It’s great to be young, almost famous and talented. But what will those gifts do when you wake up one day and you have to stay at home for the foreseeable future? Defiance may come at a hefty price to freedom, even to your dear life.
Zild Benitez, lead vocalist, keyboardist and bassist for young band de jour IV of Spades, found out early on life in quarantine has its unique, first time of its kind challenges. He said, “It’s tough and drowning. The hardest part of this lockdown is having no control what’s happening inside my head and my surroundings. It’s hard to handle yourself and your burden for other people who are suffering more.”
Most likely, some of those ‘other people’ are fans and fellow musicians whose otherwise normal lives got overturned inside out in the name of protecting the larger population from an invisible deadly enemy.
Everything’s suddenly on hold even as IV of Spade trio of Badjao De Castro, Blaster Salonga and Zild himself tapped their online platforms to promote their activities while in quarantine.
Zild found the time to produce and release his own solo album titled Homework Machine. He confided that he created the record to keep himself occupied and avoid what described as an “extreme ride of emotions.”
Zild further explained that he wrote everything as though tomorrow’s not coming. He spelled out the concept behind the album thus: “Write fictional stories. Write personal experiences. Write everything.”
“Be like a child. Don’t overthink everything,” he added.
The album starts with the rocking “Sinungaling” that suggests “Di ko matantiya, buhay ng nangamngamba.” That would be a first clue that Zild’s debut isn’t the homespun, done in isolation personal project it’s expected to be. It dares to take a sideways spin at the fears and dreads of these pandemic times.
Follow-up “Bakit?” moves to an electro beat that should get rumps shaking in cramped rooms everywhere.
“Dila,” while winking at the mothership, is the great single IV of Spades didn’t write. So does “Habulan,” a slow starter that eventually radiates a brimful of spine tingling hooks. ‘Alalahanin” reminds of Rupert Holmes “Terminal” at intro but it gradually unveils its own magnetic charm. Pure pop powers “Iiwanan ang Lahat” to a feverish next wave finesse.
Toy sounds is one other idea that Zild mentioned to foreground his first album. Unless you knew that beforehand, all those computer bleeps and ghostly squiggles won’t interfere with the fun listening to the entire album. They sound like afterthoughts, coming out of the sonic woodwork to adorn a shower of exquisite melodies and sturdy rhythms.
Zild intimated that he had few reservations doing new songs outside of the safety of the band. He elaborated, “I really wanted to make something that I haven’t done before, and I think the first thing that came into my mind is creating something all by myself.
“Honestly, there are times that you tend to forget who you are and start believing what people say they think of you. I can say that I’m starting to know myself once again. “
His voyage of self-discovery is not just some trivial assignment. Rather, Homework Machine is a master work that unleashes the great OPM album in emergency times.
You should be listening to it for an enjoyable ride from here to come what may.