Blues Kamotes
“Mt. Fuji Blues”
Eraserhead Marcus Adoro does the blues as Blues Kamotes and he makes a pretty good go at it. Marcus told this corner that he did everything including the drum programming and he will soon be performing it live with a concept band—no bass, two guitars and a girl out front.
It’s a project he’s been thinking about since the ’90s and in its current format, the batch of songs on “Mt. Fuji Blues” recalls ‘60s blues rock that’s older than Juan de la Cruziad Pinoy rock. He plugs a whiff of Chuck Berry here and there and a bit of proto-punk “Roadrunner” in the backbeat.
On the whole, “Mt. Fuji Blues” is a raw entry in the dirty blues department. One thing stands out though: Blues Kamotes’ all original antic can stand toe-to-toe with your typical Roadhouse bruisers.
Tala
“Elemento”
Soulful, melodic and relentlessly melodramatic, five-piece OPM combo Tala reveals an uncommon knack for lyrical poetry in probing the whys and wherefores of love. They can be direct as shown by these lines from “Rigodon”: “Bigla kang darating yayakap sa iba… Ba’t di mo muna ayusin ang sarili mo”; or cleverly indirect, as witness the art of seduction in “Laro Sa Baga”: “Hayaan mong magningas ang init na iyong hatid…Halina’t maglaro sa baga.” In “Taong Lobo”, the band even likens love’s passion to a werewolf’s ferocity.
The music is neat rather than vigorous as befits the adventurous lyrics. It leans towards soul-jazz fusion and the band lets the music soar to big choruses to accentuate the main point of every track. In which case, the slow ballads will win you over the funky ones like “Tarantula,” with its shimmering bass lines and wah wah guitars.
The colorful images conjured by the lyrics are key to the appreciation of Tala’s stellar effort. As the band moves to greener pastures, their music should be able to match their remarkable play with words.
Curse One
“Infinity”
Bad name for a lover boy. You’d think heavy metal or hard rock would soundtrack Curse One’s message to his beloved.
Quick on the draw, he wastes no time establishing his true self. After a short intro, he delivers his debut album’s first cooed lines, suggesting over a bed of a Richard Marx hit that she’s the music of his soul, a Wendy to his Peter Pan. At its core lies the uncertainty of the relationship– that they are drifting apart as a couple and our main squeeze doesn’t know the reason why.
Many of the songs channel the same heady mixture of longing and hoping for the best. Curse One opens “Infinity” on a happy note with “Masaya Ako Sa ‘Yo” featuring Ms. Yumi. The album however progresses to the soulful R&B of “Sa Isang Ngiti Mo Lang” in which he’s content just to catch her smile across the divide in social standing. Halfway through the album comes “Habang Buhay” which can qualify as a song to remember a blissful night together. From that seemingly carnal release, the album slides to the self-doubt that torments of “Pakisabi Naman.”
At the end of the record, Curse One appears to have pulled too many punches just to reach out to his lover. Likewise, a heavier attack on selected tracks would have produced a more interesting album. His next release will bear out the immensity of his musical talent.
Lacuna Coil
“Broken Crown Halo”
Even on first listen, Lacuna Coil command attention. Their hook-laden Goth and metal hybrid gives birth to a thing of beauty rather than the musical equivalent of a Linkin Park meets Evanescence garage sale.
No question about it, Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia owns one of the most distinctive voices this side of heavy metal and her band mates fashion a sturdy frame for her powerful pipes.
The band isn’t the restless kind to be experimenting on the template set by its precedents like Evanescence. The guitars roar, the synths provide the Goth ambience and the songwriting delves on the usual themes of love, death and resurrection. That said, Lacuna Coil’s latest offering is a satisfying listen, one that can deliver the goods whether you’re alone in your candle-lit room or speeding down EDSA at 2 a.m. with the windows down.
Scabbia is the record’s trump card. She’s the siren calling out against the crushing force that’s Lacuna Coil. For anyone looking for heavy rock with plenty of added thrills, “Broken Down Halo” is your new pit stop.
Lacuna Coil is one of the headliners at this year’s Pulp Summer Slam 16 that reels off on April 30 at the Amoranto Stadium, Quezon City.
Music review: Blues Kamotes, Curse One, Tala, Lacuna Coil – #JHedzWorlD
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