KOLATERAL
Kolateral
“The horror the horror,” said Kurtz in Robert Conrad’s classic “Heart of Darkness.” It may well be the thematic mainline that fuels the blasts of untamed disgust, anger and rage in Kolateral’s self-titled debut.
Produced by Sandata, a team of researchers and artists, Kolateral is a various artists’ collection fronted by BLKD and Calix. The dynamic duo and other contributing rappers drew from documented stories from the frontlines of the drug war that’s sweeping the nation to weave visions of doom and gloom for the defenseless poor among us.
The opening salvo starts with a quote from President Duterte ‘to kill ‘em dead’ and to Calix and company, it’s behind the tale that a war must be fought for peace and prosperity to reign. Thousands of unsolved killings later, the urban legend has given rise to accusations of grave human rights abuses, the state as a killing machine and children as justifiable collateral damage to get to the accused drug dependent.
The proof is in the detail and the Kolateral collective shines a harsh light “sa mga anino sa dilim,” “mga salitang pumapaslang” and “sistemang bulok na gigiban.” The accompanying music, while simple and hummable, serves by design as background noise. Majority of the tracks come to a funereal fade out, signifying perhaps some sort of resignation. It is only the ensemble performance on the concluding track when the expletives rise to the fore in a mounting tide of righteous indignation.
Kolateral should be a fitting reminder that a bloody juncture in contemporary history has yet to end. As hoary as it may seem, listen and weep.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Western Stars
Back in the day, Bruce Springsteen’s live shows with his famed E-Street Band were legendary in their scope and length. They were marathon concerts which rock and pop audiences looked forward to, expecting a lot more bang for their bucks. And there’s no mistaking the charisma of The Boss both as a recording artist and performer as well as in the characters, mostly ill-fated lovers who come alive in his songs
Springsteen’s occasional solo albums during the period attracted a following mainly due to rave reviews and curiosity or hype at how a rock group icon fared on his own, without the crutch of cooperative musical associates. He’s gone solo for the last seven albums and his latest release seems hounded by certain perceptions that go beyond Bruce’s measure as a super-talented musician.
First, the general consensus is that with “Western Stars,” The Boss wants to be in the same league as the very best singer-songwriters in history. The new album’s orchestral pop maneuvers lean towards the classic ‘60s songs of Jimmy Webb, Glenn Campbell and their kind. In perspective, Bruce is acknowledged as a great fusionist of 60s soul and American rock and roll and his journey through “Western Stars” vindicates the fact that he’s been just as mightily inspired by the greatest white pop musicians. So, on the new album, songs like “Galveston,” “Stones,” “Drive Fast” and the fantastic “There Goes My Miracle” certainly put The Boss closer to the pantheon of the ultimate pop heroes ever.
Second and this may be a puerile petty observation has something to do with Bruce Springsteen being among the richest musicians of the pop era. His personal net worth of US$300 million makes it hard to get around the question of how a rich man can seriously sing about being lucklessly drifting albeit vicariously across the dusty wide open plains often referred to as the Western skies. In fairness, in one track, he voices the desperation of someone he situates to be 500 miles away from where he’s supposed to be.
Imagination must be the key and in an album such as Western Skies which locates The Boss outside of his comfort zone, he’s just as comfortable playing out now the pains and troubles of the primordial muse of his youth.
NEVER THE STRANGERS
Touchdown
Then four-man band Never The Strangers already touched down in the local music scene in 2012 on wings of a debut album for a mainstream record label. They had indie-rock chops in their musical arsenal and an intelligent songwriter in lead vocalist and keyboardist Ace Libre.
Now down to the trio of drummer Nash Ignacio, guitarist Bert Ong and Ace himself, they have a new EP entitled Touchdown that seems to tone down the rock part for a detour into synth-pop territory. Ace’s keyboard flourishes wrap up most of the tracks in gauzy sounds and top it up with his own wispy falsetto. That’s right, he’s mining his crooner cred even if he’s putting across impressions about a lover’s body, or needing her electric lips on a Saturday afternoon.
There’s finesse in Ace’s lyricism that it’s easy to discern the understated longing lurking around the edges of the mid-tempo tunes his mates lay out for him. Meanwhile, a bit of typical Brit pop mentality crops up in “Wildfire” in its dance beats, breathy vocals, and hyperventilating falsetto to give it a shade more vitality than the rest.
“Touchdown” may be a short stop for a band that’s exploring its musical muscles or it may be just the latest calling card to keep Never The Strangers in the loop of a progressively listless sonic landscape. Let’s welcome them back and hope for the best.
METZ
Automat
Former Manila visitors, Canadian noiseniks Metz, has issued a rarities set of their early days as struggling punk rockers. It’s their fourth album and it’s a rare phenomenon for a rising rock act to release a retrospective just when their career is taking off.
True indie/college rock fans will however love it because the new album “Automat” gives Metz a career trajectory similar to Sonic Youth which began as noise punks then graduated to art-punk godhood. Opener “Soft Whiteout” bulldozes away traditional notions of punk or even metal with its grinding sheets of metallic peals and wrecking ball drum slams. The vocals on “Ripped on the Fence” and “Lump Sums” resound like the wails of the damned in its train-headed-for-a-smashing-disaster din. Some attempt at rock and roll is captured in “Negative Space” and a sort of alien rockabilly from Mars underlie “Wet Blanket” but overall, Automat will probably stay its welcome in normal households for less than ten seconds. Play the entire thing at full volume only if you expect your family and the rest of the neighborhood to hate you for weeks on end.