is utterly deplorable.

"metal" music or not, all i've noticed about recent filipino music is the lack of focus toward other topics that may hold something of interest to questing minds.

part 1: what we make
folklore, nature, environment, arts, etc? we may have had some that have tackled these subjects like Asin, Joey Ayala, Gary Granada, Cynthia Alexander and some of the other bands and proto-bands. but where is their legacy now? nowhere. only in the minds of artsy afficionados who look invariably to the past as some form of "the good olden days" to which people should return to in order to prevent the further malaise and degeneration of society they perceive in today.

so what music do we make, then? short answer: semi-tripe. otherwise, read on... or maybe not.

it doesn't take a critical mind to draw obvious inferences about the inherent blandness of the local (philippine context) scene today. sure, every now and then you hear creative fusions of multiple genres and influences into one distinct and identifiable sound (opm - original pilipino musik), but would you think the act of creativity itself has everything to do with it?

go for the lyrics. always about people and their fleeting relationships to other people. "life" - or "mundane living" -, as some might put it, but not entirely all-encompassing based on that which dominates the common ear. true love, broken love, puppy love, unrequited love, love triangles, platonic love, to name a few. throw in a bit of sardonic humor every once in a while. if not those, some sociopolitical commentary about the usual objects of dissatisfaction. poverty, corruption, discrimination (to a lesser extent), yadayadayada. nothing really changes, does it. only the phrasing of the particular power words. here be musicians at the top of my head and so begins a huge barrage of filipino "music"... all fitting into my judgments one way or another...

Callalily, Sponge Cola, Hale, Cueshe, Join the Club, 6CycleMind, Rocksteddy, Stonefree
"bands" more or less colloquially labeled "pogi rock" (handsum frontgay rock) for their tendency to feature hott and smexxy bandmembers for the legions of intelligent and discerning fangirls (and their [prospective] boyfriends) to swoon upon. judge actual talent at your own risk.

The Ambassadors, Typecast, Chicosci
philippine punk and emo. bah, humbug. fans? kids flowing with adrenalin looking for some headbanging stuff while attempting to convey their "sentimental" side to the ladies. only that bands are actually sappier than they would appear. and they look really emo. more emo-ey than emo.

Slapshock, Greyhoundz
philippine nu/rap metal. a few years before the emo fad took over the kids' listening and dressing preferences. still headbanging stuff with a bit of sentimentality thrown in. angst, angst, angst and moar angst. nu metal fad now dead and relegated to the jologs ("uncool") connotation. let it be known that Chicosci was once a part of this trend. and choosing between the lesser of two evils, their *-metal side was actually good unlike their emo side (one song was good there, though).

Sugarfree, Kamikazee, Itchyworms, Sandwich, Bamboo
bands who gained a little more exposure during their times than their peers: the type the ordinary squatter kid will tell you something about in order to sound knowledgeable.

Urbandub, Faspitch, Sheila And The Insects, Twisted Halo, dicta license, The Late Isabel, Radioactive Sago Project, Mistula, Kapatid, Pedicab
first three artists are from the middle part of the Philippines (cebu, visayas), a place with its own "distinctive" stylistic leanings in rock. all these others can be further categorized under "hipster music". because no one but those willing to listen to them have the time to appreciate them. rockers? perhaps. but there's a subset. the people free enough from the mundane labors of living - and there aren't a bloody lot. oh, and they make good love songs when they choose to do so as well.

Imago, Mojofly, Kitchie Nadal, Moonstar88, Session Road, Barbie Almalbis, Barbie's Cradle, Hungry Young Poets, Sino Sikat?, Cambio, Sugar Hiccup
female-fronted bands. sings a sappy song or two, then fades away from public perception.

Giniling Festival, Aizo, Kiko Machine, Up dharma Down
bands who hail from the University of the Philippines' Diliman Campus. moderate to high popularity amongst urban college audiophiles.

Parokya ni Edgar, Eraserheads, Rivermaya
the "big three" of the local rawk myusik. not knowing any of their works is an offense to the superficial "music lover". good stuff here and there, music everybody at a drinking spree can sing to, but overall...

Grin Department, Yano, Teeth, Introvoys, P.O.T., Weedd
some of the 90's groups who churned out a hit or two each and then no one ever heard from again. topics range from raunchy to political to sappy... again.

Juan Dela Cruz Band, The Dawn, Razorback, Wolfgang (hard rock)
some of the dinosaurs who've existed since the 80's and beyond, the first being the oldest of the lot (three of them as far as i recall still continues under the "solo" projects pepe smith, Wally Gonzales and Mike Hanopol) and one of the most famous rock n roll bands during their time (70's).

The Spaceflower Show, Brownman Revival, junior kilat, Hemp Republic
reggae/ska. easy listening, as expected. nothing fancy, just something to stimulate the ears while socializing in some ridiculously overpriced coffee shop.

then we have some monumental hits and misses with filipino hip-hop/rnb...

Salbakuta, Kawago, Gloc-9, Gagong Rapper to name a few.

Francis Magalona, Andrew E.
artists considered seminal ones in the rapping scene. moderate to high mainstream recognition due to high tv and movie exposure.

and then we have the manufactured "artists". too many of them in my head but try checking out abs-cbn's and gma-7's roster of celebrities and there's an 11/10 chance of any of them releasing some record or another. no need to delve into the lyrical content. Sam Milby, however, deserves special mention.


it's actually galling to know that after the end of that list above ALL of them have more or less the same lyrical content. not a single one deviates from my initial observations far above. why? because they know it will sell. sure sure, stir some nationalism by releasing some happy-sounding song with "subtle" allusions to political issues. but will anything really have changed? people keep partying. and courting. and scoring :D . always following the adrenalin high of youth. music purely as transient, fickle-minded entertainment, the problem being the word "purely".

what about the philippine metal scene? there is barely any. whatever bands have you they are mostly populated by guitar-obsessed boors whose idea of talent rests solely in the technicality of the music. no temperance with mood, just wankery after wankery. black metal? literal satanists whose primary motivation simply appears to be a total rejection of christianity by adopting its symbolic opposite. not a one endorsing bathala worship or an exploration of precolonial ideas. shallow thinkers with shallow ideals marginally shallower than the international bands.

part 2: what we listen to
yep, the Philippines. what do we have on our last.fm charts? all imported acts. 99.99% AMERICAN. yes, no matter how "indie" or "eclectic" the collection (which it certainly is not), most of them are still american. except for Radiohead and the other exceptions, but still, america is the fat bastard son of britain in a twisted sense. rings a bell?

we also have the typical fapanese with typical jpop and visual kei listings... good thing such people are quite few as they're mostly rich fat kiddies with money to burn.

irl? being an "audiophile" appears to be synonymous as being "intelligent" appears to be synonymous to being "rakista" (rocker), able to list a number of local and imported bands that'll amaze the generally oblivious populace. such bands (along with whatever local band considered "in" at the moment) that'll give one god status is ...*gasp!* Red Hot Chili Peppers! metal? Metallica! My Chemical Romance! Nirvana! The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus! Radiohead! Incubus! Foo Fighters! Death Cab for Cutie!!! namedrop the Village People or April Boy Regino and you're considered baduy (another term for "uncool"). lip service for the "great rappers" like Snoop Dogg, 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G... all the while bashing them for the "gangstaness" of their image.

compare that with true audiophiles in other countries. chewed and grinded the way a slig chows its dinner.

any half-assed critical analysis will cringe at the wrongness of what i've just said. always, the bigoted assumptions about the impeccability of their favored music while needlessly jeering at crap just because it's crap. appreciation for music skin deep, yet they actively espouse the opposite.

some conclusions for easy reference...
1. we filipinos never really made intellectual music. we market it as such, but always the topics devolve into the mushier aspects of life. far too much of it. true diversity is needed.
2. kung "rakista" ka patunayan mo. banda worship at backstage party lang ang alam mo e. wala yan pinagkaiba sa kinaiinisan mong hiphop. lasingan, chongkehan at kantutan pa rin yan.
3. Bob Marley is a myth bastardized by people looking for a quick high and a quick hump. at least locally.
4. brains. we have them, therefore we should use them. logically it follows that the philippine charts truly suck. what are we, sentimental monkeys all the time? we are greater than that. prove it if you keep on insisting it for yourselves.
5. philippine musical preferences IRL also suck.
6. i am running out of ideas as of yet.

as such, disregard everything that you've read thus far as these are the rambling opinions of one who doesn't even know what the hell he was talking about. again. oh, and happy last.fm birthday to me.

invisible connections: