Lines In My Head

That stage has improved a lot. This is almost a month late but still. I had a phase in my life especially during my college years when I was so into local bands. I used to spend a significant amount of my allowance buying records from Odyssey(!) and scouting the Sarabia Optical Shop in UP Shopping Center for any hidden gems from indie bands. It was only natural then that I'd have this long-term February love affair with the UP Fair. Match made in Sunken. This year, I decided to watch on a Wednesday. The event for the night was called "Roots" and historically the event has been really good in terms of band line-up and how organized the program is. Understandable since the organizers are musically inclined student orgs from UP Diliman - guys who are knowledgeable and passionate about their craft. Anyway, I saw the lineup for the night weeks prior, found it cool, bought tickets, and patiently waited in line to get inside the fair grounds. Aside from a few n...

Inspired by a recent web article, I've decided to make my own list of albums that stuck with me throughout the past year. While I honestly thought this would be an easy exercise given my propensity for discovering new bands and music, it's strange that I've been having a hard time compiling such a short list. Either there was a drought of quality records or I haven't been paying much attention to the scene lately. More of the latter, I guess. I managed to come up with ten albums though and knowing my affinity for emo-pop-punk jams, you won't be seeing any Ed Sheerans, Ariana Grandes or Iggy Azaleas here. Instead, you'll get... HONORABLE MENTION(S): Lift A Sail - Yellowcard (Released: October 7, 2014) Key Tracks: One Bedroom, The Deepest Well 1989  - Taylor Swift (Released: October 27, 2014) Key Tracks: Blank Space, Clean, Out Of The Woods We Don't Have Each Other  - Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties (Released: July 8, 2014) Key Track...

Being alone in one little quiet hole certainly induces episodes of reflection. The same thought process happens when I'm standing under a constant stream of cold water or looking at the hypnotic waves of the sea. I guess one of the reasons I write is to put all these random ideas into a giant imaginary ball then throw it away using one meaningless, harmless post. This is one of those posts.

Spent last Sunday just rolling around in our unit, munching leftover stuff, catching up on some anime series, occasionally defending our ancient, and draining a bunch of three-pointers. Typical boring weekend for me but that got me thinking about random stuff happening lately. So while I try my best to induce some much-needed sleep, here are some recent ruminations. * * * * * We spend most of our time at work. In my case, it amounts to approximately 50 hours per week. That's why I think it's critical to have a pleasant atmosphere in the workplace as it has a direct effect on your mood,  on your day, and eventually on your life. Sadly, that hasn't been the case for me. You see, for the past few months, the previously warm air circulating around our office corridors has seemingly degraded into a dark hanging cloud of misery. It's not just me though. I think almost the entire workforce acknowledges that fact. I have no idea if it'll change but as of this writing...

Let me start by stating that I am not a big Taylor Swift fan. In fact, I didn't really listen that much to her material until her phenomenal album  Red,   and even after spinning that album a good amount, there were only a few cuts that I really got into. Aside from its two well-known singles, I can honestly say that tracks such as  All Too Well, I Almost Do  (this one I discovered from a random tweet), The Last Time,  and Everything Has Changed (Ed Sheeran FTW) got stuck in my head for quite some time. While I wouldn't consider Red  as an "it-blew-me-away" kind of record, I found it enjoyable enough to put Swift's future albums on my watchlist. That is why when I heard that her fifth studio album  1989 (an obvious reference to her year of birth) was already out, I knew right away I had to "procure" a copy from my reliable sources and start digging into her new tunes. I am only three years older than T.S. Thought it'd be higher. Whil...

One random morning, C asked me details (specifically the title and the author) about a certain spy book she read a while back while staying at our place. I replied that I could only recall the title (World's Greatest Spies and Spymasters) but the author's name evaded me. Okay my love, she said. Later that day, I would discover the purpose for her query. The title was to be part of her yearly post chronicling all the books she finished during the course of one year (I still owe C, the author's name, by the way). Year-end categorized listings. Hmm, a good idea for a blog post, I thought. Here then are various stuff that I thoroughly enjoyed for the past year. Lists are in no particular order. Movies, TV Series, and Anime: 1. Frozen - Best movie I watched this year. Brought back lots of childhood Disney memories. Props to C for the recommendation. 2. Arrested Development Season 4 - Bluth family! Hilarious as always. Can't wait for the movie. 3. Game of ...

Mic swings. It's no secret that I am a big, unabashed fan of pop/punk/alternative bands ever since I got introduced to that one particular Taking Back Sunday song about a gun pointed to my head and wishful thinking. A quick scan of my Facebook feed and Twitter timeline reveals this fandom as both are literally littered with witty phrases and playful lyrics. Through years of downloading, listening and re-downloading, I have genuinely formed a unique bond between these well-arranged set of words and my life's current emotional state. Enter these one-liners and catchphrases. Perhaps the countless hours of listening to Tell All Your Friends or Take This To Your Grave or Deja Entendu  enabled me, in most cases, to pull out an appropriate song line for every mood. Given that I consider myself as a happy, cheerful, and drama-free person, for some odd reason, I resonated more though with the angst-filled, gut-wrenching, slash-wrist type of songs. These tunes ultimately b...

AJ Perdomo (leftmost) and that passionate, raspy vocals. /swoons The Dangerous Summer is one of those bands which I can proudly say I discovered on my own either by reading reviews of their past albums or by streaming their music online. There were stretches in my life wherein Reach For The Sun (their debut album) and War Paint  (the successful follow-up) perfectly defined my current state leading to both albums dominating my playlist for months. So when their third offering, Golden Record , was announced to be released on August 6 of this year, imagine the excitement swelling inside my musical veins. Golden, indeed. AOTY contender. About a week or so though before the actual release, a full stream of the album was made available online, and being the fanboy that I am, I wasted no time in streaming the whole thing. And oh boy, The Dangerous Summer certainly did not disappoint and they may have just released their best album to date. "Catholic Girls" starts of...

The Philippines. Very seldom that lesser known foreign acts and bands display their unique talents here. Probably due to a lot of factors. Long travel. Hot weather. Or simply, they don't have enough followers in the country. But then, news broke out. Motion City Soundtrack. March 9, 2013. SM City North EDSA Skydome. I muttered. "HOLY SHIT!" Motion City Soundtrack. A five-piece rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Known for their energetic brand of music. Witty and clever songwriting. First encountered their music when their song, "Everything Is Alright" was featured in the soundtrack of a certain video game. I became a fan. Discovered "Fell In Love Without You". Instantly fell in love with it. Followed their offerings ever since. Two weeks prior. Purchased my tickets. Affordable price. Perfect schedule. No work. Saturday. Biggest problem though? NO ONE TO GO WITH! Friends are not familiar with MCS. For shame! Predicament? Yes. Will s...

"I love you, however, you hold me down." "Missed opportunities, and I Don't Cares." "You're the metaphors I can't create to comprehend this curse that I call love.." Probably one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. The band is Motion City Soundtrack and the track is "Hold Me Down" from their album, "Commit This To Memory". Song starts with a simple drum beat then in comes the line:  I found a letter that said:/ "I'm sorry that you were asleep when I wrote these words down."/ You'd think I'd ought to be used to that by now.    Damn. I wish I had thought of those lines myself. It probably should be illegal to write something brutally sad. Oh, and then the song ends with a couple of repeated lines that goes: How will I break the news to you? (Sheds a tear and goes to sleep).

So let me try something new for the blog. As some of you may have surmised from the previous posts, I'm a big, big fan of the pop/punk/alternative side of the music scene. My playlists are littered with songs ranging from "roll-your-car-windows-down" summer jams to "mosh pit worthy" tracks to "cut-and-slash-your-wrists" classics to "radio-friendly" tunes. I can confidently say then that I have a pretty good idea of what's cooking in the pop-punk scene. So together with my trusted earphones, I present the segment "Earphoned" (what a creative title), wherein I'm going to review (or at least try to) past and current albums of bands from this genre. Hopefully, this segment would introduce you to some really good music that you're surely missing out on while at the same time saving your ears from the depths of music purgatory currently dominated by the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction. Heh. After the jump, learn ...

"I'm trying to hold it together but irony's found cracks in the foundation." "I try so hard to be some great white hope but I can't shake the feeling that tonight I'm gonna end up shaking in bed alone." "I had to take my own advice and I did. Now, I'm waiting for it to sink in." "It's not about forcing happiness, it's about not letting sadness win." I always though it was really cool when you discover a not-so-famous band that blows you away on your first listen. You immediately think that they should be the next-big-thing but in reality, no one in your circle of friends has any freaking idea of who the band is. Such is how I felt when I discovered "The Wonder Years" and their pop-punkish brand of music. While their sound is typical of the one you'll find in this scene, what I think separates them from the rest of their peers is their uncanny songwriting skills and great lyrics. Their ...

"I know that I have always walked the line in between my confidence and lies, so many scenes are full of words I wish I could rewind." "I loved you first. I love you still. I always will." Perhaps better known for their single "Only One", Yellowcard has been churning out quality albums since their Ocean Avenue days. And I've been an avid fan all throughout. The sweet hooks, loud guitars, and fast-paced drumbeats are nice but for me it's the killer violin that sets them apart. Just check out the wicked violin solo that starts at 2:09. Stunning. (Song is entitled "Always Summer" from their album "Southern Air" out on August 14).

"Why can't I feel anything for anyone other than you?" "The only thing I regret is that I, I never let you hold me baaaaack!" I've been really digging the pop-punk scene for the past few years, and undoubtedly Taking Back Sunday takes home the "most-played-band-on-my-playlist award". I don't know why but their musical style really gets to me. Dual vocals? Check. Heart-in-your-sleeve lyrics? Check. Gruff and passionate singing? Check. A "Fight Club"-inspired music video? Check. Give 'em a listen, it comes with my highest recommendation. (Featured song is "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team) from their debut album, "Tell All Your Friends").