience member saying somedaydream’s set was “too artsy for him.” I don’t want to generalise, but that reveals the kind of people this “indie music” festival attracted. An artist actually tries to do something different, and it’s already “too artsy” for the poor audience member. 

As expected, pop punk band All Time Low  A Day To Remember Simple Plan An Honest Mistake stuck out like a sore thumb. They’re my second favourite artist from that night, though, because their music is incredibly fun live and they’re funny as hell too. In between songs, they spent their time cracking jokes and looking for groupies. I don’t think they even knew what the show was about. In the middle of the set, they invited Dee Cruz Eunice Jorge Hayley Williams Juliann Savard of Save Me Hollywood and uhh yeah I guess that was cool. 

There’s also the “college acts,” and I don’t want to go into that because none of them were memorable. I think one of them sounded like 6cyclemind (which is never a good thing) and another sounded like Paramore. it’s annoying that there are still bands that are stuck in Paramore Hell circa Riot! I mean, even Paramore has gotten over Paramore and has moved on to ripping off The Strokes. I heard Mrs. Fin auditioned for this thing, and I cannot believe that these hacks were accepted and not them.  

Through out the night, the bands kept promising that there was going to be a “huge surprise.” The surprise turned out to be MilesExperience having a choir, a cellist (Coeli San Luis), and the UST Yellow Jackets Drumline on stage during their set. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see this set, and I would be glad to be corrected by any fans out there with footage when I say that that looks like a clusterfuck trying so desperately to pass off as a huge surprise. When i told this to my sister, who’s both a UST student and a huge MilesExperience fan, all she could say was, “What? Why??” If you’ve heard MilesExperience’s music, you’d know that it isn’t something that would go well with a choir or a drum line. A cello makes sense, but a drum line and a choir?? I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the real surprise of the night was when Gabby Alipe played “Soul Searching” for the first time in two years. It was a much bigger surprise because it meant something, and not just a bunch of random things put together to look big and important. 

I went to the show with TWCD contributor Hayden Kho’s Non-Celebrity Sex Buddy. While we were waiting for our Uber, she said “I’m starting to get why this is such a big deal to the bands now. Think about it: the last time a Filipino band got to play in MOA Arena, it was the Eraserheads.” That analogy’s inaccurate because you simply can’t compare E-heads to a band like Sud, Jensen, Miles, or Reese - and no, not even Gabby Alipe. But, yes, I got her point. At the tail end of Reese’s set, Reese was at a loss for words thanking her fans. And during Sud’s set, Ballecer could hardly move out of nervousness. Despite the broken promises and the overall disappointment, the show was actually pretty heartwarming, and I felt great for being there. And I’m actually glad that the artists, albeit undeserving, got to play the gig of their dreams. The next time another one of these things comes up, I’ll be lining up for a ticket and as long as its free because I am not giving my money to something that is so not worth paying for, I’ll be there. 

#reeselansangan #SUD #OPM #jensenandtheflips #fuckshesonlysixteen #consciousandthegoodness #gabbyalipe #getmusicindiego #MCA #iloveninno #somedaydream #collegeacts #milesexperienceblows

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In Defense of Get Music Indie-Go… Sort of.

Pointing out the pointlessness of this shitfest is as done and obvious as pointing out Shotgun Combo’s sexism. So I decided to defend it... sort of. 

MCA’s Get Music Indie-Go is lame. If you think it’s cool, you’re objectively wrong. And you’re lame. You’re more basic than the new Harry Styles record. 

The line-up (save for NINNO because I love that guy) looks like it was assembled by some corny dad who’s trying to win over the affection of his high school daughter whose knowledge of “indie music” begins and ends with Arctic Monkeys’ AM. They really just took some of the most bland and commercial-ready local artists and lumped them together in one gig. The final nail in the coffin is guest band An Honest Mistake, a generic pop punk band from Malaysia (signed to Warner, mind you) that belongs more in PULP’s Bazooka Rocks than anywhere else. 

Despite that, I do think that GetMusic Indie-Go, as stupid as the event’s name is, can do a bit of good to local music. Aside from the fact that they are giving some “college acts” (a term they love using that makes this whole thing sound even more ham-fisted) the opportunity to get exposed to a huge audience, this event may become a gateway for many to more interesting music. The cheapest ticket you’ll get is P1000, and that’s already a huge difference from the standard P150-P300 + one free beer at bar gigs. And by doing that, I think MCA already knew that if you’ve angrily commented on MCA’s Facebook about the ridiculousness of the price, then you’re not their target audience. If you regularly go to bars to watch gigs, you’re not what they’re looking for. The audience that they’re trying to get are the people that are young, dumb, and sheltered enough to think that this is worth it. Honestly, that’s not entirely a bad thing. Because if these young, dumb, and sheltered kids can’t be bothered to go to Saguijo to watch real indie, at least they’ll get a lengthy swig of it here. And although one of the most problematic parts of this event is that they use “indie” to describe something that contradicts the literal meaning of its root word, they are at least spreading the term. They’re planting it into the minds of the people who are clueless about it. By doing that, MCA makes people curious, makes them want to learn about it more. This is like how getting into Blink-182 can get you into The Clash, how Slipknot can get you into Morbid Angel, and how Kanye West’s Yeezus got a lot of hipsters in training to check out Death Grips. 

I highly doubt that Get Music Indie-Go will ever be taken seriously. Not with that line-up, and definitely not with that terrible, terrible name. Still, I don’t think it deserves the amount of hate it gets. At it’s core, it’s the strawberry-flavored lube that’ll help ease the uninitiated into the coarse vagina/asshole to more interesting music. We all needed that at one point after all. You’d be lying if you didn’t.

#OPM #Sud #jensen and the flips #ReeseLansangan #Milesexperience #NINNO #MCA #GetMusicIndieGo #somedaydream #autotelic justreuniteurbandubalreadyforfuckssake #shesonlysixteen #consciousandthegoodness

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The Complete Irrelevance of Luis Manzano

(https://notemagazine.blogspot.de/2012/08/luis-manzano-biography-abs-cbn.html?m=1)

Written by Hayden Kho’s Non-Celebrity Sex Buddy

If you really think about it, Luis Manzano is the epitome of all things wrong in our culture. Vaguely attractive, vaguely white dude who talks for a living? He’s everything our generation is built to hate, but in my humble, frankly also irrelevant opinion, he’s not hated enough. 

The last time Luis was relevant was 2009 when he played a gay man in the Olivia Lamasan classic, In My Life. I’d like to say it was all downhill from there but that’s not exactly true. Luis had his moments. He was a defining part of the MYX generation’s childhood. During bouts of absolute disgust for this asshat, I get flashbacks to his immensely funny, just this side of lovable fake rift with also then-VJ Nikki Gil, and second guess if I actually do hate him or if I’m just a millennial. 

But then you realize that nowadays, Manzano’s whole career depends purely on the beautiful, much more successful women he’s gotten “lucky” with. He’s got an Angel, a Jennelyn, and some other starlet-shaped notches on his bed and it really does make you ask the question: how big is this dude’s dick? 

I mean, what’s the appeal?

When was the last time you saw Manzano on the news for something that doesn’t involve some actress he’s fucking? I hate to be the person who flashes the “Oedipal Complex” card but his mother is Vilma Santos and even she can tell you that there’s no such thing as miracles. 

He peddles his mediocre skills through pointless, let’s-make-the-masses-stupider, bile-inducing game show adaptations, and fools you into thinking he has a sense of humor through his meme-filled Instagram account. Motherfucker.

I mean????? 

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where this all-encompassing abhorrence for Manzano comes from. Maybe it’s because he’s a man-child who’s managed to Taylor Swift his way into something that resembles success. Maybe it’s because he has managed to keep everyone on their toes by publicly romancing women left and right, much to the dismay and demise of each of those womens’ individual careers. Maybe it’s because he probably has a Google alert for “FHM’s Sexiest Women Alive.” 

Maybe it’s because he’s talentless and crude. Maybe I just like being an asshole to assholes. Whatever. I mean, how about you? What are you to say to that?

#lucky #haydenkho #luismanzano #edumanzano #fuckoff #celebs

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The Brexit of Boybands: Harry Styles vs. Zayn Malik

By Your Hubadera-Next-Door

“Sign of the Times” was everything we ever wanted and hoped for from a boyband expatriate. It was a Prince reference with the soul of David Bowie and Billy Joel all in one piece of pretty boy art. Harry Styles soared with a Birdman-esque fashion in the song’s music video and so did our expectations of his upcoming work.

Photo from Vevo 

But I guess it was just too good to be true. 

May 12, 2017 was the break of dawn for Directioners. Harry Styles released his much-awaited solo album (predictably) named after himself. You could hear the “oohs” and “aahs” from young girls all over the world as Harry counts under his breath in the beginning of “Meet Me in the Hallway.” Breathy and pregnant with echoes. Okay, not bad. “Give me some morphine.” Okay, cheesy angst, but okay, forgivable. Let’s just skip to “Sign of the Times” where all the clouds part for a melancholy tune of being born into a world of political rifts and street violence. So fucking #woke. 

It all goes downhill with the third song. “Carolina”—a recollection about a girl he met from a state with unimpressive NBA credentials—is a tasteless impostor of a Beatles song. It made John Lennon cringe in his grave. And really, Harry? A girl you only met once? How very Taylor Swift of you. 

If a music producer muted Lady Gaga in one of her New Age country pieces and let Shawn Mendes hog the vocals, you would have “Sweet Creatures” and “Two Ghosts.” “Only Angel” and “Kiwi” are obvious odes to the big names of the late 60’s (The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd) but, like, that’s all they are. While their rock-leaning tendencies do seem to call attention to themselves, the songs fail miserably at being the least bit memorable to the 21st-century audience.

Photo from Rolling Stone

Since it’s common courtesy to finish an album once you’ve started, I moved on to “Ever Since New York.” And how fucking sad. It was just another One Direction song without five other yelping seals in the background. He risks copyright infringement from the exact same blokes he swore he’d leave. Self-referencing, Harry? Vain much? 

But wait! Harry Styles finally gives us something exciting to look forward to with “Woman.” Style-wise, anyway. Its substance, however, sinks straight to the lair of Lucifer. “Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and see what we find?” Barf. Enough of songs about women being “flowers” and “feasts.” Where my #complex bitches at? 

When the last song played, I flinched. Have I mistakenly wandered into a Ben Howard playlist? Are the members of Fleet Foxes his chorale? Or worse: is this The Ransom Collective? *yawns myself to death* 

And so I wondered: if Harry is less of a revolutionary and more of a spineless fraud, do we now pass the crown to Zayn Malik?

ZAYN’s solo album, Mind of Mine, was released a while back in 2016. To be honest, I didn’t bother listening to it at all when it hit the charts. I first heard “PILLOWTALK” the same time the music video came out and I hated it. But that was probably because the mere sight of Gigi Hadid makes me want to jump off a building. All elitist pride aside, I locked myself in my room one day and finally gave his album a listen for the first time. 

My high horse was put to shame. Mind of Mine opens with an eclectic intro and a smooth transition to “PILLOWTALK,” the song responsible for all teenage pregnancies that year. Some things really are better the second time around. He begins with alternative R&B and alternative R&B is definitely what we get. No false promises. 

After “PILLOWTALK,” rainbows start shooting out my ass. You could hear a little bit of R. Kelly in the first few songs, from “iT’s YoU” all the way to “dRuNk.” But “iNTERMISSION: fLoWer” was the most captivating song in the album, with ZAYN paying a tribute to his Bollywood influences juxtaposed with bedroom beats. “rEaR vIeW,” a sleazy song about a sad boy’s romantic manifesto, is what Usher would have sounded like in the late 90’s if he wasn’t so concerned about getting laid with the freakiest girls in the club.

Photo from Vevo

Behind Zayn’s solo flight is the work of talented people in the industry, including R&B producers Malay and Alan Sampson. He featured Kehlani in “wRong,” the R&B duet that “Knock You Down” wanted so bad to be. Beyond the album, Zayn Malik has also worked with pop music connoisseur Jack Antonoff for that famous BDSM joke of a movie and, of course, Taylor Swift. Take that, Harry. 

“fOoL fOr YoU” is a break from the funky production and shines the spotlight on ZAYN’s vocal range that he was always known for. The song is not his best but his voice is definitely worth the mention. But it’s when “TiO” plays that you are suddenly aware of the album’s unabashedly sexual undertones which you might have forgotten because of the album’s utter beauty. 

I think “LIKE I WOULD” is my favorite song in the album. This is when ZAYN bids goodbye to the adolescent foolishness of pining after a girl who doesn’t want him (WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULDN’T????) and accepts in “SHE DON’T LOVE ME” that it doesn’t really matter. There are other chicks in line. And he’s fucking Zayn Malik. 

Mind of Mine is heavily peppered with similar sounds from Zayn’s biggest musical influences. But the difference between Zayn Malik and Harry Styles is that the former doesn’t beat around the bush. Despite the nods towards the likes of Biggie and Tupac, ZAYN’s unique take on contemporary R&B shines through. Mind of Mine had the organic unity, faithfulness to self-expression, and the right amount of mass appeal that cements it as one of this age’s greatest pop/R&B music albums.

This is me admitting to the universe that, yes, Zayn Malik is way ahead of his mates. With a firmer grip on his style and voice, he can go about frolicking with the uglier Hadid sister and I wouldn’t give a shit. Harry Styles, on the other hand, tried so hard to free himself from the chains of Simon Cowell and the rest of the boys but it was too late. The shrilling screams of hormonal teenagers had already poisoned his music. 

The decision is final: Zayn Malik brings home the trophy. 

The New York Times thinks that a mature Harry Styles is deserving of going places in the music scene without his adorable-X-Factor-act turned subpar-boy-band turned masturbatory-content-for-twelve-year-olds. If that’s “maturity,” then I don’t ever want to grow up.

#ZAYN #HarryStyles #onedirection #Directioners #ComplexBitches #Woke #Brexit

[thosewhocantdomusic-blog]

#TheDarkSide - Hindi Para Sa’yo: The Real Meaning Behind Sud’s “Sila”

There’s a lot you don’t see underneath that glorious ‘fro. 

Written by Sud fans #nohate

In the unfortunate light of Sud’s “Sila” becoming a certified gold record, we’ve decided to share our take of this modern classic. We’ve heard this enough (see: overplayed) that we’ve come up with a meaning behind the song that’s totally different from what most people think. The truth is, the song is the ultimate fuccboi anthem – and no, not in the way that you think. The popular opinion is that “Sila” is a song about being secretly in love with someone and promising them utmost loyalty. And why wouldn’t it be the popular opinion? After all, the now famous line goes “Walang papantay sa’yo, maging sino man sila.” I typed that without googling the lyrics. Goddamn this song. Now think about this. If the song is about the person that he loves, why isn’t the song called “Sa’yo”? Wouldn’t that be more apt? The reason why it’s not called “Sa’yo” is because it’s not about “sa’yo” at all. It’s about “Sila.” So who the fuck is “Sila”? Before we get into that, let’s look at the first two verses of the song: 

Matagal-tagal din nawalan ng gana / Pinagmamasdan ang dumaraan / Lagi na lang matigas ang loob / Sabik na may maramdaman.

Di ka man bago sa paningin / Palihim kang nasa yakap ko’t lambing / Sa bawat pagtago / Di mapigilan ang pag bigkas ng damdamin. 

So in these verses, Sud is telling you, the listener, that nothing lights his fire anymore – nothing and no one but you. That sounds sweet and all, until you realise that he’s using you as an antidote to the loneliness and immense boredom. And we all know how that goes. 

Now that takes us to:

“Walang sagot sa tanong Kung bakit ka mahalaga” 

Why can’t Mr. Ballecer and his merry band of sell-outs say what they love about you so much? Why can’t we get a sagot? Why didn’t he just say something, anything – your smile, your hair, your shitty poetry – just so we can move on with our fucking lives already, for fuck’s sake. The truth is, he doesn’t know. Hell, he probably doesn’t even know you. To him you’re just another girl, guy, unrealistically busty anime character, or whatever thing toots Ballecer’s horn. I don’t know, and I’m glad I don’t. You’re just another thing that can satiate his loneliness and boredom, the same loneliness and boredom that he complains (see: whines) about at the beginning of the song. He’s not trying to be deep by pointing out the sublime nature of love. He’s stalling. You’re like, “Uhh, so what do you love most about me?” 

 And he’s like, “Oh you know, your… umm… your uh… you know what, it’s simply too complicated for words. Yeah, let’s go with that.” 

 And that brings us to the line that we mentioned at the beginning. 

 “Walang papantay sayo, maging sino man sila.”

Oh really? How many people have you told that to, you egomaniacal monster? Because we’re sure you have. You even a gave a name to them – to us – and that is “Sila.” In “Sila,” Mr. Ballecer placates and seduces (SUD-uces???) you into his arms, just like how he does your sister, your brother, your parents, your fucking grandparents, and everyone else who’s ever heard this song. And since most of us hear it as a love song, Mr. Ballecer’s conquest to get all our panties drenched proves to be successful. We have all been fooled. The next time you hear this song playing in the smelly and cramped FX during your morning commute, remember this: Hindi ito para sa’yo. Meron at merong papantay sa’yo. May hihigit pa nga. Wag kang magpapa-uto. Tanga. 

You cheeky, hairy, sexy bastard. 

#Sud #Sila #OPM #fuccbois #songmeanings #heartbreak #deception #loneliness

[thosewhocantdomusic-blog]

Slapshock Now Has Black Flag-Inspired Merch... For Some Reason.

Nope, I’m not done being petty yet.  

I understand that Black Flag isn’t an obscure brand band anymore that one of the main purveyors of nu-metal in the Philippines couldn’t have heard of them. I don’t think that Slapshock aren’t cool enough to jock them either - even though Slapshock does hang out with Apl.de.ap. 

whyyyy. :( 

Also, I like it when people remix/reference iconic band logos/images. 

(This is the second best thing Chris Farren’s ever done - first best is Fake Problems of course). 

What bothers me about this shirt design is that when Slapshock advertises the shirt, they never mention Black Flag. Now, this shirt (from what I understand) is exclusively sold at their shows on their 20th Anniversary Tour, so maybe the reason why they never mention Black Flag is because they want the spotlight to remain on them. But if that’s the case, then why borrow the Black Flag logo at all? If this is a special time for them, why not just use something that’s originally theirs? Maybe use an old logo, use the cover art of their debut album, or maybe re-print a shirt that’s been phased out? If I were a Slapshock fan, I’d like that better. 

I would’ve liked it better if they’d done something more creative instead of just slapping their names and faces on it. Again, I like it when iconic logos and bands get referenced and remixed, but unlike Mr. Farren’s witty t-shirt over there, Mr. Slapshock’s is lazy, and it seems to reference Black Flag only for the sake of it. 

I pray they don’t do the same with Joy Division. 

#slapshock #OPM #numetal #hardcore #blackflag #bandmerch #sarapmagingrakistatbh

[thosewhocantdomusic-blog]

Simula Palang: I Can’t Wait For Munimuni’s Full-Length

I know. This is late, but honestly I haven’t heard anything new that I wanted to write about. 

I went into this EP bracing myself for Thought Catalogue-inspired lyrics and corny “whoas,” but was pleasantly surprised by a fun and charmingly raw folk record. From start to finish, the songs sound like the band found a bunch of old, dusty instruments while rummaging through their grandparents’ basement one Sunday afternoon and decided to record a six-track masterpiece. 

The band’s off-the-cuff character is really what sets them apart from the more popular local indie-folk groups. The Ransom Collective, for example, sounds like they stepped out of a Herschel ad, while Ben&Ben sounds like they have good relationships with their dads (and I don’t mean that in a good way).

While being intentionally simplistic, the EP manages to sound grand. The songs were written and produced in a way that it gives a lot of space for the instruments to breathe. Each instrument is so clear and crisp that even with the shittiest earphones or speakers it sounds like the band is playing right in front of you. You don’t have to go any further than the festive opening track “Bukang Liwayway” to get what I’m saying. The playfulness of that song’s arrangement and the way the instruments and vocalist Adj Jiao’s voice bounce off each other is a treat to the ears.

While the flow and progression of the songs and the EP as a whole are mostly what make this EP great (check out the epic closing track “Marilag”), props should also be given to the flutist. The flute doesn’t steal the show. Rather, it complements it. And even though all the instrumentals and the vocals do the same, the flute adds this extra kick of flavour. It’s kind of like the dab of blue cheese on your spicy chicken wing. Without it, this EP would just be good and not great.

The EP has a great progression and pacing going on as well. I’ve been hearing a lot of EPs and albums where it sounds like the band just gave up at the second half, but here the band makes sure that you’re hooked from start to finish. “Bukang Liwayway” is welcoming and festive, while in the fourth track “Sa Hindi Pag-alala” the band welcomes you into their pain with the song’s endless pleading of “Eto na?.” The closing track, “Marilag,” is epic and solemn, making for a fitting contrast to the opening track. 

If it seems like I’m over-hyping the record, it’s probably because it’s just an EP. With just six songs it’s hard to find anything bad about it. This is, after all, just the beginning of the band, as the title suggests. But with the talent and taste that they display on this EP, I wouldn’t worry about the quality of the full-length. The only way I’d dislike their full-length is if they start writing songs for people who care too much about Instagram-ready cafés. Otherwise, I’m stoked af. 

[thosewhocantdomusic-blog]

Why does The Ransom Collective have a Meet and Greet at their album launch?

I don’t get it, man. I just don’t get it. 

Can’t we just... walk up to them? Say Hi? Will there be, like, huge bouncers watching over them while they do the meet-and-greet? Will we be brutally dragged off if we try to shake their hands? Are we allowed to take selfies with them, or would that be, like, too pedestrian? 

Most importantly, will they be in full costume? Because if not, then I’d be really, really disappointed. 

(Photo by Artu Nepomuceno)

Gotta get my money’s worth, man.

I know they’ve played Wanderland, but Cheats, Fools and Foes, plus a ton of other bands have too, and I don’t think any of those artists ever held any meet-and-greets. They’ve also played at “Feat De Le Musique” - not sure what that is. 

(from the band’s About page)

Sounds dope though. I’d skip Fête dela Musique for that.  

I know they have 27,000+ likes on Facebook, but Sud has 60k, and i don’t think Sud ever held a meet and greet session before. Go to any Sud gig, and you can just walk up to him and touch his hair at any time of the night. That would be weird, but you wouldn’t have to wait for a meet and greet session to do it. I know more Facebook likes doesn’t always equal more popularity, but being a local indie band and having a meet and greet session is just absurd. We get to smell your sweat and inhale your secondhand smoke when you’re at Saguijo. Why do we have to line up for that? 

Maybe there’s something about this band that I don’t know that justifies a meet and greet session. If there is, please let me know asap, because this is really weird. 

#the ransom collective #meet and greets #OPM

[thosewhocantdomusic-blog]

Of Autotune, Acoustic Guitars, & Gimmicks: I kinda like the new Reese Lansangan EP

(Photo by Kimberlee Chelsea Balmes)

Of Sound Mind & Memory > Arigato, Internet!

I’m not a fan of Reese Lansangan’s debut full-length Arigato, Internet! In fact, that’s putting it lightly. I thought it was annoying and nearly unbearable. Although it had some decent songs, like “Creeper” and “Bleed,” there were songs there where she tried too hard to be cute and quirky. I’m talking mostly about songs like “Grammar Nazi,” “A Song About Space,” and (the most cringe-worthy of them all) “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink.” Although she’s obviously a great pop songwriter, these songs rely too heavily on gimmicks and are drunk on their forced uniqueness. “Look at us,” they yell as they wave their arms over their heads. “Look at how silly and special we are!” 

That’s why I was a bit wary when I first heard that she had  released a surprise EP. I rolled my eyes so hard they almost popped out of their sockets. “I wonder what buzzword she’s exploited this time."

Fortunately, there’s none. 

In this EP, Lansangan decided to keep things simple. The opening track, “Aristophanes,” has her singing in robotic a cappella with her voice dripping with autotune. It’s mysterious and meditative, almost spiritual in the ephemeral melody that she croons. In “Machines and Men,” she reflects on aging and the frailty of the human body with a sweet melancholy that could make Elliot Smith proud.

In “For the Fickle,” she sings about losing people and its ubiquity in her life. Even though she yearns for “steady love,” she’s accepted that loss is something she just has to live with, and that makes it all the more heartbreaking.

Arising from all this Sunday-afternoon-gloom is the closing track “Wildwood.” The happiest-sounding track on this EP, it’s a declaration that despite everything, she’s still moving forward. 

Although I am pleasantly surprised by this EP, it is not without its shortcomings. “Aristophanes” is something that I’ve never heard from her before, and it got me looking forward to what more the EP had in store. But then “Machines and Men” started playing, and I realised that the experimentation her was kept to a minuscule two minutes. The rest, although pretty good, was her usual coffee-shop-singer-songwriter tunes. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong about that, it’s just that it can get old really fast. For the most part, it’s so nondescript that it ends up being background music.   

EPs are usually previews to the full-lengths, and with Of Sound Mind and Memory, I can say that I’m looking forward to what Lansangan has in store for us in the future. This EP doesn’t promise anything new, but it does promise that Lansangan still has exceptional skills as a songwriter and that this time she’s not using any gimmicks to let that shine. 

#reese lansangan #of sound mind and body #opm #indie