Freestyle
Genre: Pop, OPM
CREDITS: 1998 Freestyle, Neo Records, VIVA Entertainment
Track Listing:

1. Goodluv
2. Not That Easy
3. Wanna Be The One
4. Lover
5. Before I Let You Go
6. I Keep On Callin’ (Interlude)
7. Let’s Get It On
8. I’m Gonna Love You
9. It’s Not Time (Interlude)
10. So Slow
11. Treat You So Right
12. Get With Me
13. Bakit Iniwan Na

 

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Wish I could be so bored…
For a band that was formed out of boredom in the distant South of the Philippines, Freestyle sure makes one hell of a group to be reckoned with. With this first CD, Freestyle sure made its definitive mark in the history of Philippine pop music—sounding a little too foreign yet infusing their music with romantic themes that are distinctively Filipino.

Freestyle’s self-titled album is mostly composed of love songs, the catchier of which are Before I Let You Go, a tearful ballad about breaking up performed by male lead vocalist Christopher “Top” Suzara, and So Slow, another ballad—witty and pragmatic approach to sensual awakening this time—by Jennifer “Jinky” Vidal. You don’t have to be mushy all day long, as dance tracks like Goodluv and Lover will make you want to get out there and swing your body to the groove. Remember to take a date with you because these two will definitely add a touch of sexiness and charm to your overall feeling.

My favorite track here is actually the soul rending Bakit Iniwan Na, the only Tagalog song in the entire album that speaks of a girl’s disillusioned heart after falling out of a seemingly meaningful relationship. It isn’t the language alone that makes it different from the rest of the tracks; Bakit Iniwan Na features Jinky’s powerful vocal prowess without her resorting to oral acrobatics. In fact, it is filled with soft husky crooning that brings out the best of Jinky’s falsettos. The accompaniments are led by the beautiful sound of the keyboards. Highly recommended if you want to be in an artistic, brooding mood.

Freestyle is a wonderful album. I can assure a listener that she will never forget at least two of their songs. My only gripe with it is that some of the tracks sound too closely alike. But since this is only the group’s first, I have different opinions on their other follow-up recordings. This was released in 1998, and it’s now the year 2002. A lot has improved since then.

Enya: A Day Without Rain
Genre: New Age, Pop
CREDITS: 2000 Enya / WEA / Warner Bros.
Track Listing:

1. A Day Without Rain
2. Wild Child
3. Only Time
4. Tempus Vernum
5. Deora Ar Mo Chroí
6. Flora’s Secret
7. Fallen Embers
8. Silver Inches
9. Pilgrim
10. One By One
11. Isobella (BONUS TRACK)
12. Lazy Days

 

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I’ve heard it all before…

Enya was one of my favorite New Age artists in the late 1990s, having at least 2 favorite albums in my collection: Shepherd Moons and The Celtics. It’s been a while since I bought an Enya record and I was rather disappointed with A Day Without Rain.

Don’t get me wrong, A Day Without Rain still features the best of what Enya can offer, since the reason for the artist’s 5-year lull was that she herself was personally involved with the accompaniments and all the vocal work involved in its production. You can still plop it on your player and be swept away by her ethereal voice and gorgeous background music that aren’t just produced by synthesizers this time. Tracks to look forward to are of course the carrier A Day Without Rain for the dreamy walk-in-a-beautiful-vineyard atmosphere; Tempus Vernum for its dark and Gothic feel that is similar to one of her old Watermark songs Cursum Perficio; Deora Ar Mo Chroí; and Lazy Days for making a listener want to sit back, relax, and dream about shifting careers. Isobella, the bonus track available only in the Japanese release of the album, is a nice addition that makes me think of a beautiful sunlight-clad woman traipsing down an isle of flowers and foliage.

What frustrates me is that A Day Without Rain is nowhere different from the rest of her albums. They now sound the same. They basically conjure the same imagery in my mind. Yes, there is a lot that can be said about consistency, but one must try to be a little more innovative lest one begins to sound boring and repetitive. It’s either that, or I’ve been attending a little too many bridal fairs and fashion shows that insist on using Enya’s work for their BGMs.

Bôa: Beyond Serial Experiments Lain
An interview by Skysenshi

Any cyberpunk anime fun should not go on to the afterlife without knowing what this Bôa is all about. Famed throughout otaku-dom and Japan for their opening act in Serial Experiments Lain’s Duvet, many fans have wondered what they’re really like—without the word “Lain” attached. Listening to their album Twilight, you’d definitely find yourself intrigued: “Wow! They don’t sound JPOP!” Ahem. Uh, sweetie, that’s ’cause they aren’t JPOP…well, technically. This talented group hailed from the UK, but of course, there’s more to them than that. So before I bore you with my useless chatter, let me introduce the world of Bôa.

Skysenshi: Your band’s name has been a constant source of curiosity for a lot of people. Why “BOA”?

Boa: It’s just so much better that Cry wolf!!

Skysenshi: And so much simpler to write too. [Grins]. We noticed you sound very diverse. Like you’ve had a lot of influences from various genres. Who or what are your inspiration when it comes to music?

Boa: Everyone is inspiring to some degree, by how much you want to emulate and by how much you don’t. So it’s difficult to say, everyone in the band has very different tastes in music, Boa is a kind of meeting in the middle—although I’d like to sneak in our mutual love for Bill Hicks at some point in this interview.

Skysenshi: For the sake of the readers who’ve just been introduced to BOA’s music, how did you guys find each other and formed the band?

Boa: Steve is the brother of Jasmine, so they met first. Then Ed, our first drummer met Steve at school, he brought in Alex and Paul. Alex brought in Ben and then Lee when Ed left to finish university.

Skysenshi: Any contemporary bands/artists that you admire?

Boa: Of course, but we’d only argue if we tried to write them down.

Skysenshi: Ha ha! What a safe on-the-record answer! But here’s a question I’ve been dying to ask since I connected the name Rodgers. I understand that two of the band members, Steve and Jasmine, are the children of classic rock legend Paul Rodgers. Did the band ever felt intimidated by Paul Rodgers’ shadow?

Boa: Where there is light no darkness can prevail, why should there be intimidation? We set out to play music, to be part of something beautiful.

Skysenshi: And beautiful it is. Speaking of beauty, if you were to be tapped as image/commercial models for a particular item/brand, what would it be?

Boa: Erm… [derision from band] Tuna steak in brine is one suggestion….

Skysenshi: [LOL] Hard to imagine the guys promoting tuna steak in brine. On another note, being an anime fan, I can’t help but ask…are any of you Japanese?

Boa: Steve and Jasmine’s mum is Japanese.

Skysenshi: Aha! I knew it! You guys just look so exotic, and I mean that as a compliment. So, have you seen Lain? I know that’s a weird question, but people are curious. Ha ha!

Boa: Actually, yeah we have. Most of it. But we only got sent a couple of programmes worth so we didn’t see all of it. Money must be tight!!!!

Skysenshi: Are there any other favorite anime?

Boa: Godzilla, Scooby Doo, the classics…Akira, Ninja Scroll

Skysenshi: You seem to be also active in the concert scene. What was your worst experience during performances?

Boa: Playing Glastonbury Festival, a particularly rainy one, where Lee’s drum stage started sinking in the mud while he played. We had to carry equipment over a mile of knee high mud.

Skysenshi: What was your most memorable?

Boa: We had a great gig in Texas for Anime Fest, everything was wrong before the gig so consequently the gig turned out to be the best of all—we pull together very well when we need to and there’s nothing better than that feeling of joy and relief when that happens.

Skysenshi: You’ve mentioned in our earlier conversations that you’re preparing for a new album. Can you tell us a little something about this exciting (upcoming) release?

Boa: It’s so good that we’re very happy. But it’s taking ages to get it out there—aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggh!!!!!!!!!!

Skysenshi: Ok, I really can’t wait for this surprise. Any concert tours planned for the year?

Boa: Actuallly, yes, we’re supporting Bad Company in September of this year in the UK- dates are on our website www.boaweb.co.uk

Skysenshi: Any parting words for our readers and your fans? Beauty secrets? I’d definitely want to know Jasmine’s beauty secrets, he he.

Boa: Try not letting the monkey in your brain control your life! Meditate! Eat good, sleep good, exercise good and party good!

I’m going to put these words to heart and follow them when I can. Whew, that was quite an enlightening interview. Let me just get the pieces of my brain back together from that monkey who got in.

Well, for those of you who are reading this, don’t forget to drop by their website at http://www.boaweb.co.uk for more information to satisfy your Boa fix. You can also support them by buying their records, and not condoning piracy.

Do As Infinity: Deep Forest
Genre: JRock, JPop, Jazz/Rock
CREDITS: 2001 AVEX Network Inc.
Track Listing:

1. Fukai Mori
2. Tooku Made
3. Tadaima
4. GET YOURSELF
5. Tsubasa no Keikaku
6. Kouzou Kaikaku
7. Koi Hime
8. WEEK!
9. HANG OUT
10. Boukensha Tachi
11. Enrai
    BONUS TRACK: Signal (Album Remix)

 

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Certified Non-Bubblegum

When I first heard Fukai Mori, the title track that means “Deep Forest” in English, I imagined the vocalist to be tomboyish or grunge. I wasn’t aware then that Do As Infinity was such a huge name in Japan, but what I know of Japanese pop girlies is that they usually sang bubblegum tunes with ultra-irritating high pitched nasal voices and that they bank more on their cutesy charms than actual talent. Well, vocalist Van Tomiko certainly is one of Japan’s rarities—with her model-like angelic looks that belie that pair of powerful alto-driven lungs. She’s right up there in my to-worship list, alongside Hikaru Utada, Megumi Ogata, and Hatsumi Morinaga.

But Do As Infinity is not just about Van Tomiko alone. In fact, she’s sambun no ichi (1/3) of pure talent that also includes composer Dai Nagao and guitarist Ryo Owatari. Having Led Zeppelin, AEROSMITH, Natalie Imbruglia, Sheryl Crow, the Corrs, MEJA, Jimi Hendrix, and Radiohead in their roster of inspirations, it isn’t difficult to figure out why this band is so versatile they could jam to old jazz and Big Band swing tunes that dates back to post-WWII America to 70s-infused classic rock to modern-day hard rock. They can even do bubblegum pop without sounding like overgrown babies with a bad case of diaper rash. The use of various unconventional instruments from ethnic to computer generated—with Ryo Owatari’s guitar leading, of course—can leave one’s mouth agape with awe. Listen to this album and be enthralled with their music. You will never find yourself bored because one track is immeasurably different from the last one.

Swing to Kouzou Kaikaku—60-year-old Benny Goodman fans will probably like this one. Do a karaoke sing-along with Week! and Hang Out. Cry with Fukai Mori as the lyrics go: “In the deep, deep forest, surely I left my heart behind…” My favorite would probably be Enrai, a soft ballad that speaks of a future likened to a distant thunder. It’s also the most “imperfect” track, hearing as Van Tomiko does a lot of flats during vocal register transitions, the most prominent of which could be heard in the first refrain before she finally settles her belt-to-falsetto style later on. I actually cringed upon hearing the first flat, but I got used to it after a while and actually found its imperfection strangely endearing.

To date, DAI, as they are fondly called by their fans, has become so popular since their 1999 debut single Tangerine Dream that they’re now a household name. There almost isn’t a work of theirs that hasn’t become a theme for a soap opera, a TV show, and even an anime movie. In this album alone, there’s Fukai Mori and Tooku Made, both already internationally known. Fukai Mori is the second ending theme for Inu Yasha, while Tooku Made is the ending theme for Vampire Hunter D 2000: Bloodlust.

Clara Ponty - The Embrace
Genre: New Age
CREDITS: 1999 Philips Classics, Philips Music Group
Track Listing:

1. Pierrot
2. Migration
3. The Embrace
4. Echo
5. Rapture
6. Les Berceaux (The Cradles)
7. Spirit Dancer
8. Lasting Peace
9. Crystalline
10. Bridge of Clear Light

 

Piano with an “Oomph!”

Browsing through the Classical and New Age section of Tower Records as my usual wont is, I chanced upon Clara Ponty’s The Embrace on their listening rack. I thought, “Hm. Piano. Must be something heavenly about this to be listed in the New Age section alongside Enya…” Suddenly overcome with curiosity, I plopped the headphones on my ears and proceeded to listen.

Boy, was I in for a surprise! For not only does Clara Ponty’s music sound absolutely divine, I was taken to a whole new dimension in musical imagination. The CD cover scheme best describes what I felt: calm, serene, clear, and blue that had nothing to do with loneliness but more with the ocean. Rippling with waves and waves of overwhelming images that come to mind. Warm, loving arms in The Embrace, the title track, which is dedicated to the last days of Clara’s grandmother Lucia. Cool, crystal clear, flowing river in Crystalline. Haunting innocence of the past in Spirit Dancer.

Migration makes me think of the human soul, transcending to the next level after leaving its physical body. Rapture is simply that—rapture. And there’s the first track, Pierrot, which strangely reminds me of a time-travel inspired video game I once played called Chrono Trigger. Truly, finding a favorite track must seem such an impossible task.

The album itself comprises of not just piano music, but it’s piano accompanied with various dreamy instruments I’d never even heard of! Playing with Clara are Reza Darakshani on the ney flute, Mino Cinelu and Cyro Baptista on percussion, Kevin Khun on acoustic and Charango guitar and the bouzouki, Caryl Paisner on cello, Robert Magnuson on flute, Laraaji on 36 string zither, Eric Calvi and John Lissauer on programming and various ambient sound effects that are composed of cloud organs, wine glasses (Yes, wine glasses, you read me right!), bonang gamelons and various other sounds that are foreign to my ears.

Vocals are quite prominent here too, provided by Clara Ponty herself, Knoop Children’s Choir and Loretta Muse. But if you think that they’re singing some angsty, out of this world, pre-written lyrics, think again. This is a purely instrumental album, and that means vocals here are used as instrumental enhancements instead of being the accompanied.

Born in a family of musicians, with renowned jazz/electric violinist Jean Luc Ponty for her father, a violin teacher for a grandfather, and a piano instructor for a grandmother, Clara Ponty’s future has already been paved for her. The only thing left for her to do to get out of her father’s shadow was prove her talent and her familiarity with various genres from classic to jazz to other contemporary genres. And that she did—presenting a wide array of exotic sounds, including African tribal percussion techniques and other internationally inspired influences. This is music for the soul. This is artistry at its finest.