"Filipino Blood,English Heart"

Hello,

Im in a bit of hurry but still manage to shove my ears some beautiful and lovely homegrown music this early morning.Reading through the liner notes of a compilation release 4 years ago was quite a nostalgia...Refreshing to the minds along with the subtle music it plays in the stereo with those sadly missed bands which carry the relenting prowess of uniqueness through the years..."Where are they now?" i gently asked to myself after finishing reading the papercut like stories on the inlay of "Mutual Admiration Society" CD.

With dreams focused on the future and the Philippines on the binged of economic problem,political stability and some massive bandwagonesque...I missed those days,i missed the old faces and the music that binds each other on one happy family and one healthy music scene amidst from mass consumption and commercialism.

It harkens back in the early 90's when the whole Metro was swinging to the music of the mainstream and bands go jumping along but some will turn their back against the flow..."The Awakenings" revealed a whole new drama on the solely independent scene & on it sprout the seedlings of "No Zone" held on the much missed Club Dredd.It featured a much less attention bands but with more heart and taste!Dishing out with the likes of Sonnet LVIII,Aspirin,Melody Wrench,Shoemart,Archaster,Blinded By Love,The Aga Muchlach Experience,Mono Workshop,Pillowuzzi,Go Figure?,Fingernail Cocktail,Theresa's Hi-Fi,Sodajerk,Wadaiko and many more that i myself still want to see & hear...

CHANGE is the only thing that i must say is...standard which is also the same case on the scene & the bands i loved,Some drifted away and other's survive the collapsed of the scene...But before the dawn of the new millenium,A new breed was set to be uncaged from the demised of the old...This came "Buzznight" which serve as a continuation featuring bands like Candyaudioline from the brainchild of Allan Montero which in a few years will also give birth to the tweepop combo Soft Pillow Kisses,Apple Orchard,Colour Contest,Dorian Of Juniper Bells,Skies Of Ember,Spring Boutique,Populardays,Superminty,The Fantasy Lights,The Lubitels,Carnival Park and still many more...

Days and nights go by and the scene seems to be futile as some bands go on to produced and released their own recordings and other's played on the new productions.I for an instance loved to see how much effort these bands have shown and whenever these bands have a gig i always try to attend as i know how scarce i may have seen them play live!Some may just last only for a gig but other's stay for years...New productions emerged but still carrying the same aura & intentions...To make good music & shared it with others.We may not see the impact of these bands or the fame they deserved but the other part's of the globe are listening...Just listen OK?

I have listed a list of homegrown bands (others i have heard & own records but some i still do not heard or even see!If ever anyone know's how to contact them feel free to e-mail me) which to myself deserves to be heard not only by me but US...

Artist - Their music & my description on them:

Apple Orchard - (if you like Bouquet and Sarah Records this is your pick)
Archaster - (if you're down & the world seems so far away...Serge Gainsbourg is the man!)
Aspirin - (if you like The Charlatans & The Stone Roses with a dash of shoegaze)
Balloon Derby - (feeling like you were on a carousel filled with happy tunes,60's is back!)
Blinded By Love - (dreamy but sometimes eerie,psychedelic)
The Bloomfields - (throw on your dancing shoes to the tunes of surf & the 60's!)
Candyaudioline - (if you like MBV,shoegaze and a not so twee band but more of buzz guitars)
Carnival Park - (if you like a sunny day ride with a toy keyboard roaring...listen to them)
The Choking Brownies - (pro shoegaze)
Colour Contest - (C-86 proto types with indiepop tunes)
Daydream Cycle - (dreampop on tubes?synth but distorted mix with femme voice)
Days Like Postcards - (very heartwarming)
Dorian Of Juniper Bells - (slowly but surely you'll loved,Young Marble Giants & Dislocation Dance was a major influence)
Erratics - (a great sadly missed band,OPM should be played this way!)
The Fantasy Lights - (a drumbeats full of goodies,one man band set up sounding like a full band)
Fingernail Cocktail - (shoegaze with an indian spell)
The Happy Showers - (reminds me of Shoestings,sweet & charming!)
The Haircuts - (a tweepop duo,Pipas is a soundalike)
The It Boy - (one man band toying with his keyboards)
Kid Auto Races @ Venice - (jangly guitar pop!!!)
Kings & Pawns - (very promising & do i hear the best on them?indierock in your face!)
The Lubitels - (a mix of New Order jamming with The Field Mice)
Love Sattelites - (dreamy 80's influenced band,can i hear more of their JAMC tunes cracking up my head?)
Melody Wrench - (etherial sounding like Slowdive)
Mono Workshop - (keyboards beat as one!)
My Science Project - (catchy up tempo indiepop band from the ashes of Judith)
The Pin-Up Girls - (a jangly guitar driven pop band,a bit indiepop on some tunes)
Populardays - (shoegaze but a bit dreamy & jangly,Popsicle & Adorable is the hint)
She Came To Stay - (one man band with an ambient background)
Sheila & The Insects - (80's influenced quartet based in Cebu)
Shoemart - (Slowdive is their main influence & ask for more?)
Skies Of Ember - (etherial and dreamy like sonic dreams lushing in your deep minds)
Sleepyheads - (garage is the name & Jonathan Richman is part of the menu)
Sodajerk - (a guitar oriented band recalling Teenage Fanclub & other fine Scottish acts)
Soft Pillow Kisses - (twee...lovely,nuff said...)
Sonnet LVIII - (shoegaze,feeling like it was early 90's again?)
Soul Connection - (mod on a 60's feel,motown & northern soul)
So What? - (how about slowcore?cool mix of harmonica too!)
Spring Boutique - (a jangly pop group,twee mix with ringing guitars)
Sugar Hiccup - (dreampop,Cocteau Twins is vivid choice!)
Superminty - (indierock was the first idea but lately going on the shoegaze coup)
TV Guide - (indierock with DIY feel)
Under Shooting Stars - (electronic synthpop with a boy & girl voice)
Up Periscope - (it's krautrock but hey they are great)
Virginia Aeroplane - (sugary pop which is sadly i missed!)
Wadaiko - (tweepop with Rocketship influence)

I have missed so many bands so in case you know any which you think is included in the list feel free to inform me & im looking forward in hearing them:)

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"Buzz Buzz Buzz"

Hello,

Just got back home after a tiring & rainy day...Holidays are just around the corner and i still doesn't have a quick choice what gift will i buy to my loved ones,Whew!People are in a rush these days shopping & Im wonderin' why?...Last saturday i was able to watch Buzznight in Mayrics where a set of great bands were playing that night.Populardays take the first move and played their brand of dreamy but creamy kind of pop,a bit shoegazey on some tracks & i really loved that "Pop Days" song with it's Popsicle'ish guitar lines & They closed their set with a tune that sound like it was an Adorable track!Sadly,they didn't play "December Song" that night.

Next band which also crack some eardrum buzz that night was The Cactus Garden which did some lo-fi tunes mixed with distorted guitar feedbacks reminiscent of Beat Happening.They even take a turn on Coastal's "Her Reflection In Chrome".After their set,Kings And Pawns followed with their Strokes meets Arcade Fire style of playing.Starting it off with "Destroy The Heart" which was a crowd favorite and this band is great!!!They also did "Shadowplay" by Joy Division in replace of the original setlist of "24 Hours" as the drummer forgot the beats on it...

My Science Project followed and also played a great set that night with their ba-da-ba's & pa-pa-ra-rah kind of indiepop,Toying around their keyboard with their jangly guitars brought to mind comparison to early Acid House Kings,Starlet,Afraid Of Stairs and many swedish jangly bands.I leave when Candyaudioline was setting up as my companion wanted to go home that night & i wasn't able to catch them perform & my fave Soft Pillow Kisses...There must be next time...

Just glance to this loveable band early in the morning which match the rainy weather with it's bubblegum voice mix with jingle it keyboards and jangle that guitars,Shumai is a great pop group from Boston which was fronted by Don Shumai (guitars/vocals).Feeling like it was early 90's again with it's sound recalling bands like Velocity Girl,Heavenly,Tiger Trap.Check out their lovely debut LP,"Tastes Like Summer" on Total Gaylord Records specially "Tijuana Picnic" which was a personal fave! and hear those sugary tunes filled with charming keyboards that really brings the sound of summer and those sunny days again in our lives!

Here are a couple of their sunny tunes to make you smile:

Shumai - "The Lonely Passion Of Joey Heatherton"
Shumai - "Prescription Sleep"

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"A Forest"

Hello,

It's been the time of the year when we celebrate the love's and longings...Why is it always December?It's been a windy afternoon & i just wake up to the buzz of cold winds and some afternoon lullabye's...Where's my meryenda?Well it's gonna be a busy month as i have been packing up some packages to be sent off to the other side's of the world & I just listen to these charismatic & artistic band from Bristol,UK called Forest Giants.

Formed by Bristol music scene veterans Tim Rippington (vocals/guitars/other instruments) (see:The Five Year Plan/The Flatmates/Beatnik Filmstars),Paula Knight (violin/other instruments)(see:Girlboy Girl) & Tom Adams (drums) (see:Beatnik Filmstars).The band which quickly loved by much missed DJ John Peel has been playing for some years & gained a cult following with their signature noisepop meets DIY aesthetics which reminds me of Pavement,Flying Saucer Attack with a touch of The Delgados & "Beezer" era of the Beatniks (who have just released a new LP after a 7 year hiatus!check it out on the Track & Field Organization).

Still relenting those crack noises above our heads,The band has released their lovingly crafted debut "In Sequence" in 2004 on Invisble Hands Music surprising a lot of music critics around the underground UK scene & includes one of my fave song "Postcards" with it's rhythmic guitar lines match with Tim's muscular vocal styling.It brings back the essence of good ol' indie rock back where it was meant to be...

A year after they bring back their volume to another level as they released their new EP,"UFO Stories" which i really really loved!!!With it's haunting and spacey tunes mix with ambient and distorted noise,Tim & co. are bringing back the Bristol sound with such song's like "Beards" which is my all time fave song of theirs.This EP deserved a much more listen & can be on the same line as those records of Mogwai,Flying Saucer Attack,early Pixies...

The band just released a DVD featuring clips,rare videos & live footage of their outings & they are set also to release a new record in the coming year,Watch out for it!

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