Written by Elijah P. The Ilocos Region can rock everyone’s socks off. Yes, you read that right. The north side has something to say after all. Where the inflections of Will Toledo and the Boss Metal Zone guitar pedals rise from the collective bedroom and slide down their local sand dunes. It comes as no surprise that talent can come anywhere, everywhere. Enter medyo maybe – a solo project whose emotive sharpness is trained in Bandcamp and Soundcloud demos years prior to their latest release – is the indie rock sonic provider from Pangasinan out of all places. The 4-track EP is more than just a taste test. It’s a welcome party of all things influential for the songwriter, a love letter of sorts that span across the decade of 2010s indie treasure trove of guitar solos, freakouts, and all things emotionally direct diaristic lyricism. medyo maybe is ready in “Porcelain People”; no signs of any grazing rust, it’s promising beyond whatever jagged quality it had as long as the songwriter and their lead instrument make a great pair; it’s already made evident on the get-go that medyo maybe and their guitar is a dynamic duo. Tracks like “Don’t Ignore The Blame (Old Something Dies Hard)” drive the rhythms at a thrilling pace, and “Noiseless Noise Machine” has traces of noisy rock with familiar lines that resemble “Julie Tearjerky” at first glance, but the project distorts the iconic guitar line further with repetitive lines in the hook, making it something entirely theirs in the process, “Breaking The Plates” has synthetic synths and their lead vocalist sing in harmony across layers of riffages. This is only the start for medyo maybe and they’re going somewhere. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
Author: TFL
EP REVIEW: SHNTI – ELMNT
Written by Louis Pelingen Ever since she started her career in 2019, LIAB Studios‘ very own SHNTI has been on her way to improving her skillset as a rapper and songwriter amidst her rise of success in subsequent years. Her laid-back delivery captures a sense of lowkey charm, a natural fit to her jumping points in lo-fi production that dips into jazz-rap soundscapes. Her melodic sensibilities are balanced out with loose flows, peppered with consistent rhyme schemes, flavorful wordplay, and honest writing that showcase the playfulness and introspection in the themes that are personal but are also resonant to a wider audience. These are the elements that she embraced ever since, and are working effectively well as she keeps on testing her limits as an artist. This year is a good year for her. Rerecording past songs from her increasing catalog is a sign of her growing confidence as a musician now showing through in spades. Additionally, provided that gigs are now available for face-to-face situations, it’s the right opportunity for SHNTI to put something out there, an anticipated debut project. And with ELMNT now released, it’s easy to say that the EP displays SHNTI’s artistic confidence in the best way imaginable. A collection of 6 tracks that nestles and branches out of SHNTI’s zone, embracing synth-inflected drum beats amidst lo-fi organic instrumentation that she smokes through effortlessly. Her signature relaxed vocals are prevalent, but they’re now oozing with an imposing attitude that was there before but is now refined, so far as standing out amidst the features in the EP. That attitude translates to her efforts as a songwriter, knitting together rhyme schemes and wordplay cohesively and attentively. In the 4 new tracks, SHNTI steps into the present, carrying an aura of confidence around her. “Bright” opens the EP with SHNTI shining through the airy synthscapes, additional backing and choir vocals, and pulsating grooves as she elevates herself and gives a middle finger on the past bonds that pulled her down. “ELMNT” lures you in as the addicting hook, snappy trap beats, and wobbly synth work are solid setups for SHNTI to just be in her element, allowing her slick flows along with clever wordplay to put her loose attitude to feel captivating, balancing out her garnered confidence with a self-aware discussion of fame and exhaustion. “Rhythm” displays her slickness into a flirty territory, her Doja Cat influence showing as she and Yorko’s playful and cheeky bars under punchy drums and pristine strings create a hazy and haughty seduction towards a woman that they’re into, a typically male-centric flirtatiousness that SHNTI steps into and makes it her own. And “YUH” featuring WAIIAN is the smokiest track on the record, reflecting upon their musicianship and how the criticism towards their work keeps them reaching for higher gains as their meandering flows slither around relaxed grooves and gloomy horn loops. While confident and strident, she looks back on 2 previously released tracks and polishes them to a new sheen, a reminder that she still puts introspection in the open. “Best Life” works through shuffling percussion aided by calming acoustic and bass guitar, allowing SHNTI’s laid-back flows to remind herself and everyone to not just live the best life, but put in the work to help other marginalized individuals have that same luxury. The EP eventually ends with “Could Be”, where the horn lines, textured percussion, and subtle bass, pianos, and strings swirl through SHNTI’s pensive musings of the realities of life. Realities that make her question existential thoughts, a question that she keeps repeating as the track glitches out, ending the EP abruptly. Personally, while it was an odd choice to put “Best Life” and “Could Be” on the tracklist at first more so based on worries that they might not fit in thematically and sonically. After a couple of listens later, however, they do deserve to be in this EP. Mostly because it reinforces the introspection that “ELMNT” and “YUH” provides, where “Best Life” sonically works as a cooldown before heading deep down into languid lo-fi jazz crannies of the last two tracks, and ‘Could Be’ acts as a great ending whose introspective questions linger past the EP, questions that may be answered sooner or later as SHNTI keeps on moving forward, as both an artist, and also as a human being. In short, I’ll admit that I’m trying to look so hard for any kind of nitpicks on this EP. But every time I look for anything to find flaws with, the elements in the varied instrumentation, balanced production, captivating performances and melodies, and deft writing just keeps snapping right back. And to quote SHNTI herself, she’s in her goddamn element, where the confidence that she built off for the past couple of years is paying off in great dividends. This is just her debut EP, and with the assured spirit that she has right now, I won’t be surprised if she keeps this streak up with a light that keeps on shining. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: O.I. Research Partners – Speed Milk
Written by Elijah P. It is believed that Nueva Ecija-based art collective O.I Research Partners have found recordings of a different universe consisting of space cowboys, hieroglyphic spaghetti westerns, and literal drum machine worship. These findings are said to be secured somewhere in their facility, preserved to age like the best milk in town, kept sacred like genres that are made to be published by your nearest DIY label online. Label it as a psychedelic hyperdrive or a Filipino western dashing downwards a dune; “Speed Milk” is the complete package. O.I Research Partners is DIY written from top to bottom of every page in their playbook. Whether it is true or not, O.I Research Partners’ debut project “Speed Milk” have struck gold. There is marriage between fragmented recordings of Eva Yu’s cryptic narration of the world before her while Vik Laugo’s constant guitar switch ups and manipulated kraut-y influences. “Smell My Badge” has Ennio Morricone and Bad Lieutenant fragrance smothered over Laugo’s breath. Fuzzy freakout and folk passages explode all over the place in “Stage Warner”. “We Like Speed” and its rush of dirt vomiting out of the amplifiers is partially eerie and thrilling to hear in your speakers. Accompanying the music is also Eva and Vik’s exhibited visualization of their worldbuilding, an initiative that is to a certain degree impressive and intriguing: Horses stuck in the middle of a lava river while picture frames of a cow hang beside it, stonehenge prophecies on a drum head etc. The possibilities for the couple’s imagination could reach an entirely different universe at this point. O.I Research Partners have imagined a future wherein it is possible to live both sonically and visually. Musically, this is the future that we depend on even if it takes a fantasy research crew or a concept album made by mad scientists. Listening to music casually can be all fun and games until you find out there are badass cowboys living on drug-spiked milk. O.I Research Partners are the real deal. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
EP REVIEW: Manic Mundane – Narrative Three
Written by Louis Pelingen I imagine that working on this EP has been the cathartic moment Manic Mundane needed. The stage name of Kath Dizon, she has been a musician for quite some time now, fronting a hardcore punk band during her college days in Iligan City, using the KTHDRLZ passion project during some time in the 2010s, as well as attending indietronica gigs during her stay in Dubai. But working as a PR executive during her 9-year stay in Dubai only exhausted her, deciding to return to her hometown in Mindanao in early 2020, where things get much worse with the start of the pandemic and her laptop that she used to produce music for five years eventually died out, leaving her with none of the drafts reserved for polish. But eventually, she has to start anew. And with Narrative Three, her debut EP as Manic Mundane – released under Melt Records – that fresh start is a relieving one. Right from the jump, the EP displays a set of tracks that are overflowing with colorful and layered instrumental textures courtesy of Sho Hiniko’s contribution to fleshing out the mixing of these tracks. Her vocals blend in with the sweeping synth-wave and electronica tracks, giving the soundscape its bombast with her upfront vocal tone. The EP has influences and similarities that make sense but also is surprising. Personally, there is a smattering of Let’s Eat Grandma and CHVRCHES from both the synth choices and the vocal tone that Manic Mundane uses, but her influences from Bjork and Grimes also make sense. The melodies don’t leap out immediately and take their time to get front and center. And when the melodies do flesh out and the cathartic lyrics bring out its impact, it really sticks with you. “Awake/Solitude” has this gothic tinge to the swarming synth patches that let itself push through along with the punchy drum loops and Manic Mundane’s gripping vocal melodies, effectively allowing the dire religious reflections to feel riveting. ‘Pavements’ immerses itself with splashes of reverberating synth work, pulsating percussion, soaring vocal melodies, and gleaming guitar chords from Mckie Alvarez of Filipino shoegaze band WYWY that lets loose for a blaring guitar solo that brings in all of the other elements to coalesce to a gratifying finish, mirroring the dramatic details of Manic Mundane’s decaying relationship with religion and the darkness that comes with it. “Spring Waves” ends the album in a positive light: the glittery synthesizers and thumping drums allow Manic Mundane’s uplifting vocals and lyrical details of love with dreamy affectations. While the production and the vocals are well done for the most part, there are times when the melodies just don’t have enough fullness to give their impact. “Astral Bodies” repeats its chorus like a mantra after the verse melodies, leaving the track underwhelming as it coasts through the glimmering instrumentation and lyrics of connection with a cosmic touch. While “Lover” with the shimmery synth textures and romantic refrains in the lyrics are pretty, the melodies themselves and the way they are structured make the flow of the song end up sloppy. There are aspects of the lyrics that feel quite dull and show Manic Mundane still growing as a songwriter. It does not mean it’s entirely bad, the religious and otherworldly details fit well when the instrumentation is this layered and the melodies give the themes of love and grappling against religion an immense impact. But the writing itself doesn’t find itself digging deeper into creative liberties, making the writing reliant on those religious, otherwordly aspects to stick. And if it’s not for those details, the writing could end up being uninteresting. But as a whole, Narrative Three is an EP where the catharsis can be found with flying colors where the instrumentation is full and textured, production that balances out all of its layered synth work, confident vocal performances from Manic Mundane, and strings of melodies that makes the extensive themes of love and religion to land effectively. But there are still flubs with the general writing of the lyrics as well as some songs where the melodies just don’t sweep the listener the way they should. Still, the best songs of the EP allow Manic Mundane’s ideas to leap away into something more, something where greatness will be found. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: ONE CLICK STRAIGHT – MRT
Written by Elijah P. Written after long commutes and comforting cramped spaces while in motion, One Click Straight has proven themselves again that they are capable of growth, even above and beyond than their current contemporaries in the scene. As much as their lead vocalist Sam Marquez describes every one of their most recent outputs as “raddening”, “MRT” is basically the “renaissance” of their material, their literal version of “city” pop, may it be a songwriting and visual aesthetic standpoint. The string of singles such as “Hayaan” and “Wake Me Up” have established themselves as the pop band, all the while “MRT” and “Lilo” are reserved to be more honest and layered than the sum of their parts. Whispered melodies and crisp drum production are becoming the trademarks of a One Click Straight track — may it be coming from their live drumpad playing or constant teasers on their social media — made their careers as musicians reach an all time high in terms of quality. “MRT” has rhythmic rumbling of a train and synthetic warps mixed with Sam’s unorthodox guitar playing – the creme dela creme of the track. These sonic choices are paired with sentimental lyrics that tackle on the concept of finding each other while in transit, but whatever the place of love will take place in, one thing is made sure: One Click Straight have made unique jams for commuters; for folks constantly moving as the world revolves over and under them 24 hours; for humans depending on music wherever they go. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
ALBUM REVIEW: Spacedog Spacecat – Fuzz Sounds
Written by Nikolai Dineros Spacedog Spacecat’s debut ‘Fuzz Sounds’ is a celebration of one of rock music’s most unique and divisive effect sounds: the fuzz. Notorious for its rich, grainy and exuberant tone, the fuzz box has been a staple among musicians across the decades. It is everywhere: from the early years of rock to the inception of metal (and by extension, many doom metal bands going forward), the grunge era, and literally every Jack White song ever. Spacedog Spacecat’s assemblage of fuzz-filled tracks is fun, colorful, and upfront. Each song features not just one, but multiple layers of fuzz pedals across different instruments. On paper, this may be overbearing, but the band knows that the unique thing about the fuzz is that it does not rely heavily on mid controls, which makes it a versatile effect that works on the foreground as much as it would in the background. The opening track itself, ‘Beach, etc.’, puts you right into the action with a gnarly intro riff that is elevated by synths and more layers of guitars that are drowning in the same distortion but to varying degrees – and with a bit of reverb to shake things up a bit. ‘My Midori’ and ‘Jay Muscis’ are two of the more palatable songs from ‘Fuzz Sounds’. The former stands out for its sweet melodies and its ever-present aggression, striking a nice balance between the two, thereby creating something reminiscent of twee pop, while the latter borders between power pop and shoegaze with its dense production and energetic instrumentals that are endearing to hear, nonetheless. In ‘Chronic Non-Surfers’, the band asks, “what else does go well with an ensemble of already thick and saturated guitars?” To which they answer, “Violins!” If anything, Spacedog Spacecat knows that paying homage to the fuzz pedal should not be hard. For all we know, they might just be having the time of their lives on this album. Because whatever they come up with, that Big Muff pedal is still going to electrify the entire crowd. The rest is up to one’s creativity, which is easier said than done. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Dionela – Musika
Written by Elijah P. Starting off as a viral Tiktok video wherein singer-songwriter Dionela formulates a song that’s based on an off-the-cuff piano melody started by his girlfriend. Entitled as “Musika”, Dionela thought of all possible green flags right from scratch; timbres fade, melodies are improvised and “butterflies” come out of his stomach after several trials from a songwriting session inside his car. From this point forward this is where “Musika” has weight. The subject is pivotal in the process. The artist, however, has barely scratched the surface of making a memorable experience despite their significant other being the main cause and effect of its virality. If anything, the pianos are barely heard in the mix; neither the vocals legitimize the piano melody that’s as significant as Dionela’s output entirely. It’s ‘hugot’ stripped down to a very unsymmetrical formula to the point where we’re all in for the virality and not for the actual craft. This is made apparent from the Tiktok video alone, we’re here to witness the process, the interaction between love and its result. Although the latter never really give grounds for “Musika”. Just like the title, it’s a textbook love song with several sore thumbs. If we were to look at how the single is formed, the intention of “Musika” is an example of an artist finding inspiration. It’s self-explanatory from the video: we don’t need a PR statement to tell us otherwise. But the mere fact that a viral Tiktok would persuade everyone that the song is good is a trap marketing ploy. Sonically, “Musika” is dry. It’s soup without proper peppering. It’s a billboard with only face value. It’s only a QR code and nothing more. Support the art & the artist:
DEMO REVIEW: DJ HEADACHEMAXIMUM – DAMNATION DEMO 2022
Written by Louis Pelingen In our local electronic dance scene, it is always wonderful to hear a lot more hardcore EDM music in today’s day and age. Where the raves will stomp the ground till it gets crushed to bits as the DJs don’t pull their punches and pushes the limits of EDM with deafening volumes, gut-wrenching drum and synth textures, and rhythms that will make everyone dance like they’re fast-forwarding in 2x speed. These hardcore rave scenes will not be for everyone as there are others who might just prefer dancing to the grooves rather than ballistically setting the dance floor on fire, but it’s a necessary part of dance rave culture nonetheless. After all, they can be spaces that can be gratifying and energetic to engage in, and hardcore EDM rave spaces certainly do not disappoint. When it comes to DJ HEADACHEMAXIMUM’s hardcore EDM leanings in this 4 track demo release, they sure put out a good set of them. DAMNATION DEMO was released under @SLANDERTRAX , a label that focuses on putting out hardcore EDM projects. While this was the first one put out under the label, it is a good and exciting release that puts both DJ HEADACHEMAXIMUM and the SLANDER TRAX label with exciting anticipation on what they will put out in the future as this demo project has some good tracks on them. While straightforward and simple to wrap your head around, there are enough variations and switches on each track that makes them pop out in their own way. ‘CALL ME’ starts off with the kick drum and rave synths in a well-measured rhythm, just before the squelching synths come in and create a chaotic sonic display. ‘IBUPROFEN’ proceeds with its looping synths, pulsating kick drum, and glassy hi-hat progressions that get more energetic when the screeching synth tones come into the fray. The last two tracks end the project that dips its hardcore foundations with softer synths. ‘PERPETUAL BREAK’ amidst the shuffling percussion rhythms comes to the blissful synthesizer that tip-toes through the track, and ‘REMORSEFUL SEPPUKU’ immerses all of its runtime with multiple change-ups from the rubbery synths, blocky percussion, and stable bass and hi-hat drums. What this demo project showcased is a good foundation of Hardcore EDM that has enough variation in synth tones and progressions. It might be considered standard in the genre, but at the end of the day, there’s a good quality in each of the tracks that if played in a hardcore rave gig, it will definitely put enough people in a state where they will whirl themselves around the area. Not mindblowing or anything, but it’s good enough for what it needs to do. Support the art & the artist: https://slandertrax.bandcamp.com/album/damnation-demo-2022-stax-001
ALBUM REVIEW: Ruru – Glorious Miscellanea
Written by Louis Pelingen It has been two years since Ruru put out her 3rd EP, ‘The Odds,’ a short project that finds her inching toward jazzier blends in her melodies while retaining her lo-fi bedroom pop sensibilities and distant, fractured musings on the relationships that she describes in her writing. More so, it felt like her debut album was on the wings of being done, only possibly hampered by the pandemic interjecting every musician’s plans to release their records, delaying their supposed release dates for the next two years. And it was the case for Ruru herself, spending most of her 2020 and 2021 trying to finish her debut record that’s hanging by, which only increases the curiosity of what strands of sound and themes she will branch out next. Because as much as her brand of fuzzy bedroom pop combined with themes surrounding relationships and the personal reflection that comes with it is appreciative, it can start to feel a little stale once this palette has been repeated. And for Ruru’s debut record, she sure has switched that palette in a significant way. If ‘The Odds’ is the teaser for something new in Ruru’s growth, then ‘Glorious Miscallanea’ is embracing that growth. Said growth is shown in all aspects of this record. The instrumentation has been expanded further, bringing in more touches from the violins and woodwinds to help complement the organic texture of the guitars, drums, and synths. The polished production helps out the instrumentation and vocals give that needed fuzzy warmth that has been in Ruru’s pocket in her past EPs. The melodies and tunes have gotten more glee and energy to them now that Ruru has embraced more jazz and funk tunes in her sound, oddly reminiscent of acts like Dijon, Remi Wolf, and Japanese Breakfast. Ruru’s vocals have gotten more presence, allowing her softer vocal timbre to glide through the airy compositions pretty well. And the lyricism does step up as well, and while it still touches upon familiar melancholy, that melancholy is more internal this time. Focusing more on personal struggles throughout the scattershot moments in life and the numbness, disconnect, and frustrations that come with it. While it may not compose an arc that comes through, it does fit the meaning of the album title, where the collection of these small and mundane miscellaneous moments in life creates an emotional tension that takes time to process and reflect upon. Due to these improvements, the songs have so much spirit to them that it makes you want to return to their sweetness even more. ‘Chewing Gum’ with its jaunty grooves and woodwinds, ‘Strange World’ with its starry-eyed watery synths, ‘WYWD’ with its blissful tone from the reverbed guitars, glittery synths, and especially from Ruru’s hypnotic use of her falsetto, ‘Eyes of a Blue Dog’ with its soothing tune from the horns and the watery guitars, ‘It Matters Until It Doesn’t’ with these jaunty funk and jazz melodies from the woodwinds, guitars, and drums, ‘Jigsaw’ with the glitchier melodies from the percussion and sound effects that climaxes to Ruru’s mystical vocal harmonies at the end, ‘Serious’ with its summery and blurry cascades of guitars, and ‘Non-satisfaction’ wonderfully closing off the record with a lot of sweeping synths, guitar passages, and vocal overdubs. Even with the thin texture of the strings and some of the synths that can be distracting in some songs, and the fact that the momentum can slip away from the back half, those issues are still compensated with just how fleshed out these tunes are. While songs like ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Snoozers’ don’t stand out as much as the rest of the songs, there are moments that still make them decent songs in their own right, with ‘Moonbeam’ coasting through those moody strings and ‘Snoozers’ using its brief runtime to showcase the wavy synths that are used majestically. Ruru’s debut album manifests a different splash of textures and colors in her already vivid world. Polished production that brings out the clarity of the vocals and instruments, Jazzy and Funky compositions along with additional instrumentation that provides sweetness and warmth to the melodies and performances, and songwriting that explores the scattershot moments in life and the whirlwind of emotions that comes with it. It’s a project that picks up pieces of memories and makes a collage out of them, a collage that is majestically put together. It’s a glorious miscellanea indeed, and it may hint at what else Ruru will create from these pieces in the future. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Aviators – Analogies of Love
Written by Elijah P. Wearing a pair of aviators at your local shade shop is a very Liam Gallagher thing to do, especially for Britpop tribute band Aviators – consisting of members John and Arvy. Their attempts at Alex Turner-isms aren’t taking off the tarmac like their other British colony favorites in their debut record “Analogies of Love”, released under Tarsier Records. For the remainder of 2022, they’ve been busy releasing half-enigmatic imagery of their upcoming record. That is to say, Aviators have kept themselves in the confines of an edgy image yet a prim and proper getup of gentlemen rocking the night out at some speakeasy bar somewhere near Legazpi Village. For a band that’s well-worn like their contemporaries, you’d expect a suave, technical performance licking all over this record. But nope. This is the complete opposite of expectations exceeding, or even, succeeding at the very least. It’s 11 songs that span like a purgatory of rehashed ideas of the 90s or what the Arctic Monkeys call a “conduct a sing-along” to the past. “Analogies of Love” is Pulp without the anthemic pulse, Oasis without the stadium rock. Aviators are painfully formulaic, like Franz Ferdinand. Throughout the entire tracklist, there’s no life in their drum machines; If there’s any clear indication as to where this album is going, it’s the lingering, almost suffering vocal performance of John Roxas. “Analogies of Love” is riddled with one-noted performances: guitar solos aren’t as prominent, backup vocalists barely did their job to highlight the choruses, and the drum machine barely has a character of its own. If there’s anything that’s slightly positive or gives any merit to, “Okay (Means Everything” is smack in the middle but somehow showed a sign of life in the album that’s been playing dead for almost half of the time. The tacky drum machine patterns and guitar strums elevate the performance slightly. But other than that, every single track decided to become filler and homages for the rest of its 36-minute runtime. Aviators’ “Analogies of Love” is an album that’s barely shown its potential, rather it’s a supplement of something that was done to look like it was made in the past and resulted in something to look past its forgettable elements. LINK: