MUST WATCH: You Know It's You by Slow Hello

My current local indiepop fave, Slow Hello, just released the video for the song You Know It's You from their debut Audio Baby. Happy Valentine's Day!

MUST LISTEN: You Know It's You by Slow Hello

I wish I could articulate how beautiful this track by Slow Hello as good as those music bloggers out there. But the only thing that comes to mind after/while listening to You Know It's You is IT'S SO F@*&^%#$#KING GORGEOUS. It's so gorgeous that I was sobbing the whole time I abuse the repeat button. And it's not even a sad song! I cant wait for the debut album Audio Baby which will be launched on the 16th of November at Route 196 (layo, man! #southernerproblems) Anyway, listen to the track below and sob with me please :)

MUST LISTEN: Dance With Me by No Rome

If I were to ask someone to be my prom date, I'd use this song and would not take no for an answer. Well, forget about my teenage dream and focus on Number Line Records soon-to-be teen sensation Rome Gomez aka No Rome. His track Dance With Me drops this morning and it's been looping on my iTunes since then. This 17year old has been making music since he was 15 and that makes me hate my teenage self for not having a talent like that hahaha. Dance With Me is an infectious sun-kissed synthpop song perfect to kickoff the summer season. If you dig Millionyoung or Tory y Moi or you just want to hear good music then this track here is for you. Download it right away!!!

MUST LISTEN: Half Awake in the Morning Haze EP by Love in Athens

Here's something OPM. Love in Athens just released an amazing EP Half Awake in the Morning Haze under Number Line Records. Listen, download and share. Let's do our part to keep the Pinoy music scene alive. Nobody said it's dead, anyway. Download here.

BAND CRUSH: Eyedress

photo by Ecks Abitona

Idris Vicuña aka Eyedress' debut solo EP is Half Japanese half genius = 100% awesomeness!

DOWNLOAD HERE

MUST LISTEN: Hear the Days Go by Outerhope

Outerhope is releasing a new EP this week called No End in Sight and I have here a track off of that. Hear the Days Go sounds like the early Everything But The Girl songs and it's just soooo goood. Love it so much. And I like it when Outerhope uses beats and synths.

MUST LISTEN: Pipes and Palindromes by Modulogeek

Check out Pipes and Palindromes, the new EP of Joon Guillen aka Modulogeek. After remixing Outerhope’s The Man with the Pipes, he got so inspired and wrote some tunes about it. The result is a 5-track EP which shows Joon's melancholic side.

DOWNLOAD HERE

You can also check Modulogeek's Transition EP and my interview of him here

MUST LISTEN: Upon Returning/Hallelujah and All Those Things by Multo

Allan Lumba, you're such a tease! RELEASE AN ALBUM NA!! Here's Multo's new single Upon Returning with an amazing b-side Hallelujah and All Those Things. Both songs will be part of Multo's upcoming full-length album under Number Line Records and I cant wait to hear the rest of it!! You can download the single for free so share!!!

MUST LISTEN: Number Line Records Sampler No. 2

The Number Line Records Sampler is out! The Volume 2 includes new releases and demos from the artists under NLR. I totally enjoyed the Volume 1 and this new compilation is also a winner! Covers by Poklong Anading, Louie Cordero, Nicole Coson, Dan Matutina, and Luis Antonio Santos.

DOWNLOAD HERE

GET TO KNOW: Modulogeek

Photo by Bobby Benedicto

I am so excited to introduce to you guys this amazing musician! He is Joon Guillen aka Modulogeek. He just came out with an amazing new EP this year called Transition (Number Line Records) and it might just be THE best local release of 2011. I bugged him with some silly questions which he gamely answers below...

When did you start as Modulogeek?

It was mostly an act of desperation. When I moved to hk I found it increasingly frustrating to not being in a band (as was the norm in Manila). Eventually I decided to go solo and what better way to start by trying electronic music? 

How would you describe your music?

It's pop music that has had quite a few drinks in a bar, hooks up with a nice cute girl, then wakes up the next morning in a tub of ice with its kidney removed.  

What’s the story behind your name?

I took a class in cryptography and learned that modular arithmetic (where modulo is always used) plays a major role in modern encryption (as in, how we keep our Internets secure and such.)  At the same time I associated modulo operations with how my interests wax and wane periodically, as if in a cyclical manner - it could be film one moment, then books the next, then taxidermy, then back to film etc etc. Geek is kinda obvious ;)

How would you describe Transition in one sentence?

Kidney removal trial runs!

You played Mandolin in the track The Tail of Mr.Fox? Can you tell us what other musical instruments you play?

I didn't play them. A handful of the tracks in Transition are results of remix projects by the monome.org community.  The idea is to create a song out of only a handful of participant-submitted samples and nothing else. So The Tail of Mr. Fox is 100% samples, as are Spectre and No Laughing Matter. I *can* play instruments (to some degree).  Just the usual rock band components - guitar, bass, drums, keyboard. 

Were you in Hong Kong when you made Transition? If yes, would you say that the culture/vibe in HK inspired you to make this EP and in what sense? 

Yes I made the tracks in HK.  I guess there is some influence, but I can't tell exactly how.

Photo by Camilla Pante

 WHAT'S...

...your worst vice?

gaming marathons!

...your favorite website?

rockpapershotgun.com, xkcd.com and slashdot.org 

 ...are you listening right now?

Deerhoof

 ...your secret talent?

none worth telling :D

 ...your worst fashion advice? ;)

i have no fashion sense so anything i say is bad fashion advice.

 ...song/band/artist you'd never admit you listen to?

i dunno.. i have no shame in music. i just listened to "Tomorrow" from Annie several times in a row, does that count?  

So there! Now it's time for you to listen to his music. Download it. Love it.Share it.

DOWNLOAD HERE

CAN'T WAIT TO DOWNLOAD THIS...

You can pre-order or pledge for Tarsius' debut "Primate" on Vinyl 12" LP. Visit: http://www.artisteconnect.com/projects/tarsius

BAND CRUSH: Some Gorgeous Accident

The only time i open my Facebook is when I post a link of a blogpost or to check if there are interesting music related posts in my timeline. Thank God I opened my Facebook today! If not, i would have not discovered this amazing band. Serendipity? Maybe Some Gorgeous Accident! Ok, so that's another failed attempt for a witty intro! haha

Check out this California-based Filipino band called Some Gorgeous Accident. They play gorgeous shoegaze/dream-pop music that reminds me of The Autocollants and Blueboy. The band's first release was cassette EP entitled Winter in Watercolor under the Italian label Best Kept Secret (in all fairness, they hid them well ah.)

Now they are back with Imaginary Lines- a 6-track EP under the local label Number Line Records. With this new EP, the band maximized their shoegaze prowess and experimented with some electronic elements which gave it a bit more "now" sound. You can hear the entire EP below and also a free download link!

If you like shoegaze/dream-pop music, download this mixtape

MUST LISTEN: Number Line Records Sampler No. 1

I was browsing through my Philippine Fashion Week photos so I could maximize my Sunday by blogging something but didnt find any decent photos to post. Tss.. so much about my photography prowess. To my desperation of posting something, thank goodness for Facebook, I got to listen to the sampler of this new local independent music label Number Line Records and was totally glued to it the whole afternoon. I havent been to a local gig  for quite sometime now and I have no idea who are the hottest indie bands around. This compilation introduced me to new indie bands and I am excited to see them live! Number Line Records is the brainchild of the Benedicto siblings from the indie-pop band Outerhope. The label, for now, specializes digital releases. And with digital releases I mean free downloads. Most of the songs in the compilation have that chillwave/lo-fi/sythpop sound that is relevant in the indie scene right now. So if you're a big fan of Panda Bear, Neon Indian, Washed Out and Toro y Moi, Number Line have that sound here with a local flavor. But they are not confined in that sound, for sure. Just like my favorite from the compilation, Slow Hello who plays awesome indie rock with pop sensibilities. Decidedly Weird is definitely a winner track for me. I have the whole compilation below which you can stream/download. GO FOR EAT!!

For more info about the label, you can check their Facebook, website and Twitter.