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LIST: 2009 Mid-Year Round-Up, Part 1
A brief and totally subjective recap of notable Filipino albums for the first half of the year.
Most of these releases are sold at The Junkie Shop (Cubao X), Route 196 (Katipunan Ext.), or Fully Booked (Bonifacio High Street).
Zach Lucero (a/k/a Action Pact) - Fall Crash Infect
Easily my favorite local release of the year, to date. Catchy, straightforward power pop, with a generous amount of duelling boy/girl vocals. Boasts an impressive roster of guest performers. (Shame about the corny album sleeve design.)
Duster - Sweetheart Snackbar
By turns fierce and playful, Duster offer an electro rock tour de force, built around hooky synth punk riffs, and big singalong refrains. Admittedly, it can get repetitive in parts, but I really don’t mind; I love what they do enough to appreciate listening to the same kind of track, several times over.
Pasta Groove - The Distinktive Sounds of Pasta Groove
An unlikely favorite! I expected a collection I would respect more than enjoy. But this is both musically superior and plenty of fun. PG skillfully draws upon a wide range of urban musical influences (old school OPM; 70s Soul records; early hiphop; pure unadulterated funk) to weave together a sonic patchwork of quality tunes.
Outerhope - Lost In Numbers [forthcoming]
The Benedicto siblings improve on the whimsical formula they established with Strangely Paired. This one has a broader, more diverse sound. Mike and Mic invoke pirate shanties and C86 pop, without ditching the twee sensibility on which their cult following is built.
The Low Techs - Anniversary of the Machinery
During live shows, these Baguio natives are mind-blowingly impressive. On record, their brand of Joy Division-esque gloom rock kinda drones on. Whenever I listen to this, I find myself compulsively skipping tracks halfway through every song. A real letdown. They’re still an unquestionable live favorite though.
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