Tears for Fears' Pharaohs

 First off my turntable this morning. I love the song "Pharaohs" that is a different version of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." 

And I love playing that at night when it's all quiet. It blends well.

Olympia Maru’s new album Golden Age is wonderfully eccentric.

Olympia Maru’s new album Golden Age is wonderfully eccentric.

By Rick Olivares

 

Olympia Maru’s second album, Golden Age, is a darn good example why music works best on vinyl.

 

First off is the black and white cover of a church in the middle of Iceland’s frozen tundra with a woman outside gazing atop its spire is cause for wonder. It makes for a powerful photograph, and as the cover for Golden Age, you could actually frame it. 

 

You can’t help but fixate on the photo and wonder about the its title... except it’s not just some throwback. 

 

And second, it’s an ironic, wonderfully eccentric album that sounds well.

 

Traces of 90s Brit Rock and shoegaze textures here and there, Olympia Maru has retained its muscular sonics ala American post-rock bands like Interpol. 

                                                              

The dramatic “Closer” with its lovely British Sea Power ode, opens the album and lifts you up in the air with vocalist Ahmad Tanji’s unintelligible warbling in true shoegaze fashion. 

 

However, Golden Age finds its legs in the third track, the mysteriously-named “Pterodactyl” with the propulsive drumming of Shinji Tanaka taking you like a night flight in the big city with all its lights (think of Iron Man taking to the skies in the first film). I love how the band opted for a fade out on this song with the guitars of Siops Chua and Bryan Kong wailing away like on Tears for Fear’s “Goodnight Song.”

 

As we pointed out earlier, Shinji’s drumming gives the band a backbeat that was noticeably missing in Olympia Maru’s first album, Sky Falling, where they used a drum machine. 

 

I have always been a fan of Tanaka’s drumming wherein he does right for the song; nothing overly fancy. Simple steady, solid, and pronounced stick work. 

 

Such as on the Side-B opener, “Crybaby,” an Oasis-type rocker with Tanji showing amazing dexterity. 

 

All that is one display as the band alternates their rockers with songs that take you back. “Candle,” is Beatlesque and Oasis-like; like an outtake from the latter’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory sessions.

 

“Still on the Phone” is a raunchy twanging cut out of a Pretenders’ songbook while the title track nods to the Railway Children and the Smith’s Mike Joyce (“Reel Around the Fountain”) and ends the eight-track LP. 

 

 

Along with a more coherent and tighter approach to the music, Olympia Maru has pulled off the surprise gem of an album of this most difficult 2020. 

 

Thematically, the album is a reflection of adulthood in this day and age that is equally rewarding and challenging. Elaborated Chua, “I don’t want to overanalyze having kids as it has been part of the human experience for thousands and thousands of years. It is visceral and surreal at times and you at times question your reasons for being. And that for me, I guess, is the golden age of my life… watching my kids grow and make the most out of the sacrifices parents make to mold and prepare them.”

 

And Olympia Maru’s second album, the best of their lot thus far, does break that mold. 

 

A Song that Saved my Life: The Rain King by Counting Crows

 

A Song that Saved my Life: The Rain King by Counting Crows

 

By the mid-1990s, I was unhappy and depressed. I bounced around a bit from one job to another. 

 

I was definitely good at my work. Maybe that’s even an understatement... I was pretty damn good at it. 

 

I never took up advertising in school but I took to it like a fish to water. I didn’t know anything about the music industry, but as a music lover, I came in with a different mindset and did even better.

 

However, here’s the thing… wherever I went, it was always the owner telling me, “if you have one-third of your dad’s talent or your mom’s, you will be an asset to the company.”

 

So what was I – chopped liver? Aa a result, I had this chip on my shoulder. Eager to prove myself and yet, frighteningly quick to anger.

 

And my temper always got the better of me. It got me even into trouble. Furthermore, I would constantly tempt fate; something that continued even when I turned my life around (even if only to show people that I am a genius). 

 

While I am proud of what my parents’ achieved, I felt like a prisoner. Always compared. Even worse, my dad would pick me up when I fell. And that became an annoying habit during those years.

 

One time, Counting Crows’ “Rain King” came on the radio and while I knew of their previous single, “Mr. Jones” and liked the band, I didn’t have a copy of their album. I contented myself to seeing them on MTV and hearing them on the radio. 

 

That is until I heard “Rain King.”

 

“Rain King” resonated with me from the moment I heard it and I bought the compact disc as soon as I could (I still have my original CD and the vinyl to this day). 

 

The album, I must say, remains a solid favorite to this day. It is one of a handful of albums that I play at least once a month. The songs and words I know by heart. 

 

Can you imagine watching the band live (in New York) and singing along to every song? They were never more alive.

 

But when I first heard it… it sparked something more than just poignant and bittersweet lyrics and the pained singing of vocalist Adam Duritz. 

 

This song gave me another lease on life. A different perspective.

 

The song “Rain King” is about fighting off your fears and taking that first step. In doing so, it’s finding salvation and freeing one’s self from loneliness.

 

I recall when I heard the second stanza of the song:

“I said mama, mama, mama 

Why am I so alone? 

I can't go outside, I'm scared, I might not make it home.

But I'm alive, I’m alive, but I'm sinking in.”

 

When Duritz sings “I’m alive, “I’m alive” it’s a mixture of pain and relief. And it still gets me every. Single. Time. And I play that part over and over. 

 

My first time abroad on a business trip, I was alone. My boss sent me by my lonesome. He didn’t ask anyone to go with me. “Go and present your marketing plan,” he said. “You can do it.” 

 

And so I ventured forth and I was so deathly afraid. 

 

No mom. No dad. No siblings or cousins. No boss. Just me. 

 

My presentation of our marketing plan to our European clients was a smashing success. Furthermore, I survived. I got home safely even though there was a scare in the airport where this gentleman had his clutch bag stolen (it contained his passport, ticket, and money). 

 

Even better, I got pirated so there I was going abroad once more. By myself.

 

Going abroad to work was perhaps the best thing to happen to me. I had no one to depend on but myself. It forced me to grow up real quick. It forced me to be fully aware and attuned to my surroundings. It made me even more observant and respectful of other people – let’s face it, I wasn’t home. And it forced me to be finally be responsible and to get a grip on many things. My temper included.

 

And that forever changed my life in a way I never imagined.

 

Now that is getting ahead of myself. 

 

There were many more struggles before I understood how to really pick myself up from the ground. Eventually, it became second nature to pick myself up. 

 

Unlike before where I would sulk and lose myself in long bouts with depression, this time, I allowed myself a moment – only a moment -- to grieve then get off my butt and move forward.

 

Taking that first step was crucial. In fact, that has been like a creed for me ever since – “You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you take that first step.” 

 

When Adam sings:

“I think of flying down into a sea of pens and feathers 
And all other instruments of faith and sex and God 
In the belly of a black-winged bird.”

I think of taking the plunge. No matter what the difficulty or perceived problems. 

 

My being courageous has paid handsome dividends. It not only allowed me to only be successful, but also to face the world with a new found confidence. 

 

As for the song? I love it to pieces and play it all the time. 

 

While I am no longer that frightened young kid, the song reminds me of where I came from and keeps me grounded. 

 

Today, it also serves another purpose… to prevent me from losing my edge and to continue to take that first step and push myself. 

 

And so I must thank Adam Duritz and Counting Crows for “Rain King.” 

 

After all the dreaming, I have come home again. 

 

 

Baliktanaw: Ebe Dancel’s ode to Sugar Free and his fans

 

Baliktanaw: Ebe Dancel’s ode to Sugar Free and his fans

By Rick Olivares

 

When singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel first’s recorded works with Sugar Free were released in 2003’s Sa Wakas, the title of the album referred to the three-year odyssey to put that material out.

 

The music through 12 tracks featured buoyant rockers that you’d tap your feet and nod your head. However, if you listened intently to the songs, they dripped with the musings of the pained, the lovelorn, and the hopelessly romantic. Sugar Free became a popular live act and a strong radio presence. In Dancel, one of the best songwriters of his generation.

 

Today, 20 years after Sugar Free was formed, Dancel and his songs have grown in popularity. And the re-recording of his songs – 11 with his former band and one as a solo artist – have opened him to a new generation of fans including those of Generation X who picked up his first ever release on vinyl, Baliktanaw.

 

Barely a week after Baliktanaw’s release, the LP – pressed in Hong Kong -- has sold out and was re-selling on Discogs for $100!

 

Dancel was in disbelief at the reception of Baliktanaw. At the same time, he couldn’t contain his excitement at having his music out on vinyl. 

 

“I grew up listening to vinyl records,” he enthused. “To have my own is an honor and a privilege. Kudos to PolyEast Records for pushing through with the release given the strange times we now live in.”

 

“I have to admit that I wasn’t as involved because we were busy planning my 20^th anniversary concert and Baliktanaw’s release on compact disc. I did hear the vinyl mix and I liked it a lot.”

 

“Baliktanaw is my ode to my former band,” pronounced Dancel of his old outfit that included bassist Jal Taguibao and drummer Mitch Singson and Kaka Quisumbing. “A (Sugar Free) reunion is out of the question at this point, so I wanted to give my listeners something close to that. Hence, the re-recording of some of their favorite Sugar Free songs.”

 

The selection process was aided by the letters fans send to Dancel. “I get letters every week from fans who say the songs helped them deal with different situations in their lives. Some say, I’ve even saved lives.”

 

“For someone who grew up in the province and not really having grand dreams, this is quite something. More than making music, it’s the way the songs connect to people that makes it special. I am humbled by these letters. Truly blessed.”

 

And no doubt, the newer versions of Sugar Free classic such as “Burnout,” “Telepono,” and “Mariposa” will tug at the heartstrings even more given the addition of brass and strings that give these pop gems a sheen and poignant elegance. 

 

“We spent a lot of time choosing which songs to re-record,” bared Ebe, “and we involved a lot of strings and other elements. I was so busy doing shows and often slept in the car while in transit to the concert venue or the recording studio.”

 

At the production helm was songwriter-arranger and Silent Sanctuary member Chino David. 

 

“He made sure everything went smoothly despite the crazy schedule,” underscored Dancel. 

 

With the record sold out and the compact disc version out soon, Dancel is focusing on online shows. 

 

“I spent a lot of time building my virtual stage from the audio set-up to the background and lighting. I am no techie and had the hardest time figuring things out. But I think I got it right. For now, it’s online shows for people who book me, a new song here and there, and a little time to reflect on the next step. It’s a crazy world. I want to take my time and make the best decision for myself and the people around me.”

Recent OPM vinyl pick-ups

                                                  Recent OPM vinyl pick-ups

By Rick Olivares

 

Even with the pandemic raging, vinyl sales have surged. With people spending more time at home, there’s more time to listen to music; hence, the rise in sales for physical format albums as well as digital.

 

Here are three vinyl records I picked up and recommend. 

 

Timeless – Arthur Manuntag (Rainbow Records)

The “Tony Bennett of the Philippines” passed away last 2018 and in his long career as a performer, he only released three albums --- Mga Awit ng Puso and My Kind of Christmas Is You – both on compact disc – and Timeless, the one release on vinyl, in 2015.

 

Timeless was never sold as it was meant to be a wedding anniversary gift to family and friends. However, after his sudden passing after falling comatose, his family has allowed the sale of the few long playing records that were left (you have to go to the Legazpi Street Market on Sundays to find this). 

 

In Timeless, Manuntag produces something akin to the Great American Songbook with a cast of talented musicians like Dix Lucero and Dan Gil along with the legendary composer and arranger Emy Munji. And it’s a lovely record with Manuntag’s golden voice accentuated by ticklish keys and light brass. This one can stand next to my records of Ole Blue Eyes, Dino, and Bing Crosby.

 

Balik Tanaw – Ebe Dancel (Polyeast)

Ebe is one of the most gifted songwriters we have. His songs for the lovelorn and the hopeful are to a generation or two of Filipino music fans just as what Paddy McAloon was to 80s kids – well-crafted and yet delicate pop gems that stick to your heart and mind.

 

Balik Tanaw is not re-issue. They are new re-worked versions of Dancel’s classics whether with his old band Sugar Free or as a solo artist. And of all the re-issues of these OPM classics, Balik Tanaw not only sounds better (the only good sounding re-issues are P.O.T. and True Faith), but is new.

 

And rightfully so, in this pandemic, Ebe Dancel’s Balik Tanaw is just what the doctor ordered. 

 

Zookeeper’s Cardinal Healing Forum – The Insektlife Cycle (El Ron del Mundo, Fruits de Mer Records/Friends of the Fish Records)

Post-rock psychedelic band The Insektlife Cycle return with a 7-inch single with a handful of a title… Zookeeper’s Cardinal Healing Forum. The first track, “Our Jitterbug” is a bouncy instrumental in the vein of the majestic “Sungaze” from the band’s debut Vivid Dreams Parade. A nice driving instrumental. 

 

The other track, “Zookeepers,” will have you tapping your foot and nodding your head. 

 

Only 150 copies of this record were pressed. I think locally, only 20 are available so better check out the band on their Fb to find out if there are copies left. If not, try their labels.

Orange and Lemons teases new sound with single, “You Bring Out My Best”

 

Orange and Lemons teases new sound with single, “You Bring Out My Best”

By Rick Olivares

 

Indie pop rock band Orange and Lemons are releasing a new single this coming Friday, September 11, “You Bring Out My Best.”

 

The new song – to be released on all digital platforms -- retains the classic ONL sound of bright shimmering pop. Except the new gem calls to mind the jazzy rock noodling of the Pearlfishers and the Euro pop of French band Tahiti 80; both who the band enthuses are influences in their over-all make up along with the Beatles and the Smiths. 

 

This is one of those songs we created on one day collaboratively,” noted vocalist and guitarist Clem Castro of “You Bring Out My Best” that was recorded in 10 hours.

 

The different and fresh sound finds keyboardist Jared Nerona adding a different dimension to the band’s hitherto guitar-based sound. 

 

“Si Jared may pakana niyan,” joked bassist JM del Mundo.

 

“Somehow, the output (the new song”) is the result of what we collectively listen to as a band,” quipped Nerona. “But right now we are trying to move with forward with the sound that we like right now.”

 

“The addition of a keyboard player gives us room to experiment,” further explained Castro. “With our age, mas gusto mo na mas easy listening. Magka-kape ka lang then chill. It is easy to create genre-bending sounds. But this is what we chose in the meantime.”

 

The song was written in February before Clem left for a series of shows in Canada. And when it was finally recorded this July during the lockdown, the song remained unchanged; a testament to the song being as perfect as it comes. 

 

And “You Bring Out My Best” sounds perfect in this pandemic with life seemingly so difficult and dreary. In fact, the band, like everyone else, has been severely affected by the pandemic.

 

A planned tour for this year was shelved. Ditto with the recording of an album that was supposed to be written in Filipino.

 

Sa mga nangyari sa atin ngayon napakabigat,” pointed out drummer Ace del Mundo. “Buti nakalabas kami ng ganito. Magugustuhan ng mga music fans for sure… another love song from Clem.”

 

Is it the Paul McCartney question… about a repertoire built on “silly love songs?”

 

That reference was to critics that included former bandmate John Lennon hammering at post-Beatles phase Paul McCartney for writing lightweight love songs.

 

“With regards to John Lennon about Paul. I disagree,” weighed in Castro. “I love both of them. There’s the character of John and the versatility of Paul; there’s no denying that. I like writing love stories. It’s a universal topic and it works best with music. It’s as simple as that.”

 

“In our past catalogue, there’s a song about death, meron peace and love, and money and power. But the bulk of our work is love ang naka-sentro.”

 

“You Bring Out My Best” is no “Just A Splendid Love Song” or “Lovers Go, Lovers Come” to name some Orange and Lemons classics. It stands on its own legs and tickles about a new sound direction to come. 

 

And this is the beginning of some kind of new wonderful.