A lot of new bands have arrived in the local music scene. Thanks to pioneer bands like The Eraserheads, The Dawn, and Alamid, the industry has spawned several notable bands like Parokya ni Edgar and Rivermaya. But among all of these emerging bands, Itchyworms is a definite standout.
Their sophomore album, NoonTime Show is truly amazing. Combine their humor, wit, awesome songwriting abilities and addictive tunes, then you have something you can never let go of.
As far as I know, their first album was Little Monsters under your bed. I only knew two songs (Antipara and Bituin) from that album and until now, am unable to find it. Antipara was my favorite back in 2001 (ata), but somehow it wasn’t enough to urge me to buy their cd. And now, i regret having thought that.
NoonTime Show is now a staple in my head. Their tunes never get out of my system, even during classes. I find their parodies of our local “entertainment” scene brilliant. As in. Songs such as Wala nang puwedeng magmahal sa yo (Stalker Song), Production Number, Soap O Pera, Contestant number 1, and Theme From NoonTime Show expose how these guys see our pinoy tinsel town: pathetic, predictable and panget.
Mag-production number tayo kahit hindi bagay
Pagsamahin ang mga baguhan dun sa mga sanay
Magkunwari tayo na walang sumasablay
Dahil lahat tayo’y kumakantang sabay-sabay.
These are lines from their song Production Number. And wow, they put it raw and in your face. How nice is that?
Well true enough, our showbiz scene is a really sad and depressing place. We thrive in copying other works like those of the korean and chino-velas. We repeat or re-package past successful “formulas” to try and dose the viewers with over kill. We also never get tired of the lame, mindless plots in our local soaps and movies. True enough, if this is what we call entertainment, we’re all better off asleep.
The indie movies are the ones making all the buzz right now, not the big budgeted flicks which are all geared towards getting money rather than giving us quality and substantial materials. If only we could have regular showing of these indies like, North Diversion Road, Indio Nacional, Pepot Superstar, Big Time and of course the famed Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, then our mainstream moviemakers could probably get a thing or two on how to make their storylines more “digestible”.
Anyway, the Itchyworms are the best thing that happened after Parokya ni Edgar, and they will continue to have a huge fan base because they have a unique style, a cool vibe, witty lyrics and a delicious sound. Speaking of delicious sound, I particularly love their song Buwan. It shows their mature side and their video too, is pretty cool. The scene where kelvin yu sits in the mrt and thinks, “Papalayasin kaya ako pag isang buong araw ako dito?” and “Ilan kaya dito sa mga to ang hindi [u]uwi agad?” were once my exact thoughts. But what really got to me was, “Lahat ba sila alam ang pupuntahan nila?”. It could be sarcastic or just plain pa-deep. Whichever way, it’s fine with me.
I also adore, One Ball, Love Team, The Stalker Song, Production Number, Salapi and of course, Akin ka na lang and Beer. Oh yeah, count Grabeng Pag-ibig, Happy Happy Song, Buwan (Sfunky version) and Jackson as well. Actually, just count all their songs in. Really, it’s that good. And fun. And gratifying to listen to.
2 Comments
March 24, 2007 at 6:50 am
Ma’m, good review! Di ko alam na may vid sila ng “Buwan”. Try ordering sa M1 or Tower ng “Monsters Under Your Bed”. I got mine at Glorietta 3. Enjoy! Ü
June 20, 2009 at 10:27 am
Cool band. They got good stuff.