TRUE FAITH
Sentimental
THERE is no other band working today that best captures the feel of the ‘80s and ‘90s OPM radio better than True Faith. They may have been sidetracked by college rock and alternative music, but by the triumphant sound of their latest album Sentimental, they’re none the worse for wear by sticking to their guns.
True Faith aren’t actually waxing sentimental about former glories as their younger contemporaries then are doing now. In fact, the Medwin Marfil-led band continues to surprise with fresh new music that can stand toe-to-toe with current idols in terms of robust songwriting and strong attraction. On the new album, listen to Rain and lose yourself in cathartic dancing by your lonesome.
As the final track, Rain’s remix, with its heavy quotes off legendary German DJ Paul van Dyk, should leave a lasting glow on anyone who’s known regret and managed to pick up the pieces. In a half-year of outstanding indie singles, here’s a solid vote for True Faith’s Rain as among the 10 best songs of 2018 so far.
“Kahit Na” and Ako at si Michael are close contenders plugging Marfil’s intelligent lyrics and distinctive voice to enjoyable pop rock. Easy listening whimsy gets propelled to dynamic zones in Isn’t it Strange?, Consolation of A Fool and With You animate Side A band for attention-challenged millennials.
True Faith should be a throwback band by now, but their original muse must be telling Marfil and company, including two newcomers to the group, to keep on trucking—sentimentality be damned.
CHNDTR
Habang Umuulan
PRONOUNCED “Chin Detera,” the name of the band’s lead vocalist, CHNDTR released its debut album on the Tower of Doom platform. Before pigeonholing the four-piece band as to have risen from some anti-pop, swamp metal netherworld, the press release says the eight-track album is for hardcore, “#hugotcore” fans.
To this corner, hugotcore reminds of wimpy, tear-stained odes to the loss of a significant other and the fear of extended loneliness. Such is not the case with CHNDTR who right off the opener Maw! stresses the power pop roots of pop-punk. The drums maintain a steady rock beat, the bass shifts rhythms as needed, and the guitars swing between slashing chords and cascading lead lines. Detera is an emotive presence throughout switching from pleading to demanding with equal aplomb.
“Kulang” must be the apex of their hugotcore distinction, resonant with some of the yearning ballads in Yeng Concepcion’s latest album. The instruments move to molasses-like slow core, complete with weepy violins in spots. Detera then shows she can belt it out like the best of them divas and still deliver the same impact in her quieter moments.
Just the same, it’s the power pop/pop-punk fusion that’s fun to listen to. Crackling with polished verve, “Babalik Ka Pa Ba?” flourishes from pure pop to power-pop action within the first minute. “Martyr” and “Anino” come at you in poignant pose, but it’s the garage rock/jazz rock explosions underlying the music that will draw serious attention.
CHNDTR are treading well-worn musical paths and it’s the passion at forging something emotional, powerful and amazingly satisfying that makes “Habang Umuulan” genuinely impressive.
BOTANIC RECORDS
Walled Garden Vol. 2
ALMOST half-hour long, this release features experimental artists from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Ambient music is the sonic bedrock but, as in most innovative approaches, the six-track EP borrows from electronica, rock, and measured doses of hard funk to sculpt what Western critics describe as “out-there” music.
Primadonna by Taring Skeptik starts the proceedings with prog-rock leanings that mutate to epic synths and past the 3-minute mark, wobbles into slowly contracting chaos. All sorts of noises spin in and out of the main theme like moths flitting around a shaft of searing light.
Intriguant’s Kaz stacks sheets of noise while the clatter of chains being dragged resound in the background. Then it all breaks down to acid lounge highlighted by snippets of jazz trumpets going in and out of focus.
Fugue in D Minor by Sylfiden emulates grunge’s loud-soft-loud kerrang as practiced by fusion jazz freaks, while Night Dives’ Empty Office is a varied feast of mechanical clanks, palpitating bass and melodies slipping through the sonic wall.
Like most experimental releases, Walled Garden, Vol. 2 imparts a sense of dread and foreboding at just about every juncture. Miss it for your peace of mind; otherwise, tread with care into music without boundaries.
Walled Garden Vol. 02 is released by Singapore/Malaysia-based Botanic Records. It is available for unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
CHVRCHES
Love Is Dead
FORMER Manila visitor Chvrches circa 2014 has a new album that sees the Scottish synth-trio move away from the light, danceable pop that earned them an international audience. The thesis was that the threesome of Lauren Doherty, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty badly needed a hit single.
Meanwhile, global politics seemed to be trending towards unending strife and appeared to be rich fodder for potential hits of the moment. A further twist was to flip the political discord into personal troubles so the songs can resonate with as many people as possible.
Opener Graffiti and the standout Miracle emanate from the same question of “where have all the good times gone?” Underneath the pop-punk synth-driven gloss, Doherty sings, “I feel that I’m falling but I’m trying to fly/ Where does all the good go?”
Deliverance takes a pointed swipe at religious institutions. Cook and Doherty cook up a variant of Gothic new wave in which the latter bitterly rues, “They’re leaving bodies in stairwells and washing up on the shore/ You can look away while they’re dancing on our graves/ If you don’t have a heart I can offer you mine.” In another light, it could also pass for a reaction to the first episode of mystery thriller- TV series, The Crossing.
Two outstanding tracks, Get Out and Never Say Die will always attract Chvrches’ hardcore fans despite their absence of expected bright, cheery melodies. Get Out sounds like post-rock on synths pulling listeners to its fold in filmic sensurround. On the other hand, Never Say Die pulses with dark pop menace that every disillusioned kid seems to take illicit comfort in.
With its ominous title, album Number 3 signals a departure for Chvrches from the band’s original inspiration. It’s a toss-up whether their fans will still rally behind their latest brand of despondent, yet politically correct, agit-pop.