Concert Fever
December 4, 2009
The Event:
The Reservation:
The Ticket:
is waiting at the SM Customer Service counter. I am going to watch THE KILLERS live in MANILA on JANUARY 31, 2010!
Edit: I am seriously disappointed. Who knew that a week before the big day, the guys cancel their appearances “due to unforeseen circumstances”?
@#%&! Smilers
June 6, 2008
Aimee Mann had me at Magnolia, that Paul Thomas Anderson’s all-star cast movie. It was during my final year in college, if my memory serves me right, and I remember watching the movie with my housemates. The kilometric-long movie was boring everyone to tears; the intertwined lives of the characters were becoming a drag. But I continued watching. And so, I discovered Aimee Mann.
Save Me, the first Aimee Mann song I ever heard, never fails to make me pause for a moment. I sing along, but most of the time, I just let the song stand on its own. I love this part: But can you save me/Come on and save me/if you could save me/from the ranks of the freaks/who suspect they could never love anyone. Yeah, I am a sucker of melancholic songs. Sometimes.
Her songwriting speaks so much –pain, longing and other human emotions that are completely relate-able. Though they are sometimes self-referential, you can discover how reflective and engaging the lyrics are. Moody, melodic, laidback and smooth best characterize Aimee Mann’s music. That is why Aimee Mann’s one of the really few female singer-songwriters that I like.
Last Tuesday, Aimee Mann released @#%&! Smilers or simply Smilers. The album is certainly not a pick me upper. Smilers engages you to pay attention. Aimee Mann’s songwriting, clever and sardonic, evokes familiar feelings and careful introspection. The arrangements are…Ok, I do not know shit about music production. Anyway, Aimee Mann’s distinctive voice really makes every song shine through.
Over-all, the 13-track album is a work of a real singer and songwriter. I love, love Freeway, Phoenix and Ballantines.
Play list of the Week
April 25, 2008
Warm, fuzzy feeling mode today. I owe it to all these songs coming out of my speakers. So many good music. So many good artists. Yehey for broadband abuse. Yehey for petiks mode, too. Blasting my eardrums with melodic songs during nights like this makes me want to just lie in bed, be idle, and simply stare at the ceiling. Just like, you know, when you have a new album, fresh from the record store, and you want to listen to it for the first time. Since file sharing is the rage, you can simply sit down while doing your, cough, chores, cough, and let the music stream from the interwebz or download the songs straight to your desktop. Pleasant distractions, really, and if you are all alone in your own room, you can have your own little concert without fear of being booed. If not, murmuring those shiny, happy lyrics or ______ (just insert any string of optimistic adjectives here) would be totally okay, too. Those who have heard me sing may attest that I do not have the vocal prowess of Karen O. or any of those femmes I like to imitate (and fail miserably), but well, who cares? If I have those drool-worthy electronic music gadgets, I will surely don my prettiest dress and bounce, bounce during the daytime, but since this is one of those nights again, my mind is all that wanders. This post is getting longer when I all I want to do is share my play list of the week for those who want to have a slice of sheer music joy.
Walk in the Park – Oh No! Oh My!
Natural disasters – Enon
Golden Skans – Klaxons
Hackensack – Fountains of Wayne
Momentum – Aimee Mann
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here – She and Him
The Way I am – Ingrid Michaelson
New Soul – Yael Naim
Beanbag Chair – Yo La Tengo
Four Winds – Bright Eyes
Flat head – Fratellis
Uh Oh – Taken by Cars
Halogen – Bagetsafonik
Can’t Stop – Moonstar88
The Book I Write – Spoon
1234 – Feist
Someone Somewhere – The Wannadies
Sons and Daughters – The Decemberists
If Looks Could Kill – Camera ObscuraEtc.
Partial play list here. Enjoy!
Title Crack
April 3, 2008
Because of Kenneth the Page, I spent a couple of minutes watching the newest Mariah “The Diva” Carey music video today, err, yesterday. Bageezus, my concept of day time/night time is already warped. Anyway, the title “Touch My Body” says it all. There is no need for some explaining.
So Mariah’s a fan of 30 Rock, according to my usual source of random information, and that is why Kenneth the Page is included in the music video. Okay, fine. I forgot about the music video, snoozed all afternoon and then whoa, this news story caught my attention right after I hit the big Y.
Huwaw.
Image Source: eonline.com
So I picked up this paperback from Powerbooks, brought it to the counter after a few minutes of skimming, and easily discharged P180 off my wallet without even giving it a second thought.
A big confession though: I am NOT a HUGE Eraserheads fan. I do not know all their discography. I sometimes falter with regards to the lyrics when singing their songs. I do not collect Eraserheads memorabilia. I have not attended a single Eraserheads concert or gig. I do not have all of their albums.
When the Eraserheads released their first album, Ultraelectromagneticpop, I was probably in second grade. By the time I knew who the Eraserheads are, I was already in fourth grade, which was the year when the third album, Cutterpillow, came up. I clearly remember that year because a girl classmate kept on blabbing about, gushing over, and crushing on this Ely Buendia guy, whom I knew nothing about.
And then there was this movie starring the so-called teen heartthrobs of the 90s, which, I guess, formally introduced me to the Eraserheads. The movie was “Pare Ko”, which was based on the seminal hit of the Eraserheads.
A growing interest soon ensued. I was fed irregularly by TV appearances, radio plays, and song hits (or music jingles), thanks in large part of my place of residence, which is three hundred kilometers away from Manila. One time, the Eraserheads announced on national TV that they will be having a concert in our city, particularly in our university. The problems were (1) I was too young and going to a concert was unallowable in our home and (2) scrimping for my ticket fee was restricted by my measly allowance. I finally managed to see three-fourths of the Eraserheads, though, on separate occasions with their separate bands several years later.
By the time I left home for college and gained quasi-independence (and was already old to go and pay for concerts), the Eraserheads disbanded. It was in 2002. It was disappointing, naturally.
For a band that lasted for more than a decade, Eraserheads has given more than enough. During gatherings, jamming sessions, and karaoke singing, the songs of Eraserheads have always been a staple. But more than that, the music of Eraserheads collectively binds people through familiar themes like love, friendship, and dreams, making anyone refer to their songs as their own, as sound tracks of their lives.
“Ang Huling El Bimbo” reminds me of days in sixth grade when one of my teachers would get his guitar and start the class singing in unison. “Overdrive” brings back memories of long car rides, when I just wanted to take the wheel away from whoever the driver is and steer. “With a smile” was the perfect song during moments of depression. “Minsan” was the anthem of college students, who are already bound to the working life. So even if I am not a hardcore Eraserheads fan, I can count some of their songs as favorites.
And their band, undoubtedly, is an influential part of our popular culture. Every one who contributed an essay in Tikman ang Langit, An Anthology on the Eraserheads agrees so.
Songs that Play Inside my Head, Inside my Head
March 13, 2007
So I was on my way home a while ago with my officemates when I started hearing this nice, melodic song. Funny thing is I have last heard it on the same spot, which is outside a Cubao restaurant.
I have heard the song a couple of times before but I could not learn the lyrics or know its title. All I know is the repeating “Over my head, over my head” part of the chorus.
Without any prodding, I asked one of the staff outside if she knows the title of the song. Unfortunately, she does not know it. So until I got home, I was singing it in my head according to what my ears have heard: “Every body knows my name over my head over my head.”
After a few minutes of Googling, I finally learned the song, which does not really have the line “Every body knows my name” but “Every one knows I’m in”. So much for my ears’ terrible mistake.
Anyway, the song is called Over My Head (Cable Car), which is a debut single included in the 2005 debut album, by a “four-piece piano rock band” called the Fray.
“Everyone knows I’m in
Over my head
Over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She’s on your mind
She’s on your mind”
The wonders of Google.
Other songs that have been playing incessantly inside my head:
1. Take That’s Shine
2. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore’s Way Back Into Love
3. Mika’s Grace Kelly
4. Gwen Stefani’s Sweet Escape
I know. My musical tastes really vary. Wink.
Radiohead
November 11, 2006
Ooo, jealousy/Is she fine/So well bred/The perfect girl/A social deb?
Why is Natalie Merchant’s song, Jealousy, keeps on reverberating inside my head? This is another case of LSS syndrome, apparently. Funny thing is I do not know exactly the lyrics and that the song is an unlikely LSS culprit. What is funnier is I keep on messing up the lyrics and the melody when I try to sing it.
What’s the explanation behind LSS anyway? Every one of us experience having a song stuck inside our heads that we can’t help but sing or hum it. And like the social yawning phenomenon, we also influence other people to be LSS-ed too. Was there any research study that tried to discover the explanation behind it?
I googled last song syndrome + study and I have found this:
“The phenomenon has spanned the ages. In 1882, Mark Twain wrote in a short story of an annoying “jingling rhyme” that became indelibly lodged in the author’s mind until he passed the curse along to another hapless victim. This summer, a community board in Brooklyn, N.Y., has called for a limit on the playing of the “Mr. Softee” jingle by ice-cream trucks — a jingle that can be unbearably memorable for those subjected to it for extended periods.” — More
Wow. Even Mark Twain had known LSS. If LSS has spanned ages, then it is a perfectly natural human phenomenon. As long as one is repetitively subjected to a song, one can have LSS. So if we do not like irritating offenders from LSS-ing us, we only need to avoid hearing it twice or more. 
mmm bopped
July 22, 2005
Myx’s Take Five showcased what used to be one of my favorite bands (in the league of Moffatts, Spice Girls, etc.) during my pre-adolescent years. My heart used to go mmm-bop when I see their faces or hear their voices in the fixating world of MTV, and I dreamt of the usual pre-adolescent stuff e.g. meeting them personally. Funny because hearing their songs after a long number of years (and now having a different musical taste), I still enjoy listening to their songs.
elbi night
July 1, 2005
hemp republic’s album launch in los baños yesterday evening was a blast. every one had a good time. “elbi nights” was a crowd’s favorite. who wouldn’t relate to “laging absent pero pumapasa pa rin”?
fete de la musique
June 14, 2005
Here are the venues and the bands playing 4pm onwards:
Main Stage – World / Reggae / SkaIn between Chateau and the former Tequila Joe’s
Brownbeat All-Stars Butong Pakwan Cynthia Alexander Hemp Republic Indio I Kadangyan Loquy Makiling Ensemble Pinikpikan Sing India Radioactive Sago Project Reggae Mistress SPY
Outdoor Stage – Rockin front of Rack’s
Boldstar SPY Boy Elroy Chicosci Ciudad Cog Death by Tampon Dicta License DRT Greyhoundz Happy Meals Hellbender Imago Itchyworms Join the Club Kapatid Kinetic Daze Kinky Hooters Kjwan Monkeyspank Plane Divides the Sky Razorback Rugis Sandwich Shards of Ice Silent Sanctuary Sique Sugarfree Taggu nDios Twisted Halo Typecast Zoom Zoom Lunacy
Podium – Alternative front driveway
Ang Bandang Shirley Barbie’s Cradle Bobby Parks Movement Bridge Dale Ibay Dirty Kitchen Hale Isha Kitchie Nadal Mayonnaise Milk ‘N Money Mojofly Mush Carnival Olympic Smoker Narda Nityalila Paramita Pinoy Stories Pinwheel Rocksteady Session Road Severo Sheila and the Insects Splitcide Spongecola Stonefree Sundown Muse The Brockas The Late Isabel Up Dharma DownZarah Smith
