Written by Anika Maculangan Having been in the game for a while, LUSTBASS delivers new intonations of soulful jazz and R&B modulations into the sphere of what is contemporary in style. A proclamation of lush beats, innerspace is the conglomeration of fruitful collaborations amongst the artist himself with other seminal artists like Jess Connelly, Jason Dhakal, Fern., Cavill, RJ Pineda, Waiian, Akio Rene, Nicole Anjela, and ((( O ))). Just when summer has ended, it makes us anticipate the next one even more, with this relaxed, beachy, and casual expression of sound. Effortless, wavy, and adjacent to chillwave, LUSTBASS explores the multitude of areas that the downward tempo scale of pop can encapsulate, if done right. With its easy-going, almost nonchalant ambiance, innerspace is a composed way of merging the stoical with the serene, in a more or less, leisurely mellowness. Known for his keen, cutting-edge approach to the assembly of rhythm, LUSTBASS best demonstrates this skill in this motley of modish, sophisticated indication of experience and background of joint teamwork with other fellow artists. Some tracks are more atmospheric than others like Yeyuhh, the album is transcendental in the sense that it touches every ounce of one’s attention to notation. Motioning from one switch to the next, the songs in this collection flow with immeasurable poise and flair. Not often are producers given the full stage in most cases of how we laud them in the Philippine context, but in the case of LUSTBASS, this awareness of the man behind is well apparent. In LUSTBASS’ signature polishness, it’s swift for one to recognize LUSTBASS’ appeal to reverberation from a mile away. In addition, the vocalists he collaborates with in this album, bring out even more, the smoothness of his instrumentals. Having previously collaborated with some of these artists LUSTBASS displays his propensity to apply his personal touch in all of his projects — a sharp, crisp, melodious harmony of percussion and refined grandeur. This album comprises tracks that anyone could bring with them to a vacation, and not regret it, because it’s a concise dash of opulence that is not too pronounced but just the right amount to make the sky appear broader. Brightly colored, like fresh tangerine or sand along the coastline, LUSTBASS has a certain character to his musicality, that is funky, fun, and vibrant. It instantly brings us to our feet and makes us want to start the day with an uplifting temperament. If only we could make LUSTBASS’ interspace our alarm sound to waking up every morning — so that we’d be more energized to jump back into productivity. Support the art & artist:
Tag: R&B
ALBUM REVIEW: Sica – GO SEE GOD
Written by Elijah P. On “Go See God”, Sica’s faith and love for the game are at a crossroads. Tip-toeing between fame, personal growth, the trust between family and their cohorts, and the community unfolding before his very eyes. At his expense, this is a result of Sica contemplating his own position as a family man, as a businessman and as a performer. It’s one responsibility after the other, ultimately leaving all the decision-making to the high almighty himself, the central figure of the entire project. “Go See God” sees itself trying to reach a higher state, quite literally reaching billboard status, where the hemispheres of heaven are at the reach of his fingertips. Resulting in a divine intervention of events that led him to where he is today. It’s a lot to absorb and you may find it anywhere in any hip-hop project. However, “Go See God” is different in the extent of the scene today – It doesn’t flex, it improves. It’s not just “chill” for the sake of a mood algorithm. It elevates the story to different heights. The production on the one hand carries heavily. It’s told through experiments of contemporary r&b, hypnotizing passages of phonk and psychedelia, and full band live setups: a full-length record where the sonic and production choices shine through. In previous releases, the Greenhouse Records and Kartellem affiliate has always stayed sonically dormant early on in his career. Bonus track closer “Opmat” featuring Waiian bookends and at the same time starts the album in a loop proving everyone wrong mood-wise. “Hue For Ya” was a colorful, icy-cold taste test, “Go See God” was the full course. Going by the monikers “Baby Blu” and “Prettyboypacino”, he lives the life with the chalice on the one hand and a hundred bands on the other, proving that living the fast life could lead you to the grave in “Intro”; “Bukas Pa” grooves in hopes for living another day; the title track “Go See God” rides through the clouds under the influence of phonk and a tasteful string section; “Young Stunna Inalude” eases its way in boom-bap; album highlights “Bad to the Bone” and “25 (Still Alive)” exemplifies the range of Sica’s crooning and strong hook game. After sitting 36 minutes throughout the dark of its after-hours, Sica hopes that everyone listening would be praying for his soul. He himself would testify that he isn’t alone in the journey at night. “Go See God” is a redemption arc in his story, this is an address to his younger self: “Hindi ako matakot mamatay/ Takot ako kung san ako pupunta/ But fuck it baby, we still alive/ At bahala na kung ako ang mauuna”. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: crwn – Séance
Written by Louis Pelingen Sometimes, it takes a while for an act to put out their debut record. Case in point, King Puentesmina – also known as crwn – has been a veteran within the local music scene. He is known not just for his ability as a drummer of SOS, but also as a producer and songwriter in his own right. Building up his portfolio under the crwn alias since 2013, carving his identity as a producer whose ability towards crafting beats with soulful textures and enough melodic space for everyone willing to swing by and contribute their vocals on his well-crafted instrumentals. This allowed him to collaborate with numerous artists throughout the years, which only allowed him to expand his open space in creating beats that slot within other genres and is an opportunity to continue refining his skill as a producer – improving upon the textures and the melodies that he has shaped. Since then, he has gotten more acclaim and recognition as a producer, and his production credits have only gotten bigger and bigger, yet it will take a while for a debut album to eventually manifest, up until this year. Séance is the long-awaited debut album that crwn has been working on for 5 years ever since he put out his Orchid beat tape back in 2018, pulling together an assortment of flavorful instrumentals with a full stack of collaborators pulling up vocal melodies within these diverse dance-ready beats. It’s essentially a project that places crwn as the producer who’s able to bring these old and new collaborators together and nestle them to his crafted beats that showcase how much he has gotten better as a producer for a long time. His attention to texture has only gotten fuller and warmer, his attention to mixing is consistent – never taking the clear scope of the vocals and instrumentation, and his melodic sensibilities have excelled – always making the grooves as sharp as they can get. Given the feature-heavy element on the album, there is the looming question of how much these collaborators will be able to stick the landing – whether that be the long-familiar collaborators such as Jess Connelly, August Wahh, and Curtismith, or the more recent collaborators such as LONER, Jolianne, and TALA – fortunately, for the most part, they do manage to aim high. Their writing manages to consistently stay within the simple themes of longing romance and their vocal performances do manage to shine within crwn’s production palette, eventually leading to quality spilling forth. The drum and bass splash of ‘Good Enough’ where Jason Dhakal’s silky vocal touch ups works for the frustrated relationship exit that the song aims for, The 80s house tune of ‘Wish It Never Ends’ where Olympia’s hushed delivery creates a romantic allure in the dancefloor – a characteristic that’s clearly reminiscent of Jessie Ware in a positive way, the bouncy groove of ‘Honey’ that has enough striking melody and space for August Wahh to rap and sing about needing that passionate intimacy with an assured confidence, the slow-building electronica of ‘Waiting For You’ with its buzzier synth melodies, shuffling drum patterns, and acoustic strums that overall coalesce for LONER’s longing delivery for the need to communication to connect through, and the emotive, dreamy melodic swells of ‘Dreaming Of You’ from TALA’s soothing vocals and shuffling instrumentation that ramps up to the potent hook does manage to work, especially with the song trying to put a semblance of comfort towards how love heals and changes people. And while the album is certainly consistently well-produced and put together, it doesn’t always go all the way to the top, mostly due to two things. The small quibbles in certain songs where are certain elements that could’ve been tweaked better: the lyrical flair on ‘Rooftops In Paris’ where Curtismith’s flexing doesn’t carry as much resonance and can be quite disconnected amidst the other songs that touch upon the yearnings or frustrations within relationships, the hook on ‘Another Day’ that can sound quite clunky despite Jolianne’s jumpy vocalisations really giving her all to make it stand out, and the fleeting immediacy of ‘Feel Something’ that could’ve fleshed out a little bit more given how Nadine Lustre’s breathy vocals and the overall melody of the song does come out pretty good. Then there are the big ones that hamper the album back. The shaky momentum where after ‘Wish It Never Ends’, the album structure starts to become more languid, with certain songs such as the pure instrumental ‘Ouroboros’ really putting a dent in the momentum moving forward. But there is also the overall sound that crwn favors to create in the record, full of UK Garage, Drum and Bass, and House elements that he does manage to pull off extremely well, but not exactly in a way that’s remarkable as he could’ve added intriguing ideas within these beats that could allow these already good tracks become spectacular. But as a debut project that crwn perceives as an updated version of his style of production since Orchid, Séance does deliver in that assessment as his ability in putting together melodies, textures, and genre variations has improved, allowing his collaborators to give really good performances within these collection of instrumentals. At the same time, certain issues does take away the sparking flair that the album mostly has, eventually resulting in the project not as striking as it should’ve been. Despite the waning structure, this séance is still able to successfully communicate to the spirits, letting everybody’s sense of yearning keep on growing deeper. Support the art and the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Alisson Shore, Yuridope – Ako Pa Rin
After nearly a decade in the music industry, Alisson Shore has carved out a niche for himself, creating a world of his own told through the full length format. He has a knack for selecting soundscapes, writing lyrics, and curating overall structures that set his work apart from most of his contemporaries. There are times where Alisson’s creative process often results in music that belongs in the electronic music spectrum than it is in the r&b spectrum. In his last album, Garuda, Shore explores the metaphor of a black bird soaring high and falling hard, blending elements of trap and R&B in a way that creates a cohesive imagery. Moreover, the album uses the bird figure to craft a fantasy-like tale or a tragedy seen through the eyes of a fictional character. It’s as if Shore is building a new realm with each track in different approaches in production style and vocal acrobatics. Fast forward to post-lockdown, with “Ako Pa Rin” featuring Yuridope, Shore continues this world-building, creating a musical universe reminiscent of a telenovela sequel jammed into one throwback piece. This single follows “Ako Ba Talaga?”, which subtly positions itself as a response to the previous single’s dynamic, almost nasty singy-songy dialogue between KLLY and Alisson over themes of infidelity. Rather than merely echoing 2000s music video aesthetics from Channel V or BET, Shore maintains a cohesive sonic thread through his singles with the help of strong visuals that portray a relationship in shambles as shown in cable television and told through old online forums. Each single builds on each other, blending nostalgic R&B with contemporary 2010s production in a hazy, dreamlike sequence. This approach highlights Shore’s storytelling ability and musical strengths, transcending beyond clickbait-y nostalgia. A Messenger app call alarm introduces the listener; It plays along as a narrative device. At the same time, a tool queued right when the kicks and snares go in. With Yuridope puncturing every bar and every invitation for a one-night stand, the featured rapper on the track plays with the flow along its rattling hi-hats, sliding pianos and record scratches. Alisson, on the other hand, follows through in a stronger, much more potent vocal presence and ingenious production that’s equally effective in “Ako Ba Talaga?” which had the nifty Ashanti “What’s Luv?” sample flip. One is to argue that on the surface, this is to highlight a bygone era of r&b, acting out of pure novelty and nothing in between. But listeners here would think otherwise, both singles belong in an era where Alisson Shore chooses to delve narrative-wise in hopes of elevating the story and its sonic cues. Is there a new album on the horizon for Alisson Shore? We’ll have to wait and see until the next episode! Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: DIONELA ft. Jay R – SINING
Written by Elijah P. After almost hitting every note and scoring every possible R&B collaboration known locally, Bulacan-based pop singer-songwriter Dionela has finally hit the algorithm goldmine in streaming with their collaborative hit “Sining” alongside R&B royalty Jay R. Not too long ago, the same mainstream artist and respected industry titan passed down the “crown” to the young neophyte on live television. Dionela humbly turned down the offer by returning the symbolic crown to Jay R in the same segment. Looking back at that moment symbolizes a lot about Dionela’s output: clunky, laughable, and an overall striver that fails to follow up the greatness of any industry singer-songwriter from decades before. Despite numerous attempts to hit the sweet spot in choruses, the “all my life” line is more laughable than sticky in the sensual listening experience. “Sining” is as grating as sprinkling rotten cheese on a bad serving. The awkward use of Tagalog in the verses and choruses feels forced, much like the strained high notes. Meanwhile, the unbearable lows don’t cover up the shortcomings of Nelly’s Tagalog counterpart. When Dionela tries, they try hard, just like the chorus they’ve written. Jay R, on the other hand, turns the track around. However, when an industry veteran tries to steal the spotlight rather than complement the feature, something unequivocally goes wrong in the execution of the track. “Sining” neither looks nor sounds sexy; it’s a track that begs to make sense. Like a ribcage rumbling from the notes of a xylophone while rupturing longing feelings. Did that passage make sense? Not really, and neither does “You’ve turned my limbics into a bouquet” when your prefrontal cortex is fully developed. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: 25hearts – HEARTS
Written by Aly Maaño If you’re missing BROCKHAMPTON, 25hearts is the collective to watch out for this 2024. Formed last year, this seven-piece ensemble, consisting of Never Paco, Bankyu, E.J, Wan, Nix, kyleaux, and k1ko, has been teasing us with early releases like “NAGA FREESTYLE” and “PUMAPALO” in collaboration with other up-and-coming hip-hop artists, including RB Slatt and Papayasoak. In their latest single, “HEARTS,” the group introduces a fresh and vibrant sound — a culmination of each member’s style and artistry and their journey as a collective. Never Paco’s catchy freestyle hook is a nod to BROCKHAMPTON’s signature style, with its pitched-up vocals rolling off suavely over kyleaux’s production. Surprisingly, the beat is sampled from ABS-CBN’s “Family is Love,” and layered with bounce house elements and bluesy piano underscores that swell around Bankyu’s short but sweet verse. E.J delivers probably one of the most significant lyrics in this track, “Take me back to these moments / Let me do it again,” which celebrates how far they’ve come and can still go. And while each verse presents its own flair, Wan’s effortless flow stands out like a magnetic string pulling you to get up and 2-step along to their sonic odyssey. Another noteworthy part is kyleaux’s wistfully melodic verse smoothly transitioning to Nix’s heavenly voice—a perfect match to their infatuation-heavy lyricism. Nix’s hyperpop-influenced vocal charm is a key element in completing the sound they aim to capture in this single. More than the vibes, “HEARTS” reflect the members’ experiences on love, relationships, and their solid bond as a group. Sweet and upbeat, this track echoes the passion they have for their craft and how they have fun in the process. As we anticipate more projects, we’ll definitely be dancing the hula with 25hearts! Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: gins&melodies ft. Hev Abi – Babaero
Written by Elijah P. The year is 2024, and we’re currently at a stasis in how culture perceives sampling as a taboo subject and interpolations as a dubious activity in songwriting overall. Regarding the aforementioned topics, Shaira’s “Selos” made an impact by sparking a discourse on interpolations, while massive critics of the song bombard comments about its original source. But by the end of the day, who cares? It’s a catchy track. No one can ever take away our enjoyment. The same can be said for “Babaero,” which interpolates the Randy Santiago classic of the same name. After all the discourse and disputes, all of this fluff of copyright and ‘gotcha moments’ is all thrown out of the window because gins&melodies and Hev Abi already have a classic on their hands right away. Gently singing along to the lyrics on a Mac webcam with hearts flying out of their heads, “Babaero” is cheesy as it is evidence of interpolation, bringing the hook to a whole entirely different meaning in its contemporary setting; It’s less of a variety show singalong and more of an intimate, much more effective terminally online earworm. Surely, this is a testament to the consistent hook game and charm to both Downtown Entertainment and pop songwriting at large. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: koi. – Balingkinitan
Written by Elijah P. Dancehall’s time in the 2020s may be at its last legs with the rise of jersey club and drill still taking over the race of hip-hop’s production trends, koi takes it a step further by implementing a twist to it: sung wholly in Tagalog. Well, for the entirety of afrobeat and dancehall’s 5-minutes-of-fame in the prime of late 2010s music trends, its revitalization is strongly credited with the strong presence of Tyla’s western R&B sensibilities. However, koi’s mentioned twist to the genre is effective in its catchiest form to date, ultimately elevating its form on the track’s sung language. Produced by underground’s up-and-coming heavyweights Pxyche, NJ, and esseca. The first two mentioned producers deal with actual heavyweights like Hev Abi and Sica, koi is in good hands from the very beginning, but his actual contribution of smooth vocals and delivery just feels like they’ve successfully passed the vibe check for the entirety of its track run. I am looking forward to hearing more stuff like this soon in the future. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Illest Morena – Slow Burn
Written by Elijah P. Illest Morena has the entire archipelago on the grip of her nails. Starting out slow and calculated in singles like “LOML” and “Faded (Raw)”, both of which propelled her to pop stardom. Her material doesn’t simmer down, but rather the generous giving of heat continues to burn all towering r&b pop stars of yesterday. She constantly drops the heaters until there’s no one left to follow in her own game. Like all competition, she’s achieved past the notion of going big or going home. Illest Morena’s newest single “Slow Burn” is an example of a walking oxymoron. In the track there are lyrics immediately contradicting her own checklist in a bootycall: “He’s sweet, but a lil’ spicy”, “Gusto ko nang barombado, pero may takot sa diyos”. Additionally, the pacing just goes straight to the show. Illest Morena drives the track bouncing, hydraulic-like melodies and cadence, all for the listeners to want in a track that’s centered in honest desire. There’s a lot to pick more lyrically compared to her more melodic cuts, but that doesn’t mean it is to dismiss it entirely. This goes to show how much there’s slight variety in cherry picking the best of her output so far. Support the art & the artist:
EP REVIEW: Jikamarie – L0VER G!RL
Written by Elijah P. Jikamarie’s career in the music industry has reached another landmark. Ever since releasing a stellar debut single “Lutang” causing the internet to go head over heels during the lockdown. This immediately positions herself as a must-see act live, especially when Jika and company have opened for arena pop legends Coldplay for two-days straight. She’s also rolled out several singles that either shout the color green or show off the saucy, rhythmically rich vocal chops – it’s safe to say that it’s high time to release a full length release. But before that, “L0VER G!RL” has emerged from her arsenal. The release sounds and looks like a taste test. But the training wheels are off and it is time to showcase more of her genuine artistic side. For over the past 3 years, Jikamarie did what she could to make it to the top of the r&b food chain, emerging talents like Illest Morena, Denise Julia and Jason Dhakal all have their fair share of grace and fanbase. However, Jikamarie does it with a musical oomph and visual aesthetic cherry picked like it was a careful K-Pop reveal calendar. At the pace of these single releases in the past year, there’s momentum to all of this like it was cinema; themes of yearning in a garden of eden-type setting, giant butterflies walking across a hypnotic graveyard, what have yous. “L0VER G!RL” in particular is a debut that any r&b head wouldn’t miss. Or so they thought they would. “L0VER G1RL” starts off at a strong note with “gusto kita”, the vocal performance having its backseat. However, the following track “HINAHANAP-HANAP” was startling with its mixing inconsistency. This, in a way, slightly ruins the listening experience. Like a sore thumb sticking out of its colorful production – that’s trap-laden and dancehall inspired – tailored for Jika’s vocal finesse. At first, this was a listening experience error that would be easily brushed off by the casual listener, but this inconsistency has repeated twice by the back half of the EP, most noticeable in “lito” and “bawi na lang sa next life”. Whether or not this volume level clipping was intentional, it was hard to dismiss the talent Jika showed in this EP. It was less on experimentation and letting loose but it was more of reveling in the art of pop songwriting; the trap drums, the smooth, airy synths, and the tastefully harmonized vocals. Surely, the fundamentals were in full display but filler was sitting pretty in the midst of its soaring momentum. “L0VER G!RL” had its highs such as “DKSI” and “HINAHANAP-HANAP”, surprisingly zero lows, but the EP as a whole has its noticeably average writing loophole. There’s ease to her runs and curls but it’s hard to mask it all up when the structure has no strong staying power. It’s easy to escape the notion of being a lazy songwriter, but it’s troubling to go beyond being an afterthought, all the more a forgettable r&b musician in this day and age. And like all pop music, “L0VER G!RL” is best enjoyed in bite-sized pieces. Support the art & the artist: