Written by Elijah P. As music listenership and awareness continues to grow, a ‘trifecta’ or ‘holy trinity’ arises from the ashes of ‘OPM’ past. Rock music with feelings are the new ‘nostalgia’ acts, while industry torchbearer soloists Zack Tabudlo and Adie claim to become the flavors for a new generation of local music listeners. The third man in the three flavors is none other than Cagayan De Oro’s very own Arthur Nery. Although his style differs from the aforementioned figures, each and one of them have their own characteristics of being substanceless ‘Pick Me Guys’ and seeking-for-validation-in-the-end-of-the-world types, Arthur Nery — now currently a top-drawer for Viva Records — churns out plain vanilla neo-R&B tracks shortly after the late celebration of his first album ‘Letters Never Sent’. He revels in being the loyal one, the only one in the partnership, as he prances outside of your subdivision home. “Isa Lang” — his latest single closing out the new year, opening 2022 with a new era of contemporaries — feels hollow, conserving vocal variety rather than exceeding one’s potential. And while the prince of Neo-R&B pleads you a wilted rose, he only offers less with the style he’s honing today. Not even the intimate bass kicks, organ synths, string section, and skeletal, groove-less backing-band sound can back up his one-noted commercial friendly vocal stylings. If anything that makes his music impactful, it’s the monotonous delivery that bores every section of the song with forced usages of ‘deep’ phrases and hushed, boy-bestfriend sentiments, barely tugging the heartstrings of his listeners. As Arthur continues to solidify himself as the biggest mainstream act of the moment, both his newer singles, “Isa Lang” and “Pagsamo” respectively, released in the past few months are no more than mere background music. Arthur is headed towards more fruitful straits, albeit while playing it safe: a move that would set the precedent for his younger contemporaries witnessing his rise. Support the art & the artist:
Author: TFL
TRACK REVIEW: VXON – The Beast
Written by Elijah P. Cornerstone Entertainment Inc. – a talent agency that’s known to house all upcoming ‘artistas’ and established personalities such as Catriona Grey, Empoy Marquez, and just to name a few – has gambled on producing an all-male idol group called VXON (pronounced as ‘vi-sion’) and their latest debut that launched not too long ago titled “The Beast”. The up-and-coming five-member group aim to become showstoppers in the industry, putting a more rap-oriented track in the forefront of their debut. But in spite of the ambitious direction, VXON doesn’t live up to the hype of their promotion weeks prior to the release of “The Beast”; It takes a lot of courage to title your debut as ferocious as ever, let alone debut under the wing of a talent company that has produced a lot of known names along the way. However, “The Beast” doesn’t seem to live up to its title. In fact, it seems to cater more to ‘dude bros’ who hang out at bars in the middle of a Happy Thursday and book a cross-country trip to the nearest shoreline EDM festival. VXON can carry themselves choreo-wise, but lyrically, it seems like the laughable edits in the lyrics are crossing between delusional and outright ridiculous: “You can watch me, as I walk/ You can say my name” and “Gotta read back pages those changes/ We oversee in faces, realest faces/ Get you places, let erases beat disgraces”. There are sections here in “The Beast” where it feels out of place and oddly outdated by today’s production standards: brostep wobbles that channel 2014 Project-X parties, and growling vocal stylings similar to SB19’s Mapa. To think that this is a debut is a sign of a much needed training and development for the idol group. There is little to no hints of being a ‘beast’, especially if the presentation shown isn’t up to par in the idol group competition. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: HEY JUNE! – Panahon
Written by Elijah P. Hey June!’s sophomore single “Panahon” has a pretty straightforward premise: a protagonist yearning to repeat a certain moment only to be taken away from the claws of time. The four-piece didn’t want to mince any words — the song only contains two short verses, quick hooks, and a dramatic instrumental outro to spice things up. With the structure having the potential to be replicated to death, the band was able to become careful from the pre-pandemic trap, achieving the most sentimental and striking piece of teenage ennui. The band then eventually makes themselves as icons for the future. School culture is a keepsake worth noting in the psyche of Generation Z, especially where students take most of their time, energy, and memory throughout the cityscape than they could spend time in online class. Vocalist Earl Paglinawan hearty verses hit close to home while the grainy, bright synths in the intro draw out the soundscape for a more misty-eyed outlook onwards. “Panahon” is a richly textured synth-pop and alternative-rock fusion done right; It doesn’t overstay its welcome but it sure does make a powerful statement: Everything surrounding your institution, is your second home. Hey June! exudes this certain charisma: one that would only be executed in one-of-a-lifetime, and “Panahon” is proof that this youthful spirit is important to sing about. Youth culture has never sounded this promising and Hey June! are here to take it to the top of the line. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Himig Borhuh – Candle in the Dark
Hello there! My name is KyleMapagmahal420 and i’m from the Taft Commonwealth. I used to hang by the bar and wipe the vomit off of my vertical striped polos. I’m the great grandson of a politician-who-can’t-be-named-because-i-was-twice-removed-for-mentioning-their-name, and I’ve been meaning to make a hedonistic online tutorial in picking up your date on the murky corners of the internet. NOW DON’T SCROLL AND LEAVE YET! HEAR ME OUT! I have an official Pick Up™ license! Believe me yet? No… well…yeah since now i have proven my legitimacy in this profession, here are the steps on How To Win Over The Girl You Just Met on Bumble and Your Blockmates in The University You’re Studying In: ● Send your date lots of flower emojis — wilted flower emojis to be exact. Like lots of it. Don’t overdo it, but for emphasis, make it like an even number of flowers. Remember when you had a finger sprain from tapping the flower emoji so hard? There’s a shortcut on for that on your keyboard dummy. ● Try to tag your current fling in Damn Shawty Ok memes and dedicate a song for her in the LOCAL YouTube channel and see if she isn’t creeped out by it. ● Convince your bandmates that you can’t fail another relationship. Intentionally fail your own band. Pinky swear that you’ll use the “it’s not you, it’s me” card in one of your songs ● The environment I grew up in consists of impulsive IG stories (that arent set as “Close Friends” by the way) and my projected passive-aggression in my private Twitter. So you better make sure that there’s a banal narrative backing up your nth heartbreak. ● 𝖂𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖆 𝖉𝖎𝖆𝖗𝖞 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖓 𝖎𝖙 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖓 𝖆𝖑𝖇𝖚𝖒 𝖙𝖎𝖙𝖑𝖊. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖎𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖚𝖆𝖑 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖎𝖙 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖑𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘 𝖒𝖞 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖊𝖈𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖞.✞ ● Start a record label with friends. The start up money should be coming from your MLM earnings. Do the unfollow-no follow back method on Facebook and Instgram. Bonus points for not complaining when your labelmates don’t want to follow the label back. ● Don’t allow yourself to get proper voice lessons even if your chosen genre is Because-esque r&b. It’s the unwritten rule for a lot of Manila-based singer-songwriters dabbling in a bit of soft-rock adjacent soul and trap music. The date does love a lot of needless, if not meaningless, 𝑜𝒷𝓈𝒸𝓊𝓇𝑒 tagalog words (eg. nararahuyo, irog or something Matthaois would appropriate probably) ● Title a song that sketches the hell out of your date (eg. E.U.T). ● Title a song that sketches the hell out of your date (eg. E.U.T) (2) Follow all the steps to create a half-baked album about a girl you just met online and the friends you’re going to make in a bar I frequent in the commonwealth. Always take note though: there’s a place for you to become macho and fragile in the scene today but don’t expect people to like you back right after releasing your long tedious full length debut. Once you’re all done, boom, congratulations you’ve just made a Himig Borhuh album. Support the art & the artist: N/A
MIXTAPE REVIEW: Kennedy Music – From The Top Bunk
The last time we’ve talked about Raushaus, they released their artist showcase last year. Those cuts showed a lot of potential in terms of style clashing and adopting the new styles of the western rap hemisphere. We chose to go inside the RausHaus, and looking inside those vibrant rooms we have a bunch of young lads making songs at the upper part of their bunk beds. The lads in question: Kennedy, a group of young up-and-comers. Recently, they’re on the uptrend in their circles for their newest mixtape titled “From The Top Bunk”. Out in the street, they run around with free verses while basking in the sun, waiting for the day to pass as their breezy choruses echo past the light posts. Their frequent frolicking in the ‘Best Boyband Since One Direction’ block may be at their arm’s reach. However, Kennedy liberating demeanor in ‘From The Top Bunk’ may have worn out their own welcome. Template after template, Kennedy’s group dynamics are executed with impressive results but the afterthoughts linger to a replay of the Saturation trilogy after a first listen or two. The lead single “m.i.a” is brimming with flows that are reminiscent in 99 Neighbor tracks and the nimblest verses before hitting the second half. Although, the singy-songy bridges aren’t on par with the skilled flows. The first two tracks, “s.y.m” and “tekken 6”, are nothing but style borrowing from one verse after the other. With every detail in the production paying good homage to BH’s producer team, the shelf life of these store-bought copycats expose the group’s longevity. With these influences being worn on their sleeves like a tight jumpsuit, groups like Kennedy are disillusioned with the cursed chemistry in boybands today that are prone to being impermanent footprints of a current generation. Similar to how Westlife was to Backstreet Boys or how Greta Van Fleet is to Led Zeppelin. These influences come at a cost and their identity as a group is at stake. Kennedy makes little to no distinction in being a boyband in the 2020s. However, their cloning doesn’t distort their songcraft entirely. There’s actual merit behind the blue makeup, faux puberty, and youthful stills. Whilst replicating the structure of the aforementioned boyband, tracks like “espana” and “always” actually pack a couple punches in both their hook writing and bar spitting. The former showed the group’s actual skill in multisyllabic and flow practices while the latter naturally flows so well with the hook, even the guitar lines complement the singing. Overall, ‘From the Top Bunk’ shows a lot of promise in the group. But that promise won’t be on a chokehold when the boys realize that they can be greater than their predecessors. This EP is a testament for their future releases, hopefully becoming forerunners of a generation that is about to be written in the midst of a lockdown. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: VILLA MOB – TWO STEP
From the Windy City to the hummocks of the United Kingdom, Los Banos’ Villa Mob shuffles their cards and takes a step in the drill rabbit hole with their latest track titled “Two Step”. That gamble in the grimiest of trap forms doesn’t stunt the group’s growth entirely, it instead accelerates their material to the max. Crossing lanes from doddering trap to veracious footwork-inspired drill – or as they claim it via hashtag ala a marketing tactic:“#TagalogDrill”. But their presentation isn’t shown as pure novelty. Instead, the group pushes a cunning attitude. Furthermore, their loud social media genre sloganeering doesn’t only raise the stakes of their position in the so-called rap game, but it’s also their insistence on calling the competition off by pulling off a banging drill track or two. Gone are the resiliency rap and the business-oriented romanticism. This is biting and impenetrable rap as it goes. The drill goes harder as it constantly cracks down the music’s borders; rapidly changing the genre’s axis as not one but three individuals leap frogs a genre a thousand miles from its origin state. Villa Mob’s resident drillmeister Soulja444 isn’t on the rap hocus pocus nor generates a dramachine in the scene, coming out as the strongest verse in the track. He brings the crux of the subgenre in their local shores both rap and production-wise. He aims to re-calibrate not only for himself but for his environment. Soulja’s undoubtedly the ringleader of the group whereas he’s already mastered the craft. Jamina and Buensa however came from their soul-boom bap leanings. The track’s well within the wall-breaking bass and sharp lyricism. All three verses focus on overcoming each and every of their flaws as rappers. “Two Steps” pops fire and smoke with wobbly bass lines in courtesy of Soulja’s exceptional production. While donning the windbreakers and a facemask like a bunch of vigilantes, “Two Step” is a new beginning for the group; 2021 just called the arrival of drill and Laguna might be the territory to foster that movement. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: AJ Kee Hong – Sakin yan!
Written by Lex Celera What is there to love when it comes to hiphop music? There is always a constant need for the artist to carve space to be heard, to set themselves apart from the competition and “claim what is theirs.” In between this struggle for real estate in the attention economy, some artists might find themselves latching on to whatever sticks just to make their presence known for a little while longer. Sometimes it is self-gratuitous; often it is deliberate. More often than not, it results in formulaic drivel that sizzles out when rap moves on. For the genre as a whole, this search for gravity can be broken down into recurring elements you can see across different artists. For example: flute-based samples, true-to-life straight from the streets visuals, and rapid fire ad-libs. All of these are present in Iloilo City-based rapper Aj KeeHong’s “Sakin Yan!”, an exciting entry point into the young rapper’s burgeoning career. Set apart, these elements point out towards where Aj Kee Hong is looking at in terms of references, namely: Bugay na Koykoy and Miguelito Malakas’ reliance on music videos to portray verisimilitude through a definite sense of place; the distinct presence of flute instruments in hiphop (A$AP Rocky and Skepta’s “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” as well as Shanti Dope and Skinny G’s “Peekaboo!” come to mind); specific ad-libs used by almost everyone from the late Pop Smoke to MaxyPresko. All of these creative commodities have contributed to Kee Hong’s aboveground recognition, rendered the way it was in “Sakin Yan!” . But the interesting thing about “Sakin Yan!” is more fundamental. Plainly put, the young rapper can rap. Kee Hong’s vocal delivery unpacks his electrically charged verses with confidence; each word flows well to the next without missing a beat. The fact that he can sustain this energy to release one song a week paints a picture of a hungry rapper trying to make his mark. While trendy motifs help launch “Sakin Yan!” into a gravity of its own, it’s Kee Hong’s more essential traits that keep its sheen lustrous. As with his previous releases, I’ve caught wind of Kee Hong through his laborious self promotion across several local hiphop Facebook groups. As I type this, I can imagine he’s busy producing the next, making minor tweaks on the way. “Sakin Yan!” is an entry point into what could potentially be a hearty contender in the hiphop landscape. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: