I am on NAS CAPAS!

Remember my faux Nylon Guys Philippines cover? Nas Capas, an international blog that features magazine covers around the world, featured my Nylon Guys cover! haha

Thanks Claudio!

MUST WATCH: This Moment by French Horn Rebellion

After 40 years, some new materials from these electro-poppers from NY are up and their debut album is on it's way. I cant believe that it was November of last year when I first featured French Horn Rebellion. A few weeks back, they released a new song This Moment from their upcoming debut album The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion.  I wasn't raving too much about this single but it's a fun song to dance with on a saturday morning while doing a general cleaning of your room.

The accompanying video of This Moment was shot during a photo shoot for a magazine and all I can see is awkwardness all over the hipster brothers' faces.

Monday Magazine Edition III: The Optimism Issue

Most magazines make the month of September as their design, fashion or style issue, but Monday Magazine decided to veer away from the usual and made an Optimism issue. Why not? Besides, all we have right now is negativity. Check out the official website of Monday for some preview of the issue.

Here are the two conceptual covers featuring Cristalle Belo (Belo Essentials) and Michael Concepcion (Greater Good Apparel)

Photography Diego Lorenzo Jose @ lostboys.ph 

Assistant Photographer Chris Yuhico 

Stylist: Bonnapart Galeng; Hair+Make up: Fred Penales + Emcee Pacua @ Hairshaft 

Fashion Credits: on Cristalle : DRESS: Gucci, YELLOW TRANSCLUCENT PLASTIC, TRENCH COAT: Kermit Tesoro; on Mike • WHITE SHIRT, LEATHER VEST & PANTS: Model's own : YELLOW TRANSCLUCENT PLASTIC, TRENCH COAT: Kermit Tesoro

BAND CRUSH: The Technicolors

Check out this new band that I discovered through Twitter called The Technicolors (thanks Greg Bennet for following, BTW). I wasn't able to get enough info about them but their Facebook page contains some of the tracks from their debut album Who Are You that's already out on iTunes.

The first song that I heard from The Technicolors is To Love which instantly became a fave. They don't sound like the usual cool buzz bands that are popping out from somewhere. Listen to these two tracks that I got and you'll know what I mean. 


To Love
 

City Where You Sleep (live)


Dont forget to download legally their album here

SOLARIUM: A Short Film feat Lykke Li

Instead of releasing some new materials from her upcoming album, the Swedish singer Lykke Li unveiled this short film directed by Moses Berkson showing LL in a desert looking like a self-indulgent possessed gypsy. I dont know if I liked it or not but I must say, every shot looks like a fashion spread in a magazine editorial. Well I guess you artsy-fartsy people would like this, I just like it because Lykke Li's there. ;) check it out...

INDIEBON MIXTAPE #7: More Balloons To Come...

You might not like MOST of the songs here but I hope you'd take a listen. Happy birthday, S! ;)
Sad Birthday Song - Girlfrendo
Happy Birthday - The Innocence Mission
ceo birthday (birthday sex cover) - jj
100 Years - Five for Fighting
Losing My Edge - LCD Soundsystem
Birthday - Blur
Birthday - Junior Boys
Birthday - The Invisible Cities
Happy Birthday - The Birthday Party
Birthday - The Sugarcubes
Birthday - The Bird and the Bee
Birthday - Quietdrive
Birthday Cake - Cibo Matto
Birthday Boy - Pet Shop Boys
Birthday Song - Ben Lee
Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday) - Moby
Birthday Boy - Ween
Happy Birthday - Sufjan Stevens
Every Morning - The Cranberries
Mr. Curiosity - Jason Mraz
Private Party - India.Arie

BAND CRUSH: Your Imaginary Friends

I dont know why they call their sound noise-pop. But whatever the reason is, their sound is never a noise in my ears. Your Imaginary Friends' brand of music is my kind of pop- melodic but not too sugary. This particular track, Oh, Liza, is a perfect example of it. It just puts you into that feel good mood until you realize that it's a sad song.
 
YIF's promises a melancholy pop music 'that mixes sparkling melodies with an undercurrent of noise' in their debut EP One Dreamy Indeterminate Hum (love love love) that they are launching on September 17 at the Ayala Museum. You can listen to some preview tracks on the Lilystar official site or you can just attend the launch and buy their EP! Let's Go!

 images via Lilystar Records

ERRATA RE: Muse, Phoenix, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party... Live in Araneta Coliseum?!!

Remember the photo I posted a couple days back? Apparently, that tarp was just some sort of promotion for a radio station that plays those bands and Muse, Phoenix, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party are not going to perform here in the Philippines.

I do not usually go in Araneta Center that's why I wasn't familiar with that tarpaulin. I apologize for the false information and high hopes this post might have caused any one who read it. Just like everyone, I got too excited about the idea that these bands would "perform" here. If you read my post, I said there that I called the Araneta ticketing office to confirm about this before posting and obviously that CSR gave me a false info.

Thanks for those who messaged me about this.

SAYANG!!!!!

ALBUM STREAM: Senior by Röyksopp

Here's the whole album streaming of Röyksopp's new album Senior. It's moodier than last year's upbeat and heavy synth-laden predecessor Junior. Don't expect any vocal parts on this one just dreamy instrumentals that will darken the lightness in your being but in a good way. Senior will be available September 13. You can pre-order here. 

MUST LISTEN: Belle & Sebastian's 3 New Tracks

Tweee!! I have three teaser tracks from Belle & Sebastian's upcoming album Write About Love that is due on October 12. As a bonus, you can download the title track of the album for free by just signing up your email below! Gaaahhh! I really get excited whenever I hear new tracks from my favorite bands/artists. Cant wait to hear the rest! Oh oh and Carey Mulligan(the An Education actress, if you don't know here) sings in the Write About Love track. How cute is that?!

I Want the World to Stop


I Didn't See It Coming


Write About Love feat Carey Mulligan



via stereogum

MUSTWATCH/LISTEN: I Wanna Be Adored (The Stone Roses cover) by The Raveonettes

I saw The Last Exorcism last weekend and thought it was one of the best movies I've seen this year.

The "possessed" girl was wearing cherry red DMs the whole time(coolness!) and I always wanted to have a pair in that color.

So, since there's no DMs store in the Philippines anymore, I went online to check where I can buy those boots. But instead, I found out that Doc Martens is celebrating its 50th year and commissioned 10 artists to record versions of cult classic songs 'which represents the spirit of the people who've worn DM's over the past 50 years.' The 10 artists/bands are Noisettes, The Duke Spirit, DāM-FunK, Buraka Som Sistema, The Cinematic Orchestra, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, N.A.S.A. and The Raveonettes who did a cover of The Stone Roses' classic I wanna Be Adored(one of my all time favorites).

Here's the video for The Raveonettes' I wanna Be Adored cover and you can watch the rest of the videos from other artsists here

Aside from Spice Girls...

Being a 90's kid, Icould not avoid to listen to boybands, girlbands, bubble gum pop and all those in between. I was a major fan of Spice Girls. There I said. I thought they were the coolest! I thought belting out Spice Up Your Life would make me hip and all that. We even had a Spice Girls clique in our gradeschool where you had to be a die hard fan of the Fab 5 to be a member. But aside from Spice Girls, i also listened to other music outside the "pop" category...secretly. I never told my friends that I listened to Blur and Silverchair coz they might think that I was baduy and worst, they'd expel me from the Spice Barkada hahahah...

So here's a list of, at least, some of the artists/bands that I secretly loved during the Spice Girls era. I know these acts weren't the super cool ones in those years but they weren't that mainstream either.

First up is Bitter by Jill Sobule. The only meaning of 'bitter' that I knew when I was in grade school was the taste of Amplaya. I didnt know I'd embody that word when I grow up.



Next one is Summertime by The Sundays. I didn't know that the genre of The Sundays was indie-pop. I didn't even know that that genre exists.


Alisha's Attic was also a major fave especially this song. I remember waiting for this song to be played in the old 99.5 RT because they were the only radio station that played it. I love these twins because they always wore dresses and they looked like colorful vampires with their make-up.


How can I forget Lucious Jackson's Ladyfingers?! This video was always aired in Video Hit Parade! Haha! Everytime I rode a bus, I'd do their swaying side-by-side choreography especially when I'm at the back. And up until now, I don't know the right lyrics of the chorus of the song. I'd still sing as 'I got ladyfingers baby, got kid gloves baby i got HARD. I got HARD.' That didn't sound right, no? (BTW, look for Cibo Matto if you can spot them.)


I wanted to have a nose ring because of Kelli from Sneaker Pimps. 6 Underground was so hot in MTV Asia Hitlist back then. I remember watching the movie The Saint just to hear this song.


Perhaps this is the most pop of all the videos in this post. Jellyhead by Crush is such a fun song. This video was also on heavy rotation in Video Hit Parade.


I wanted to include Moonpools & Catterpillar, The Cardigans, Garbage, No Doubt, Portishead and Massive Attack but they're always on the list of everyone's 90's fave so I chose the ones that were less popular but still have pop sensibilities. I will end this list with Republica's Ready to Go.