Blanco's Back

And we find him in his own universe. Rico Blanco, the former frontman for the band, Rivermaya, released his first solo album, "Your Universe" some weeks back announcing his comeback to the music scene. The first crack of course was the teaser (an understatement since in itself it was the announcement that he was back) called "Yugto", my own review found on this link.

(Fast fact: i did search my own blog to get that link and found out that one anonymous reader did leave a comment telling me that he came across my review over at pinoyexchange.com and since s/he knew Rico personally he forwarded it to to him and apparently Mr. Blanco was "impressed with your insights". True or not, this is the part when i sent a text message to my friends telling them what i just read. This is the part as well when i smile ear to ear, and glee like it's '93 when i first met Rico and the rest of River Maya during their first concert in Naga.)

That said, it's time for the (regular) disclaimer when i am writing (and criticizing) about my own favorite artists and the likes; pardon the prejudice, positive or otherwise. Dissecting Rico was actually the second review i had in this blog, the first one was about NewMaya's Buhay, which fortunately and unfortunately was not music to the ears for some people.

(Fast fact: Member since early 2000 in the River Maya mailing list, i found myself banned from it as my messages were blocked by the RM mailing list administrators after i posted the same Buhay Review there. You can say: "HaAy. Buhay." here. That deserved a blog entry of its own but let it go.)

So without further nonsense, here's Rico's universe from a fan's point of view:

And starting where i left off from the Dissecting Blanco entry (Rico set such a high standard with this single, time will tell if other songs will play up to this level...)

And so the question begs, did the album surpass what Yugto established and did it meet my expectations? The short and simple and answer is a no (And that's considering and reconsidering every personal bias i have) The long and complicated one is listed below.

Blanco's Back (Your Universe - Rico Blanco)

Yugto rebooted Rico's music career with a bang. Did the rest of the Your Universe playlist follow suit? Simply, no. But did it come as a whimper? Hardly. After all, setting a high standard is not a bad thing in itself. After all, you can't blame Rico for being (too) excited and picking the best song to (pre)release. After all, it's not like other songs from Your Universe is not good. After all, after listening to the album 56 times, you realize this was the real Rico Blanco singing to you--- personal and impersonal at the same time.

After all, this could be the very reason why he chose to go solo: produce something that you can call you. Selfishly personal and openly impersonal--- Sure, that sounds in every possible way a negative line of thinking but not to Rico and his emotions. It might have detached Blanco from a lot of expectations, but definitely it re-established himself as the primary mover of his craft--- not other's wants but what he wants to do, what he wants to say and how he wants to do and say it... which is what music, expression and art should be all about.

Sure, it might have been too much of Blanco, his effective mushiness and some. But what really did you expect from a solo album from an artist who once said that "we play what we want to play, kahit na baduy." (circa 90's)... what more do you really want and expect? As always with Rico, he gives you the bad and the good and keeps you asking for more.

Just like the Yugto review where i dissected it piece by piece, here are some thoughts, song by song on Your Universe. (In quote below each are the best lines from the song)

SAY FOREVER - 80's feel. Rico starts off with the throaty vocals before the interestingly 80s vocal attack on the chorus. Progressive bass-line courtesy of E'heads' Buddy Zabala. Synths completes the 80's feel. i used 80's four times in this paragraph. Expect just that. (Reminds me as well of Maya's Golden Boy version)

I'm at the central station Without a destination baby its true, its true.

YOUR UNIVERSE - Just the other night on my way home the song was played over radio. After the song, the (female) DJ had this to say: "Rico made that song for me. Period." Just about sums it up. The song (particularly the lyrics, as expected) captures your want to feel anything that resembles love. The lover or the loved, it's all the same to you. So effective, it doesn't care if you have no one to dedicate the song to. Ok, that sounds as mushy as Rico. i will stop now. (Replaces Atomic Bomb's If, as the number one 'maya love song of all time in my list. Also, counter part of Rico's pain song called Shattered Like from the It's Not Easy Being Green--- meaning you can feel Rico's pain from the former and you can feel his pleasure from this thing called love in this song)

You can thank your stars all you want but I'll always be the lucky one

AYUZ - Nerbyoso (Trip) crossed with a toned down Gising Na (Tuloy ang Ligaya) during the chorus. Horns reminds you of a Blur song.

At sa mali mo'y may liquid paper
Sa lovelife mong panis, Ctrl-alt-delete

HELPLESS - By the 4th and 5th songs (this one and the next) of the album you wonder if Rico should offer any angst at all (Credit a poster from pinoyexchange.com named ThCrrspndnt who said: "Apparently, the word "angst" isn't part of Rico Blanco's vocabulary. Not a single downer on the former Rivermaya mouthpiece's solo debut effort, "Your Universe." Blanco's offerings are full of emotion yet he's not one to be emo or whatever kids these days call it.") Couldn't have said it better. By the way, this is what you get as well for leaving Rico with all the instruments (except for the drums)

I pour some coffee And slowly swirl in mem'ries Of the night we watched the stars fade into space

START AGAIN - Same same as above. Helpless and Start Again remind me of Never Been Better (It's Not Easy Being Green) without the angst plus same acoustic feel and more synths..

If its okay I'd like
A minute to speak with you

OUTTA THIS - Rico and synths once again. Remember Strontium 90 in It's Not Easy Being Green? Well, it's sort of, kind of like that with lyrics and a more conceivable bass line and guitar rifts plus of course the playful synths.

I try my best to kill The emptiness until My heart stops beatin But I'm not breathin

PARA HINDI KA MAWALA - Intentionally Taglish? Probably the mushiest of the bunch. Only song in the album that uses just a single instrument (acoustic guitar)...

Pag diniscuss ko pa
Ma wi-weird-an ka lang
Pag nag-emote ako
Lalo kang tatabang

Antukin - Your Universe's Tagalog counterpart. Confirmation that Rico indeed is in deep trenches of that emotion which is true across this album. You (almost) wish your also in those deep trenches as well. That catchy guitar rift is still at the back of the mind--- where did it come from?! So familiar yet we can't point out the influence. Warning: Almost the entire song copy+pasted next because, after all, this is Blanco we are talking about. Also take note of the extro vocals; "Gumawa na lang tayo ng paraan (Then, paraan is slowly faded out to make way for the backing vocals: "Baby...")

Sorry wala ka nang magagawa/Mahalin mo nalang ako/Ng sobra sobra
Para patas naman tayo/Diba?

Sasalubungin natin ang kinabukasan/Ng walang takot at walang pangamba
Tadhana'y merong tip na makapangyarihan/

Pinaiyak ka ng manghuhula/Hindi na raw tayo magkasamang tatanda/
Buti nalang/Merong langit na nagtatanggol sa/Pag ibig na pursigido't matyaga

Long as we stand as one/Ano man ang ating makabangga/Nothing will ever break us
Wala talaga/As in wala

Hahalikan nalang natin ang kinabukasan/Ng buong loob at yayakapin pa
Tadhana'y medyo overrated kung minsan/

Gumawa nalang tayo ng paraan
Gumawa nalang tayo ng... (Baby)
Gumawa nalang tayo ng paraan

Metropolis - Aptly the last song as Rico bades goodbye and good night. At least for now of course.

Sweet, sweet dreams Sleep tight, good night

So there goes Rico's universe. The good is that is he's back making music--- that is neither this generation's privilege nor it's gift, but just some kind of luck that we got he got to spend making his music in this era. The bad is that he pulled some punches--- you can credit/blame that in his hope to plainly express himself. You can doubt the end result, but you can never doubt the emotions involved.

Dissecting Blanco

Or specifically, dissecting Rico Blanco's Yugto. It's too much really. Especially if you are not really a music expert but just an armchair critique doubling it up as being the semi-to-full biased fanatic... What you get is a Tom peeping through that temptation of a hole hoping to find eroticism in anything but what he gets is an explosion of colors; a random play of puppets which strings are rather familiar... A familiar pattern of colors but you can't seem to name each. A familiar script of the play but you can't seem to digest the plot... That people is a description of Blanco at his best. And simply, that is what he is in his latest installment called "Yugto."

In one forum, i compared Rico to Neil Gaiman in such a way that Yugto is much like a collection of different influences much the same way as the Sandman graphic novels is a fusion of the different literary genres. Yes, such a lofty comparison but not something i will back off when pressed to argue. And here's an argument that i will constantly offer: it's not just listening to music (or for analogy, just reading a book/graphic novel) it's experiencing the entirety of that artist (author) and how he defines his craft plus himself through that craft.

So here's a Yugto dissection, chapter by chapter. After listening to the song, 20 times earlier today.

Intro is pretty much the playful Blanco respecting his roots and obvious awe of the ethnic Filipino and Southeast Asia sound. The symphonic orchestra with the strings reminds you of Joey Ayala and Rico will admit that indeed he is influenced by this artist's sound, one way or the other. (And also the Rico-ish oh-oh-oh to start the vocals immediately establishes who is the artist on this one)

Sa gitna ng kagubatan may ahas na hahalik
Tatawagin kang kaibigan na pinaka matalik
Pupulupot sa leeg mo’t sisipsip ng iyong dugo
Ipapako ka sa krus kapag ikaw ay natuyo

sa gitna ng kaguluhan may kumukulong bulkan
Di ma pigil ang yabang at sakdal na kasakiman
Susubukang angkinin ang lahat ng hindi kanya
Kung kaya kang paikutin tiyak paiikutin ka

From there, Rico sets up the base-line heavy first through second stanza. Remember the progressive base-lead in Atomic Bomb's The Chase? Shorten the progression put a lyrics and sing it, that's a basic base-drums-effects for you that is not dissimilar to Rico's take on the pair of stanzas.

Ngunit hindi nila kayang baliin ang iyong loob
Ang pag-ibig na hawak mo’y hindi malulubog

Now the above part is rather familar. It's the Tuloy Ang Ligaya-Rico with a little bit of Alab ng Puso (Buhay Kamao soundtrack) and some in Tuloy ang Ligawa's Umaaraw Umuulan... Even the fire in his singing of..

Lumiyab ka...

which is the part of the chorus sounds very much like his take on Alab... Of course this time with a little more conviction. Plus the Rico-ish oh-oh-oh returns to lead back to the next stanza...

Sa gitna ng kadiliman may buwitreng nagmamasid May magbabato ng putik ngunit walang mayayanig Iiyak ang mga batang nahulugan ng candy Laging mga problema sa iba’y sinisisi

More effects (strings and synths, i believe) on that previous stanza. A little tweak here or there with the stanzas background (more horns and others which offers another feel) from hereon...

Sa gitna ng kagubatan may ahas na hahalik
Itinuring mong kaibigan na pinaka matalik
Leeg mo’y pupuluputan dugo mo’y sisipsipin
Kapag wala ka nang pakinabang ang ending mo’y sa bangin

Same and same to lead once again to an engrande bridge...

Ngunit hindi nila kayang baliin ang iyong loob Ang pag-ibig na hawak mo’y hindi malulubog Lumiyab ka….

Piano and voice and Queen-esque (Bohemian Rhapsody) vocal renditions, even a choral part which Queen will be proud of.. (even the baseline were almost trip-hop leading up to this one)

Tuwing hating gabi maririnig mo ang huni
Ng mga kaluluwang naliligaw
Lahat ng pera sa mundo hindi kayang gawing ginto
Ang huwad na tao..

Piano, trip-hop base play and voice and Queenesque vocal renditions which Freddie Mercury will be proud of...

Ang mga tinig palakas ng palakas
hanggang gumuho ang mga hadlang

...even that choral part... Almost eerie like you want to sing and be a part of that troop sent to a war...

hanggang gumuho ang mga hadlang

... then re-affirms it with a whisper but not a whimper on that one... followed by a Smashing Pumpkins-slash-Radiohead lead for the adlib going into the prophetic finale...

Saksi ang langit sa lahat ng naganap Saksi ang langit sa ikalawang yugto … Lumiyab ka….

... James Iha in Gish and Jonny Greenwood in The Bends makes a timely return to end the song...

To end, i would like to mention that.... i believe the "downloaded" version is an unfinished copy! No worries, Rico lit up a fire in my ass that i will definitely buy the ORIGINAL version when the full length album is released this July. First one in about four years probably, but it's worth it. Rico set such a high standard with this single, time will tell if other songs will play up to this level.

Meantime, it's now the 44th time that i listened to Yugto today.

While we are at it...

So much for reposting every lyrics of my favorite song.. Particularly Rivermaya songs of old... Copy + pasted below are the "quotable quotes" (quote unquote as necessary as this explanation in an "open-close" parenthesis explaining the redundancy as significant for more emphasis) off their albums of the past. The B-sides that were never heard but has voices that definitely has more meaning than the commercially-released singles.

From the self-titled yellow album (1994):

Revolution

i could be a dreamer
i could be insane
but we don't need no Superman
to paint a brighter day

20 Million

And as i watch the candle
(burn/turn) this night (away/today)
My life collects another yesterday

Hate

Well, if you're happy then i'm blue
'cause I'm not so far but not with you...

...If only you were smiling, if i was reason
tomorrow, I could die.

... And this is not a love song,
don't even think it's your song.

Gravity

Somebody save me, ‘coz my mind is a train
And it don’t have a destination, and it don’t know my name
It keeps runnin’, runnin’, runnin’, runnin’,
well, that kinda explains,
why I see every single madness, but I cant see what is plain   

And i'm just starting. There are about five to six albums left. Another post, another album in another time. It's just too much for a single post. Let this be a lesson to your B-side existence.

Fever to start the week! Woot.

i was and am always fond of the B-sides tracks--- unreleased singles of the favorite bands and artists that are unseen by (almost unwanted) and unheard of by most of the average music fan. It's always a struggle of priority for these bands--- a tug-of-war of which to release; the more-commercially viable songs or the definitely more experimental and artistically satisfying to the critical ears and tastes but will be a major risk when released in the open market.

Rivermaya then was very different from the Rivermaya of today; i have to explain that to the new listeners--- most of them them new fans, either converted or newly acquired--- and re-explain it to the old school fans who knew the band on eye level only--- shallow opinions of an uneducated mind, which is rather understandable.

And oh, this maybe just a reactionary tale as close friends accused the band as the Philippines version of the foreign band Michael Learns to Rock, which outside the alcohol and diss-just-to-diss mission is lame, shallow and shallow plus lame. (If the discussion had more depth, they could have had more credibility but it's just it, it's a matter of taste and nobody wins in these kinds of discussions) Taste can never be altered but perception can be changed, you just hope some people have the capability of adjusting their way of thinking, especially since their way of thinking is absolutely naive and naively absolute.

Before i become accused of just being passionately defensive and before i become a diss-just-to-diss kind of person in discussions, i just thought of posting the "Fever" lyrics off Maya's album, Atomic Bomb (1997)

The title talks about my current state (which isn't known but that i feel very cold and very hot at the same time) and the entire song (lyrics and melody) just about sums up that the strength of anything (this case, a band's greatness) more than meets the eye (and your basic taste):
(*i believe the lyrics was a collaboration between Blanco and Mañalac.) And yes blast them all you want, i still have lots of B-sides to post anyway.

Fever
by Rivermaya

you're so good to me
a question
your intentions
you're so naive
ripe for the pluckin'
pretty to bleed
we look so good together
you seem so right for me
you promised me heaven
it seemed so right
a special today on roses
i'm so hot from dancing, dancing, dancing
got some tips from the butcher
a slab of shit
just like you
we look so good together
you seem so right for me
you promised me heaven
it seemed so right
like sun and fire
like dream and sleep
like a bird's flight
through a forest deep
two streams we die
in the open sea
like destiny
like destiny...
we look so good together (follow me, go follow me, go follow me)
(i'm dancing)
you seem so right for me (follow me, don't follow me)
(i'm dancing, i'm dancing)
you promised me heaven (follow me, don't follow me, don't follow me)
(i'm dancing)
you promised me heaven ( you promised me...)
heaven (home...)
heaven (home...)

Maya's New Album: Rico Blanco on Steroids

Before i get burned, might as well put the disclaimer on the first line. Excuse above all, explain later: i am not a music expert; nor i admit i know my music as much as the next real musician. What i am though is a music fan; what i once was was a big-big-big Rivermaya fan since the yellow self-titled album in 1994. Quick rationale on that last line: Out of 48 students in our second year high school class roughly five were Rivermaya fans; the rest were Eraserheads fanboys--- you have to be there to understand how a 14-year-old defended his favorite band, which he thought was the best in the Philippines (Try telling that to 'heads supporters...) In short, i don't believe i know my music like the any expert or average music fan. What i know is i know what it's like to be a 'maya fan over the years. Over the seemingly constant band roster changes... Over the evolution of the 'maya music which i dearly love. And all that said, here's a review of Rivermaya's latest album.

Rivermaya's Buhay (2008)

Rico Blanco on steroids. Squeeze the juice up because that's what first came to mind. In rather normal terms the effort is too much of an attempt to retain the Rivermaya identity rather than create one of its own. A poorman's version of any Rivermaya album of the past, especially the Blanco-fronted years.

Just a little revisionist history; when Bamboo left Rivermaya in 1998, i pretty much gave up and gave in to the idea that my favorite band would never be the same again. That what was left behind was just a collection of musicians, which will be good but not as great in the long term as i hoped they would. (Actually, going a little further back, i never had these worries when Perf left 3-4 years earlier) i was correct on the first thought that they would never be the same again... But was wrong on the next; the 1998-2001 Rivermaya actually matched if not was even better (Don't get us started on this one for this will turn out to be another Rico vs. Bamboo debate) considering the changes that was happening to the band.

Why and how could the triumvirate of Rico, Nathan and Mark match/outdo the foursome which includes the vocal power of a Bamboo? Simple. When Bamboo left, Rico did not miss a beat and just started doing what he do best; Create music with reckless abandon, fuck-the-critics-and-forget-about-the-fans because i am here to experiment and just make MY music.

This raw passion was clearly seen on the freedom of a Nathan and a Mark; both guys clearly HAD their freedom to input their genre of music (Nathan's funk and Mark's jazz) This raw passion and very honest take on their music resulted in Rivermaya's best albums to date post-Bamboo era: It's Not Easy Being Green featuring Nerbyoso as it's carrier single (Worst song of the album by the way) and the classic Free album.

Why and how could the triumvirate of Rico, Nathan and Mark match/outdo the foursome which includes the vocal power of a Bamboo? Simple. Rico, Nathan and Mark did not try to duplicate their previous attempts rather they tried to create a sound that could be unique between the three of them and which they can call their own. Not to say they created their own genre but rather that they redefined a Rivermaya sound--- ultimately as fans, we can adapt to roster changes especially when we see what changed.

This is where my criticism of Rivermaya's new album comes in. The five new guys (Yes, including Mark unfortunately) did not attempt to make new music rather rehash what they knew as Rivermaya. Sure sure, maybe they want to respect the Rivermaya tradition and all, but where does that put you as a musician? What does that tell you about being an artist?

And if we want to get too technical here, the real Rivermaya tradition is being able to welcome change and risk it all to create a new sound--- a new identity. What is missing is the reckless abandon attitude that made Rivermaya... Well, Rivermaya.

Buhay came way, way too lifeless for that basic requirement. It's simply Rico Blanco on steroids, you might get a few good performances here or there but in the long run the real product will show itself.

Maybe i just have to listen to it another 30-40 times like i already have? Will it change a thing? What happens to MY band now; is it still MY band? Well, like a good old Rivermaya fan, i'll probably just hang around and see what happens with this Rivermaya. Who knows, i might even watch a live performance and maybe that could change a thing... or could make the criticism even worse.)

After all, we 'maya fans know the word, "change."

Until then i delay my personal wish for the band to drop the name, Rivermaya because where's justice in using the name if you are just squeezing up the juice?

Song Grab: Empty Apartment

ng It's always funny when a band or an artist writes a piece which you think you could have written yourself... And funnier when you really believe that that artist stole your idea and it just so happened that he wrote it first! Nonetheless, because now you (think) have the same idea, there's an immediate appreciation for the song and admiration for that artist. That said here's one piece that really touches your heart plus your ego at the same time. And oh, it sums up just about the past four months of this lifetime. Or maybe the next.

Empty Apartment
(Yellowcard)

Call me out
You stayed inside
One you love
Is where you hide
Shot me down
As I flew by
Crash and burn
I think sometimes
You forget where the heart is

Answer no to these questions
Let her go, learn a lesson
It's not me, you're not listening
Now, can't you see something's missing
You forget where the heart is

Take you away from that empty apartment
You stay, and forget where the heart is
Someday if ever you loved me you'd say, it's okay
Waking up from this nightmare
How's your life?
What's it like there?
Is it all what you want it to be?

Does it hurt when you think about me?
And how broken my heart is

Take you away from that empty apartment
You stay, and forget where the heart is
Someday if ever you loved me you'd say, it's okay

It's okay to be angry and never let go
It only gets harder the more that you know
When you get lonely if no one's around
You know that I'll catch you when you're falling down
We came together but you left alone
And I know how it feels to walk out on your own
Maybe someday I will see you again
And you'll look me in my eyes and call me your friend

Take you away from that empty apartment
You stay, and forget where the heart is
Someday if ever you loved me you'd say, it's okay

It's okay
It's okay